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SurfControl Joins Dept. of Education in Partnership to Help School Districts Nationwide Combat IT Security Risks Consortium for School Networking Announces “Cyber Security for the Digital District” Initiative to Help Schools Improve IT Security Scotts Valley, Calif. (October 23, 2003) -- SurfControl, the world’s number one Web and e-mail filtering company, (London:SRF, Nasdaq Europe:SRFC), today announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the Consortium for School Networking to provide greatly needed tools and training to protect IT networks used by students, teachers and administrators. “Schools face the same threats as American businesses, but do not have the same resources,” said Mary Cardwell, director of marketing for SurfControl. “This initiative is a major step toward school districts protecting themselves against growing threats such as liabilities from copyright infringement, inappropriate content in the classroom, e-mail borne viruses and inadvertent exposure of personal data, like grades, payroll records and student records.” The initiative, announced today at a news conference at the Technology & Learning Conference of the National Association of School Boards being held in Anaheim, California, is designed to address the need for greater network security in grades K-12. SurfControl has committed $150,000 to the “Cyber Security for the Digital District” initiative over the next three years. “Working with state and local governments, school districts and the private sector, together we can identify specific ways to improve network security in school systems at all levels, from administration down to the classroom,” said John P. Bailey, director of Educational Technology for the U. S. Department of Education. Schools are struggling with a shortage of qualified technical support to administer IT networks and implement necessary security measures. A study in Ohio schools three years ago, for example, found only one technical support personnel for every 148 computers, compared to one for every 50 computers in a typical business environment. Recent budget cuts in school districts nationwide have worsened the problem while the use of computers in schools has skyrocketed. The situation in schools is so bad that a 2002 survey by the National School Boards Foundation found that more than 54 percent of school districts surveyed said they relied on students to provide some level of technical support. While many educators see this kind of hands-on experience as a dynamic learning opportunity for students, it also puts a burden on school administrators to establish reasonable limits for student access. The new partnership will develop a toolkit to help educators understand and assess their network security needs, offer professional development workshops and training in IT security and offer security information and resources through a national Web site to provide school districts with the information they need to combat the latest Internet risks. The group also will work toward a standard set of “best practices” to be used for IT security in schools. “Each school district needs to create appropriate policies and practices, and then educate students, teachers and staff to build an ethical basis for all security programs. Our goal is to create a community of trust – a kind of Neighborhood Watch – in which everyone understands the potential risks and works together to avoid them,” said Steve Miller, project manager for the Cyber Security for the Digital District initiative and executive director of Mass Networks Education Partnership. Bob Moore, executive director of IT services for Blue Valley U. S. School District and chair of the Consortium for School Networking board, stressed the value that this program brings to district-level technology decision makers. “Nationwide efforts to expand Internet access in the classroom frequently come at the expense of establishing a systematic approach to overall cyber security,” said Moore. “SurfControl’s participation in the Cyber Security for the Digital District initiative will help provide the guidance that district CTOs need to create and maintain secure network systems.” SurfControl’s Cardwell said her company’s involvement in the program is an extension of its long-standing commitment to help schools make best use of technology in the classroom. In addition to its financial support, SurfControl will provide counsel based on its broad expertise in managing digital content and the risks inherent in the use of e-mail and the Internet. “Educators across the country are using SurfControl technology to manage Web and e-mail access to create a safe environment in which students can learn, while protecting school networks from the threats and abuses that have plagued business,” Cardwell said. “We believe this initiative is badly needed and we look forward to applying what we know about technology and best practices to help school districts across the country.” For More Information Contact: Christina Frey About SurfControl SurfControl plc, the world’s number one Web and e-mail filtering company, delivers on its promise to help companies ‘Stop Unwanted Content’ in the workplace by continuous innovation, invention and expansion of its filtering products to address new content risks as they emerge. The company is the leader in the Content Security market, which analysts expect to reach nearly $2 billion by 2007. SurfControl is the only company in the security market offering a total content security solution that combines Web, E-mail (including Anti-Spam and Anti-Virus) and Instant Message Filters with the industry's largest, most accurate and relevant content database and adaptive reasoning tools to automate content recognition. SurfControl’s world-class partners include Sun Microsystems, Check Point, Cisco, IBM, Research In Motion and Nokia. The company has more than 20,000 customers worldwide, including many of the world’s largest corporations, and employs nearly 450 people in nine separate locations across the United States, Europe, and Asia/Pacific. About the Consortium for School Networking Founded in 1992, CoSN is the preeminent national voice on the use of the Internet and information technologies to improve K-12 learning. It played a leading role in creation of the E-rate and other key national education technology initiatives over the past decade. CoSN represents education technology leaders from school districts, and state and national organizations. In addition to the Cyber Security for the Digital District, current CoSN leadership initiatives include Data-driven Decision Making, Safeguarding the Wired Schoolhouse, Taking Total Cost of Ownership to the Classroom and the development of the Council of School District Chief Technology Officers (CTO). CoSN sponsors an annual conference at which school technology leaders, national policy makers, researchers, and practitioners explore how technology can be leveraged to improve student achievement. Visit www.cosn.org to find out more about CoSN's programs.
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