What are the different types of policies?

Securly Filter allows you the flexibility to set up different policies to suit various types of users accessing your network.

1. Global Settings
2. Default Policy
3. Custom Policy
4. Take Home Policy
5. Guest Network Policy
6. IP Based Policy

Global Settings

The various settings listed here apply to all policies irrespective of how they are configured for that specific type of policy. Global settings take precedence and are globally applicable. You can add individual websites and keywords to the Global Allow/Block list to unblock/block them for all users. Any site added to the Global Allow policy will be completely bypassed from Securly's proxying and will not be scanned at all by Securly Filter.

Default Policy

This policy applies to all OUs as a default when you begin using Securly. Though it is shipped out-of-box with Securly, it is editable and can be modified as per your requirements by the admin. You can create customized policies and assign them to OUs if you do not wish to assign them to the default policy. This policy can be considered a recommendation on best practices to ensure compliance with CIPA and provide maximum student safety.

Custom Policy

You can create unique policies for specific OUs or groups of students depending on their academic requirements. By creating a customized policy, you can thus have different levels of restrictions for, for example, grade 5 students and grade 9 students by blocking/unblocking certain categories or allowing their teachers to temporarily allow sites, etc. Custom policies give you complete control and discretion over how filtering works for the various groups that access your network. You can set up custom policies as time-based policies.      

Take-Home Policy

The Take-Home Policy is a customized policy that you can create to be applied specifically when students carry their school-owned devices home. This allows you to differentiate between off-site and on-campus policies. To learn how to create a take-home policy, click here.

IP Based Policy

This is also a type of customized policy that can be created by schools with multiple public IPs and who want to create a unique filtering policy for any of those IPs. The IP-based policy takes precedence over the user-based policies and should be cautiously implemented.

Guest Network Policy

This policy can be created specifically for guests on your school network and requires you to use a different IP from the one used for all other users. If other regular users share the same IP, the guest network policy will take precedence, diluting the level of the filtering application. To set up a Guest Network Policy, you need to contact Securly support. To learn more, click here.