Still under the impression of the coronavirus crisis, the city of Velbert prepared the digitalisation of its schools. Tom Szymanski and his team planned big: a total of 19 educational institutions had to be comprehensively equipped. IT security was a top priority.
‘Secure connections, a strong content filter and clear access rights for network segments - these were our technical requirements,’ explains Tom Szymanski. These were based on three objectives: ‘The first objective was to protect children and young people from the dangers of the Internet,’ explains Tom Szymanski. ‘Then the data in the school network had to be secured. And finally, we had to ensure smooth working via the Internet, for example for distance learning.’
The size of the project, the large number of people involved and the relatively small team in charge made good communication and direct dialogue between the parties involved a key requirement.
The search for a reliable provider of security solutions initially presented Tom Szymanski with a challenge. He recalls: ‘There were problems with the technology and project organisation with the first manufacturer. That's why we started looking for an alternative. With Securepoint, we had a positive experience right from the start.’ Securepoint's project team includes specialists for the demanding field of school digitisation. Their experience from previous projects helps to identify potential pitfalls and find efficient solutions.
Project preparation - the countdown is on
Once Securepoint was on board as the manufacturer, Szymanski began planning and defined which filters and networks would be required. At the same time, Securepoint compiled an overview of suitable partners from the region for the realisation of the project. From this list, Szymanski chose a long-standing Securepoint partner directly from Velbert: RODIAC EDV-Systemhaus GmbH.
Thomas Bertling and Matthias Metzner are two of the managing partners of the system house, which has been in existence for almost 30 years. They symbolise tradition and renewal: while Thomas Bertling has been with RODIAC from almost the very beginning, Metzner only joined the management team a few years ago. As an expert in Securepoint firewalls, Metzner was the technical contact, while Bertling took care of the commercial aspects. The Velbert school project had a special significance for both of them: ‘We can protect the children from what's out there. That in itself is a great value,’ says Matthias Metzner. Thomas Bertling adds: ‘And the regionality, the fact that it's our town and we can get involved and give something back, that was important to us.’
Was the project something special for everyone involved? Szymanski confirms with amusement: ‘I used to write my fours and fives at school, now I'm back to help.’ Thomas Bertling also laughs: ‘Sure, it's something special. The people from the city are just round the corner. They're right on our doorstep if we make a mistake.’
Project realisation - straight out of the textbook
The first step was to test a UTM firewall for 30 days. According to the plan, a sample configuration was to be set up on the system, which could then be applied to all schools after a successful test. The team from the city of Velbert, RODIAC and Securepoint were able to quickly answer any questions that arose during the setup - in some cases simply by consulting the Securepoint Wiki, where comprehensive and up-to-date information on all Securepoint products is available online.
In the end, however, the time for the free trial was running out and the 30 days could not be adhered to due to limited capacity. Another constraint was the need not to interrupt ongoing lessons. ‘On-site implementation can actually only take place during the holidays,’ explains Matthias Metzner from RODIAC. But this issue was also resolved without any fuss: Securepoint extended the time without any problems. Matthias Metzner describes the actual execution of the job as straightforward: ‘Once we had a suitable configuration, the rest was child's play: plug in the cables, change a few IPs, done.’ Tom Szymanski from the city of Velbert confirms for the entire project: ‘It all went very smoothly and pleasantly - just like from the textbook!’
