Safe Online Learning
The Barracuda Web Security Gateway provides powerful tools for K-12 and beyond to easily address the complex challenges of content and mobile security facing today’s school-based network administrators. For hosted web security, see Barracuda Content Shield.
Tools for Administrators
These tools empower the administrator to regulate and monitor user activities with Barracuda Web Security Gateway.
Filtering traffic for mobile devices, Chromebooks and laptops
With the use of tablets, Chromebooks and student owned devices on and off campus, administrators need to have the ability to enforce content security policies. Additionally, because social-networking sites have also become integral parts of a rich, collaborative online learning experience, there is a need for high-level vigilance to protect students online. School network administrators need to track devices on and off network as well as ensure safe browsing and enforcement of school policies regarding content. For remote users with laptops, Macintosh OS computers, desktops and iOS devices, the Barracuda Web Security Gateway detects location and applies the same policies enforced on local users by deploying one of the following tools, which each provide:
Location detection
Tamper proof use
Safe browsing
Barracuda Web Security Agent (WSA)
Deployed on each remote Macintosh, Windows desktop or laptop, the Barracuda Web Security Agent proxies all web traffic over the Internet to a specified Barracuda Web Security Gateway, which is configured to recognize each remote client by traffic signed by the Barracuda Web Security Agent. The same security policies apply to both remote users and local users. See Barracuda Web Security Agent for more information about the agent.
Barracuda Chromebook Security Extension
With this extension installed in the Chromebook browser, users are identified and policy is applied based on the user whether they are inside your network or accessing the Internet from a public or private network. Additionally, user generated traffic is logged and recorded for reporting purposes, providing administrators insight into all user activity. Requires Barracuda Web Security Gateway version 10.1 and above. See How to Get and Configure the Barracuda Chromebook Security Extension for more information.
Compatibility with Global HTTP Proxy
To protect the user's Internet traffic, set up Global HTTP Proxy on iOS devices to configure the connection of the iOS device to the Internet via the Barracuda Web Security Gateway.
Educational Tools, Educational Content
Restricting YouTube Content On Your Network – Access thousands of free high quality educational videos on YouTube in a controlled environment for your students.
Temporary Access for Education to websites for student research – A portal to the Barracuda Web Security Gateway where teachers can request and manage temporary access for students to specified domains or categories of domains that are typically blocked by school policy.
Social Networking and Web 2.0 - Regulating Use of Applications
The Barracuda Web Security Gateway 610 and higher enables granular control over Web 2.0 applications with the SSL Inspection feature. For example, you can allow access to Facebook messages but block games, chat, posts etc. You can provide safe access to YouTube videos that provide rich educational content. With Web Application Monitoring, you can capture and archive the content of social media interactions. See How to Configure Web Application Monitoring.
The SSL Inspection feature is required to filter any applications that users access over HTTPS. For schools this provides powerful benefits with common use cases like these:
Google Workspace Control Over HTTPS – Granular regulation of Google Workspace tools over HTTPS (Business Gmail as opposed to personal Gmail, and more)
YouTube Control Over HTTPS – Granular regulation of YouTube over HTTPS
Facebook Control Over HTTPS – Granular regulation of Facebook applications (chat, posting, games, etc.)
Suspicious and Sensitive Keyword Tracking – Monitor social messaging in real time, with keyword alert emails to teachers or administrators to trigger immediate responses to emerging cases of bullying, harassment, or loss of confidential data. This feature does not require the use of SSL Inspection unless you want to monitor HTTPS traffic content, and is available on the Barracuda Web Security Gateway 610 and higher.
Safe Search over HTTPS, which prevents a web search engine from displaying objectionable thumbnail images in search results; only filtered thumbnails are displayed in the search results.
CIPA Compliance
Content filtering is central to providing CIPA compliance. The Barracuda Web Security Gateway provides 95 content categories including:
Destructive sites such as those promoting violence, illegal drugs, or criminal activity
Sexual sites that may contain adult material or pornographic content
Gaming/gambling sites
Leisure sites (i.e. tobacco and alcohol)
Specific sites can also be blocked or allowed using explicit block and allow lists, and downloads can be limited to only specific approved file types. The Barracuda Web Security Gateway provides additional cutting edge tools like URL rewriting, which can automatically enforce Safe Search tags for sites like Google images and video, preventing children from circumventing protection policies through the media caches of popular search engines.
Safe Browsing / Safe Search - Limiting to Students
You can enable the Safe Browsing feature on the BLOCK/ACCEPT > Content Filter page so that the group of users you specify will not see search engine content that contains objectionable thumbnail images in the search results; only filtered thumbnails are displayed in the search results. To limit Safe Browsing only to students, but allow appearance of all thumbnail images in search results for teachers and staff, see How to Enable Safe Search.
Delegated Administration
The administrator of the Barracuda Web Security Gateway can choose to delegate certain administrative tasks such as scheduling or running reports, viewing system status, load and log pages, or creating exceptions to policy. For example, school districts can maintain system level control while providing restricted access to individual schools to manage policies or generate reports for teachers. See Role-based Administration for details.
General Web Security Gatewaying on the Campus Network
Blocking access to proxy servers students might try to use to circumvent web security gatewaying policies. IT administrators must know the IP addresses of any proxies to block as part of school policy. Ability to add new URLs daily as reported by teachers or other trusted sources.
Ability to create custom categories of domains for specific filtering.
Ability to report bad URLs to Barracuda Networks. Newly reported URLs to block and improved content filtering rules are updated to your Barracuda Web Security Gateway on a daily basis.
Sophisticated application control - block, monitor, warn, allow on Skype, Spotify, gaming software, communications, etc. See How to Configure Web Application Monitoring.
Tools for Teachers
Temporary Access for Students (see above) - For school research projects or other classroom needs, with an easy to use web interface. See How to Use Temporary Access for Students - Teacher's Guide
Suspicious and Sensitive Keyword Tracking and Cyberbullying Alerts (teachers can submit new keywords, keyword categories to their system administrator)
