Case Study – Change of Internet Filtering Service

Executive Summary:
E-commerce distribution company with 25 seats in Grants Pass, OR and Deland, FL needed to change from their current DNS web filtering service to a new one due to the current provider no longer providing the service. Detailed research, extensive testing and a smooth install from expert technicians provided them with the following:

• Implementing solution without taking down the production network
• Ability to filter company web traffic based on category or web address

Challenges:
Client had recently decided to change network management strategies and previous technician had left the network an undocumented mess. Internet speeds had increased with change in ISP from three bonded T1 connections to cable internet giving them more bandwidth but possibly more traffic to be filtered as employees are allowed to stream media. Production network cannot have downtime due to order processing in their call center and logistics management at satellite locations in different time zones.

Solution:
Extensive research found three options with one in particular that stood out above the rest. Performed extensive testing in laboratory environment to determine capabilities, bandwidth requirements and installation requirements. Interfaced with support and management of the solution provider to determine best pricing model.

Results:
Customer was able to smoothly transition to the new website filtering vendor thanks to our expert technician’s familiarity with Cisco routers and networking protocols. They are able to see beautiful graphical reports like the one above with detailed traffic information and see all filtered traffic data. Ongoing support of their network has eased transition away from the undocumented mess their network was to a highly documented and a professionally managed computer network.