Students, faculty and others connecting to the Internet via the college may have been facing online problems, as certain Web sites have been blocked.  However, these problems were due to the change of the firewall and a new content filter.

The new content filter is a little bit pickier, according to computer technical support specialist Ed Hall.  His main concern is to edit the new content filter to how it used to be.  The content filter is what allows or blocks Web sites.

If a campus Internet user accesses a site which they feel shouldn’t be blocked; they can contact the information technology department. They can help get the site unblocked if it does not violate the college’s policy.  According to Hall, the problem should be worked out in no more than two minutes after they have been contacted.

Faster connection is a main perk to having a new firewall. As the number of computers and other wireless devices such as iPhones, iPods and PS3s increases, it makes all the other systems slower.

The old model, iPrism, was built to handle a couple of hundred computers, but the new model, SonicWALL, can support up to 1,500 devices.

Rather than just complain about the situation, we hope the communication between the IT department and campus Internet users improves, as it is a major part in solving any problems with Internet connection. In fact, the “red screen of death” that pops up when someone accesses a blocked site should have information on where to contact the IT department.  Another thing that can help cut down broadband usage is using online radio stations instead of listening to videos on sites such as YouTube.