Dear Parents and Guardians, 

At H-FARM International School Vicenza, the safety and wellbeing of our students remain a top priority, both in person and online. 

To further strengthen our digital safeguarding measures, we have implemented Cisco Secure Access – Secure Internet Access (SIA), an advanced cloud-based internet security and web filtering solution used by organisations worldwide. This initiative is part of a wider Nord Anglia Education programme to provide a secure online environment for students and staff 

Our overall approach 

The implementation of Cisco Secure Access SIA represents an important step forward in our approach to cybersecurity and online safety. 

It enables us to: 

• help protect pupils and staff from malicious internet destinations; 
• reduce exposure to phishing, malware and other online threats; 
• restrict access to inappropriate content; 
• apply consistent security policies across our schools; 
• extend appropriate protection to organisation-managed devices outside the school network; and 
• adapt our security and filtering policies as technology and online threats evolve. 

Our implementation provides two complementary levels of protection: 

– ‎Within the school environment: devices accessing the internet through the school’s network are subject to our security and web filtering policies. 

– On school-owned devices: applicable security and filtering controls can continue to protect devices when they are used outside the school network, for example at home or through another internet connection. 

This means our approach is not limited to protecting the physical school network. Where appropriate, protection can follow school-owned devices wherever they are being used. 

What does the web filtering system do? 

The solution evaluates internet requests against cybersecurity and acceptable-use policies defined by the school. Depending on the destination and applicable policy, access may be permitted, restricted or blocked. From a cybersecurity perspective, this helps prevent access to internet destinations associated with threats such as: 

• phishing and credential-stealing websites; 
• malware and malicious websites; 
• potentially dangerous downloads; and 
• other known or suspected security threats. 

In addition, websites and online services can be classified into content categories. This enables us to restrict access to categories considered inappropriate for an educational environment whilst maintaining access to legitimate educational resources. 

The solution therefore provides both cybersecurity protection (student online safety against online bad actors) and appropriate web content filtering. 

Why is this important? 

Internet access is now an essential part of teaching and learning. Pupils routinely use educational websites, cloud services, online learning platforms and other digital resources. At the same time, unrestricted internet access can expose young people and school systems to inappropriate content and cybersecurity risks. Our objective is therefore not simply to block websites, but to provide pupils with appropriate access to the internet within a protected digital environment. 

The use of a cloud-based security platform also reflects the way technology is now used in education. Learning no longer takes place exclusively within the school building, and organisation-managed devices may be used across different locations and internet connections. Our security model therefore needs to extend beyond the traditional school network perimeter. 

Protection outside the school 

One of the important benefits of this approach is that school-owned devices can continue to benefit from applicable security controls when they are used away from school. For example, when a pupil or member of staff uses a school-owned device at home, the device still follows the school’s internet security and filtering policies. This helps us provide a more consistent level of protection regardless of where the device is being used. It is important, however, to distinguish this from privately owned devices. Our controls apply to school infrastructure and school-owned devices according to their configuration. They do not replace the parental controls or security measures that families may choose to use on their own personal devices and home networks. 

Our objective is to create a digital environment in which pupils can benefit from the opportunities offered by online learning whilst appropriate safeguards operate in the background. 

The School Pedagogical Leadership 

H-FARM International School Vicenza 

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

At H-FARM International School Vicenza, the safety and wellbeing of our students remain a top priority, both in person and online. 

To further strengthen our digital safeguarding measures, we have implemented Cisco Secure Access – Secure Internet Access (SIA), an advanced cloud-based internet security and web filtering solution used by organisations worldwide. This initiative is part of a wider Nord Anglia Education programme to provide a secure online environment for students and staff 

Our overall approach 

The implementation of Cisco Secure Access SIA represents an important step forward in our approach to cybersecurity and online safety. 

It enables us to: 

• help protect pupils and staff from malicious internet destinations; 
• reduce exposure to phishing, malware and other online threats; 
• restrict access to inappropriate content; 
• apply consistent security policies across our schools; 
• extend appropriate protection to organisation-managed devices outside the school network; and 
• adapt our security and filtering policies as technology and online threats evolve. 

Our implementation provides two complementary levels of protection: 

– ‎Within the school environment: devices accessing the internet through the school’s network are subject to our security and web filtering policies. 

– On school-owned devices: applicable security and filtering controls can continue to protect devices when they are used outside the school network, for example at home or through another internet connection. 

This means our approach is not limited to protecting the physical school network. Where appropriate, protection can follow school-owned devices wherever they are being used. 

What does the web filtering system do? 

The solution evaluates internet requests against cybersecurity and acceptable-use policies defined by the school. Depending on the destination and applicable policy, access may be permitted, restricted or blocked. From a cybersecurity perspective, this helps prevent access to internet destinations associated with threats such as: 

• phishing and credential-stealing websites; 
• malware and malicious websites; 
• potentially dangerous downloads; and 
• other known or suspected security threats. 

In addition, websites and online services can be classified into content categories. This enables us to restrict access to categories considered inappropriate for an educational environment whilst maintaining access to legitimate educational resources. 

The solution therefore provides both cybersecurity protection (student online safety against online bad actors) and appropriate web content filtering. 

Why is this important? 

Internet access is now an essential part of teaching and learning. Pupils routinely use educational websites, cloud services, online learning platforms and other digital resources. At the same time, unrestricted internet access can expose young people and school systems to inappropriate content and cybersecurity risks. Our objective is therefore not simply to block websites, but to provide pupils with appropriate access to the internet within a protected digital environment. 

The use of a cloud-based security platform also reflects the way technology is now used in education. Learning no longer takes place exclusively within the school building, and organisation-managed devices may be used across different locations and internet connections. Our security model therefore needs to extend beyond the traditional school network perimeter. 

Protection outside the school 

One of the important benefits of this approach is that school-owned devices can continue to benefit from applicable security controls when they are used away from school. For example, when a pupil or member of staff uses a school-owned device at home, the device still follows the school’s internet security and filtering policies. This helps us provide a more consistent level of protection regardless of where the device is being used. It is important, however, to distinguish this from privately owned devices. Our controls apply to school infrastructure and school-owned devices according to their configuration. They do not replace the parental controls or security measures that families may choose to use on their own personal devices and home networks. 

Our objective is to create a digital environment in which pupils can benefit from the opportunities offered by online learning whilst appropriate safeguards operate in the background. 

The School Pedagogical Leadership 

H-FARM International School Vicenza