Securus

How do you know if your students are being bullied by email?

Are you sure that you are filtering all offensive web sites?

Are your students protected from unwanted online attention in chat rooms?

Above all, how do you know if network users are abiding by the network Acceptable Use Policy?

To help you solve these issues, Securus provides monitoring and detection, recording and reporting of any data activities in violation of a network's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). This includes whether the activities are generated or received by the user, online or offline. It captures of all AUP violations are recorded as screen captures, along with the time, workstation name, user identity, application and violating word or phrase. These logs can then be viewed by administrators who can then decide the next steps.

Given the seriousness of potential abuse in any school environment, Securus minimises risk and acts as an insurance, particularly in the light of current concerns about sex offenders and extremist racial and religious tension. Securus underpins e-safety and behaviour management strategy, thereby demonstrating commitment to the highest Duty of Care standards and the Every Child Matters strategy. 

Securus puts you in control, making a very positive statement about your school to Staff, Pupils, Parents, Ofsted and the Local Authority. Currently, over 500,000 UK students across 350 school sites are monitored through Securus systems, monitoring for potentially life-threatening situations from bullying, predator grooming or self-harm.

• Enhanced pupil safety and behaviour
• Improved teacher morale
• Reduced parental concerns
• Reduced Head and governor liabilities
• Increased learning effectiveness
• Reduced off-task activity
• Insights into pastoral care issues
• Ethos of freedom with responsibility

Screenshot capture Everything that appears on individual workstation screens, whether via the internet, email or in Microsoft® Word® or any other offline application, is monitored and checked against textual word and phrase libraries. Securus picks up on keyboard strokes and text that appears on the users screen. Categories covered by Securus:

Reporting priorities
To allow for quick and easy management, Securus ranks violations by severity, by top violators and top phrases. Potentially life-threatening violations can trigger SMS or voicemail messages or pop-up alerts to senior staff for instant attention. By viewing on the basis of priority, the administrator can focus on flagging up certain screenshots for follow-up action and ensure efficient use of time. Violations can be viewed by the administrator or supervisor from any workstation at any time, allowing flexibility and immediacy.

Control of off-task activity A web log identifies and allows instant checking of the suitability of new internet sites accessed, these can be blocked as necessary. All sites visited are logged, providing evidence of off-task activities. Applications can be locked down to restrict access to certain groups at certain times and ensure that the whole class is focused on a single application such as Microsoft® Word® or Excel®.

Laptops
Misuse that takes place on network-disconnected laptops taken out of school (or laptops used in boarding houses) is still captured, and then automatically recorded for reporting purposes when the laptop is reconnected to the school network. Any unacceptable activity during the interim period will be detected and reported.

Pastoral care Securus uncovers 'confessional' communications buried in secret Microsoft® Word® and email documents should they contain pertinent key words or phrases. It can identify children suffering serious psychological and emotional problems and provide crucial evidence of their circumstances thus allowing timely intervention by staff, parents, social services or health professionals, in accordance with the Every Child Matters strategy.

Deterrent Effect
Securus has a proven deterrent effect on the incidence of computer misuse: not only does it detect offences, it can also stop them occurring. Experience from our school customers shows that the number of AUP violations fall dramatically after a short period of time.

Refocus
Off-task activity is highlighted and can be minimised. Teacher morale benefits from increased focus on-task and the elimination of confrontation and disruption in the classroom, since misbehaviour can be addressed at a more appropriate time with screenshot evidence.

Securus can be installed onto Windows Server 2000/2003 networks, including Community Connect 3.

Securus can also be used on disconnected laptops for pupils' home usage- please call our sales advisors for more information.