earthwave offers managed security to Australian schools

ISONet, the Independent Schools Online Network, has been deployed in over 50 Australian schools. According to earthwave, the Rudd government promise of $1 billion in education funding and the ‘one computer per child’ scheme will create opportunities for the local channel in the managed security services sector over the next four years.

Carlo Minassian, founder and chief executive officer at earthwave told CRN the initial hurdle was coordinating the solution to suit the requirements of schools that vary in size and existing infrastructure.

“The biggest challenge we faced was the variety of schools. There was a broad range and we needed to meet each of their needs and make sure the cost was affordable to all,” he explained. “Our objective was to demonstrate that what we’ve built is far more functional and secure than anything they can deploy internally.”

earthwave developed the secure Wide Area Network initiative in conjunction with the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) NSW. It provides the education sector with access to secure broadband data services, Internet resources and managed security at sustainable rates.

“The technology was built with the education market in mind,” said Minassian. “The initial infrastructure is complex and takes a lot of technical building. What we are offering is Defence-grade security brought down to an affordable level.”

The growing popularity of Web 2.0 platforms such as Facebook and MySpace are exposing networks in the education sector to new threats and compelling schools to employ more rigorous security practices, said Minassian.

“Web 2.0 technology has created new vulnerabilities in networks, new threats that previously didn’t exist. Gen Y are using these platforms and exposing networks to new forms of attack,” he reiterated.

Frank Brooks, director of ICT at AIS NSW commented: “Security must become a top priority for school ICT managers, particularly as Gen Y use lots of Web 2.0 websites rich with content, features, AJAX-enabled applications and embedded JavaScripts, delivering PC processing that leaves the user vulnerable to exploitation.”

St Andrews Cathedral School has been using ISONet since 2004, however Minassian stated that schools lacking the necessary security infrastructure and technical staff would derive greater benefit from the solution.

“St Andrews had the proper security infrastructure in place, however they chose to outsource and use their resources for other strategic initiatives,” he said. “It will be much more beneficial for small schools to seek out ISONet as they don’t have dedicated IT staff.”

Minassian also claimed ISONet, with the backing of AIS, has created an opportunity for Australian resellers to penetrate the education market.

“We sell exclusively through the channel,” he said. “AIS support the initiative and promote it so independent schools don’t fall behind government-run schools. ISONet is also interconnected with carriers such as Soul and AAPT and this creates additional sales opportunities.”

earthwave isonet security