Best Internet Filtering Softwares For Schools

With the rise of technology and internet access in schools, it has become crucial for educational institutions to implement effective internet filtering softwares. Internet filtering softwares helps protect students from harmful and inappropriate online content. In this article, we will discuss what are the best internet filtering softwares for schools. 

What Are Your School's Specific Needs And Priorities?

Before starting your search, clearly define your school's goals and requirements. What issues are you trying to address with Internet Filtering Softwares? Are you looking to block access to inappropriate content, limit social media, monitor student activities, or something else? Understanding your specific needs will help narrow down the options.

Some common priorities for schools include:

• Blocking access to adult content, gambling sites, or other inappropriate material
• Limiting social media and entertainment sites that can be distracting
• Monitoring Internet Filtering Softwares usage to identify at-risk students
• Filtering content in compliance with regulations like CIPA
• Providing safe search and YouTube filtering
• Custom categorization options to block site types unique to your school

Having a clear set of priorities will allow you to zero in on the Internet Filtering Softwares options designed to address your school's particular concerns.

What Type Of Filtering Technology Does The Software Use?

Internet Filtering Softwares use different techniques to block and monitor online activity. The main filtering approaches are:

• IP blocking: Preventing access to websites and IP addresses of inappropriate content
• DNS filtering: Blocking websites by blocking their domain names at the DNS level
• Keyword blocking: Scanning web page content and blocking pages containing inappropriate terms
• AI/ML: Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to dynamically detect and filter inappropriate content

Some systems also filter by file type, so you can block access to certain applications, downloads, or media types as needed.

Consider how the different techniques align with your school's priorities and where you may need more granular control. DNS filtering provides good coverage but less ability to customise. AI-based filtering is very adaptable but may require more oversight.

How Easy Is The Software To Deploy And Manage?

Ease of management is key for saving your IT team time and hassle. Look for an intuitive interface that allows you to easily:

• Create and manage whitelists/blacklists
• View blocked websites and online activity
• Generate user or system-level reports
• Set Internet Filtering Softwares policies and scheduling
• Deploy to devices across operating systems

Ideally the system will have flexibility to control settings across different groups like grades, classrooms, or user profiles. This allows customization for different ages without having to manage settings individually.

Consider how the software is deployed – via network, endpoint agents, firewall, or DNS. And whether IT has access controls to limit admin access. The easier it is to manage, the more time you save long-term.

What Reporting And Monitoring Features Are Available?

Robust reporting provides visibility into what transpires on your network and devices. Consider how in-depth the Internet Filtering Softwares reporting is across:

• Websites and online content accessed

• Web filtering activity by user or device

• Bandwidth monitoring

• Search engine queries

• Time spent on sites

• High risk events like cyberbullying or self-harm keyword flagging

Evaluate what types of alerts are available and whether you can customise threshold triggers. Can you schedule automated report delivery? Can reports be customised? Comprehensive reporting, monitoring and alert capabilities enable you to identify problem areas and take corrective action.

What Is The Cost Of The Software?

Pricing for Internet Filtering Softwares varies greatly depending on the solution. Factors that influence cost include:

• Number of users/devices
• On-premise vs SaaS delivery
• Any hardware or equipment costs
• Technical support packages
• Additional feature add-ons

Most solutions offer tiered pricing plans based on the number of endpoints covered. Be sure to consider any implementation, training, or configuration costs as well. Also look at what support resources are available - email, phone, community forums, etc.

In general, you can expect to pay $3-$10 per user per month for commercial Internet filtering solutions. Open source or free options are available but may lack features and support.

Conclusion

Selecting the right Internet Filtering Softwares requires balancing your school's specific requirements with the capabilities matching those needs. 

Defining your priorities around content filtering, ease of use, reporting, and budget will point you to the solutions warranting a closer look. Leveraging trials and demos can help you evaluate the user experience before committing. 

With a clear understanding of your school's needs, you can make an informed decision on the best Internet filtering approach for your learning environment.