"Reliable connections are the cornerstone of education. If the connection is not reliable, safe, and secure, instructors will not rely on the network for instruction. If it is solid and performs well, they will integrate the technology into their instruction process. OpenDNS is reliable, safe and secure."
— Gavin Guynes, Network Administrator

Priority No. 1: Keeping Kids Safe on a Budget

Jackson Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Missisipppi. As phishing threats have mounted in recent years, and the Internet has become progressively more populated with content unsuitable for an educational environment, online safety and Web-content filtering are increasingly of the utmost importance to those tasked with managing its network.

Working with a restrictive budget, the District set out to find a solution that would meet its needs and enable teachers to rest assured the Internet is safe to use at school. System administrators also considered ways to make the Internet friendlier for kids, including replacing the dated and hard-to-understand language found on error pages.

Safer, More Reliable Internet with Budget Left Over

OpenDNS was first recommended to Jackson Public Schools Network Administrator Gavin Guynes by a colleague. Acknowledging it solves all issues presently being addressed by the District, he decided to give it a try. Guynes noted OpenDNS adult site blocking, powered by St. Bernard iGuard, the world’s only 100 percent human-reviewed adult site database, and was impressed by the freedom the service gave him to block sites individually or by category and the way it empowered him to make the network safer for the kids using it to access the Internet.

Jackson Public Schools deployed OpenDNS across its entire network, switching from the DNS service it previously got from the global root servers, and using it as a Web-content filtering solution for all 36,000 users. Guynes also customized the OpenDNS Guide page with a Jackson Public School logo and custom message so students no longer have to see the unfriendly error page language. OpenDNS has proven to be the ideal solution for Jackson Public Schools, making the network safer for the students, increasing its reliability and reducing the number of support calls to IT and thus freeing their time for other tasks. Guyes recommends OpenDNS to other schools and school districts seeking a solution that blocks Web content and requires no hardware to purchase and nothing to download and install.