"The service has been exemplary and infallible, the technical support is prompt and courteous and the features are abundant. I like the simplicity of having a single Web-based account that allows me to manage Web content filtering for multiple locations. No more expensive appliances. While that was enough for me to begin using OpenDNS, it's the extras that have made it a valuable service for a cost-conscious organization like Australia Zoo. "
— Ben Johns, Network Administrator

Pricy and Unmanagable Web Content Filtering Appliances

Australia Zoo is the home of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, and employs a staff of more than 500 full-time employees. It spans more than 600 acres and houses more than 1,000 native and exotic animals.

As online threats have mounted in recent years and the need for Web content filtering has grown, the Zoo found the cost of maintaining its existing Web content filtering appliances to be unmanageable. Zoo IT staffers sought a solution that would ease the job of managing filtering while reducing costs and improving network performance.

Faster Internet, Lower Bills, No More Appliances

After testing OpenDNS on individual machines, the team decided to roll it out network-wide. Australia Zoo has two name servers within its network that all workstations and servers use for internal and external lookups. Network administrator Ben John has set all to forward external requests to OpenDNS. He also set each of the Zoo's remote/VPN users to use OpenDNS so they don't have to worry about changing settings when traveling.

Johns noticed the impact of switching to OpenDNS right away. Bandwidth usage dropped dramatically, instantly, as sites that consume disproportionate bandwidth were no longer accessible. OpenDNS Web content filtering meant the Zoo could discontinue use of its pricy filtering appliance and software and the ease of managing all Zoo networks in one Web-based account saved lots of valuable time. Johns recommends OpenDNS to other cost-conscious organizations seeking a solution that blocks Web content and requires no hardware to purchase and nothing to download and install.