AC Yule Group manages net access with Bloxx

“The high level of granularity that Bloxx allows means that we can manage and control internet access far more effectively than before. Bloxx is the ideal solution, which has saved us time and money.”

Steven Ward, AC Yule Group

Background

The AC Yule Group is one of the UK’s largest Glass, Aluminium and PVCU manufacture supply companies, catering for the needs of the
construction industry. Combining 60 years of expertise within the industry, AC Yule has built up an enviable track record in the manufacture, processing and installation of the above products.

A small IT team based at the head office supports around 150 users across 6 sites. All internet traffic goes through the head office, meaning AC Yule can have a centralised solution for Internet filtering.

AC Yule previously used Surfcontrol for its web filtering and experienced a number of issues prompting it to look elsewhere at renewal time.

The challenge

Combat problems with previous solution A major problem was the fact that AC Yule has a large Citrix user community and Surfcontrol didn’t satisfy its requirement for identifying individuals on the server. There was also a high maintenance overhead through having to modify settings and rules to combat new web threats and in terms of installation, the set up was very time consuming and complicated.

Effective but easy to use
AC Yule required a simple reliable and cost effective replacement of Surfcontrol that required little installation and was easy to maintain, but could provide comprehensive coverage for both its Citrix and PC users.

High level of granularity
A high level of granularity was needed to allow those users requiring internet access for business to have the freedom they required whilst allowing the restrictions to remain in place for those who do not require the same permissions.

The solution

When its previous solution’s renewal was due, AC Yule evaluated a wide range of products on the market, but found that the Bloxx appliance was ideal and bought a Bloxx CF-250.

Key features

Bloxx solved all the challenges for AC Yule and features it particularly likes are detailed below.

Web Interface and granularity
AC Yule like the web-based interface and the reporting options that allow it to easily see how internet access is being used across the different groups it has set up. The ability to synchronise with its directories meant AC Yule could have different levels of filtering for different groups of people who required varying permissions.

Time-saving
Being a small IT team, implementing the Bloxx solution meant it greatly reduced maintenance overheads. The Bloxx unit also allowed AC Yule to free up the file server for other purposes.

Appliance-based nature
AC Yule particularly liked the fact that the Bloxx web filter was a standalone device that could be completely covered by a maintenance agreement from the vendor giving complete peace of mind.