Five reasons Lenovo NetFilter is great for schools 

Protecting students and their data from online threats is becoming a significant challenge with the recent growth of digital learning. According to Microsoft security data, in February 2022, nearly 83% of reported enterprise malware encounters came from the education sector. 

Cyber-attacks affecting schools can be not only dangerous when sensitive data is exposed, but costly. Education has become the primary target for ransomware. CBS News found that on average, ransoms cost schools $50,000, reaching as high as $1.4 million.  

With all of these threats looming, school IT administrators need web filtering tools that can keep up with the pace of cyber threats, including concerning student behavior. Here are five reasons Lenovo NetFilter is a great choice for schools: 

1. It catches threats other filters miss 

Lenovo NetFilter uses artificial intelligence to constantly categorize both known and unknown domains so it can help detect and stop malicious malware. Thanks to AI, threats such as viruses, spyware, and phishing frauds can be halted before being identified and flagged by human analysts.  

This zero-day threat protection means you are always on top of the latest threats, without requiring a great deal of manual input from IT teams. This is crucial because zero-day malware has seen a meteoric rise in recent years, growing from representing around 30% of malware in 2017 to 67% of malware in Q3 of 2021. 

IT administrators can upgrade to Lenovo NetFilter+ to detect threats like cyberbullying, discussions of self-harm, and the use of mature content. The keystroke monitoring capability sends alerts to educators allowing them to intervene early.   

2. It is easy for IT teams to launch and manage 

Lenovo NetFilter was designed to make life easier for overburdened school IT teams. A single dashboard enables IT personnel to mass deploy the software and manage one or multiple schools at the same time. It also features built-in logging and customizable reporting to document the threats the web filter is catching. 

Lenovo NetFilter’s access settings also allow for web access policies based on attributes including username, groups, time, day, and more. As such the filter can be used in creative ways, such as limiting resource-intensive applications during school hours to protect your network’s bandwidth. 

3. Devices are still covered while students are studying at home 

As school devices travel home with students for distance learning or homework, cloud-based software becomes an urgent need.  

Lenovo NetFilter works with school devices no matter where they roam so students remain protected and devices do not bring any destructive malware back to the school network. The web filter is always actively filtering to keep them from seeing content they shouldn’t.  

4. It works with multiple platforms 

Like most school districts, 1:1 devices have been rolled out gradually as funding and approvals have allowed, and additional device purchases may have been planned for the future. Lenovo NetFilter supports Chromebooks, Windows, and Mac devices.  

In addition to working with any grouping of devices, it also integrates with LDAP, Active Directory, Single Sign On (SSO) for Google, Microsoft, and many other directories and authentication tools, making implementation and usage easier. 

5. It makes compliance simpler 

Lenovo NetFilter is compliant with data privacy and other regulations required by CIPA, COPPA, the Internet Watch Foundation, Friendly Wi-Fi, and others. So not only are students kept safer, regulations will also be met. 

Want to do more to stop cyber threats in your school? See 10 ways K-12 administrators, IT teams, and teachers can support internet safety 

From an edtech ecosystem you know and love 

Currently, there are more than 50 million Chromebooks now in use in schools. Lenovo is one of the leading makers of those Chromebooks and other devices tailored to the needs of K-12 and higher education. They are also the developers of LanSchool, a trusted brand that was one of the pioneers of classroom management software more than 30 years ago. With Lenovo NetFilter, schools will be supported by the same education-focused team known and loved by LanSchool users. 

Keeping up with cyber threats doesn’t have to be difficult. Get the web filter designed to protect students, meet compliance requirements, and make school IT management much easier.