One of the good things about the Information Age is the ease of use at which you can get to your information, whether it's your desktop system or a server miles away. But it always seems that with the good, bad also follows. Others outside of your organization can get to your information too. Not only that, but your systems are vulnerable to hackers and viruses, your e-mail system can become bogged down with too much information in the form of spam, and users often don't back up their information in a safe and secure manner.

At Santan Consulting Group, we know that every business has security and disaster prevention needs unique to them. We don't offer a "cookie-cutter" solution to fit every business. Instead, we work with a variety of venders to provide a comprehensive solution to fit your needs. And we don't stop with providing security to your systems, we also work with your users to develop procedures and training so that the most important part of a security solution is included: the people.

Schools have a distinctive set of security needs. They must work within Federal regulations such as FERPA and HIPPA. They must keep student information private and yet have it on hand for parents. And most importantly, we need to do everything we can to keep our children safe.

A big factor for schools is the Federal E-Rate program. This program provides up to 90% of the costs involved in getting a school connected to the Internet and provide for much of their computer equipment. This program is particularly necessary for rural or low-income schools, without it, their students wouldn't have access to the technology they'll need to know by the time they graduate. But E-Rate hinges on the school complying with the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA). This Act is an attempt to prevent schoolchildren from accessing graphic pornography. Schools participating in E-Rate funding must take active measures to become CIPA-compliant. Santan Consulting Group goes further; our solutions not only block pornography but can filter sites promoting violence and social sites such as MySpace. And it can be set up so that faculty and staff have access to different sites than the students do.

Libraries are also eligible for E-Rate funding. Their difficulty is that while they must filter Internet sites from children, they must also allow unrestricted access to adults. The solutions have to be flexible enough to support either group.

Santan Consulting Group can work with your school or library and come up with solutions that work best for your environment and budget. There is no charge for the initial consultation. By reaping the financial benefits of E-Rate funding, your facility can get the technology it needs and otherwise couldn't afford.