More than 1 in 3 U.S. K-12 public schools rely on OpenDNS to keep kids safe online. That’s a whopping 40,000 schools! And one thing nearly all of those schools have in common is that due to budget cuts and reduced resources, they’re all trying to do more with less. That’s why in today’s edition of Field Reports we want to introduce you to KIPP LA, a charter school network using OpenDNS Enterprise as part of a strategy to stretch their limited budget and IT assets in order to powerfully serve under-resourced areas of Los Angeles.

At first glance, it’s obvious that KIPP LA is using OpenDNS Enterprise to make the grade for CIPA compliance and ensure the schools receive E-Rate funding, which pays for more than 85% of the cost of high-speed Internet for their five (and counting) schools. But as we dig deeper, we see that the choice to switch to OpenDNS Enterprise has allowed the non-profit organization to do much more. That’s because OpenDNS Enterprise packs some additional resource-saving features that allow the KIPP LA team to more wisely use their budget and IT assets.

1. Protection from malware, botnets and other Internet threats is built right in, so KIPP LA’s team can spend time that would have been used to clean up malware infections on more important projects.
2. Cloud-based management means changes can be made from anywhere through a single Web-based dashboard, so teachers and administrators can count on their requests to be addressed right away and there’s no obstruction to the educational process.
3. On-demand scalability keeps KIPP LA’s IT team at the head of the class as they continue to grow, since settings can easily be copied over for new networks, and all management remains centralized.

Matthew Peskay, Director of Technology for KIPP LA explains, “Thanks to OpenDNS Enterprise, we are able to centralize management, minimize administrative overhead, avoid on-site hardware and most importantly, protect our students with a trusted solution. I’d definitely recommend it for other K-12 schools.”

Are you using OpenDNS on a K-12 network? We want to share your story. Email us.

Automotive dealerships face a particularly difficult task when it comes to improving network security. They often have multiple locations, are navigating the integration of legacy and new systems and they rarely have enough dedicated IT resources. In this edition of Field Reports we want to introduce one of the automotive dealerships using OpenDNS Enterprise for Web filtering, and talk a little bit about why they made the switch from Websense.

Thompson’s Honda is an automotive group focused on providing top-tier customer service. However, they were weighed down by a Websense appliance that was expensive to manage and maintain and required more dedicated resources than the team could provide. Thompson’s Honda didn’t have a designated crew to handle network management and Internet security, so individual members were handling the task in addition to other responsibilities.

After a thorough search, the folks at Thompson’s Honda discovered that OpenDNS Enterprise is the ideal solution for organizations that have multiple locations but no dedicated IT team. Deploying OpenDNS Enterprise takes only a few minutes, management is minimal, and it instantly improves network security because protection against malware and botnets is built into the solution. Deploying OpenDNS Enterprise allowed their team to focus on efficient and informed sales and customer service instead of network management.

The team at Thompson’s Honda put Charles Frost at the helm of deploying OpenDNS Enterprise. He explains, “Internet security is very important to us, but we don’t have the resources for a full-time IT management team. OpenDNS freed our team from time-consuming and costly network management by giving us rock solid malware protection and Web filtering without requiring any software, appliances or servers to manage.” We’d say the Thompson’s Honda team gives other dealerships the green light on deploying OpenDNS Enterprise

Are you using OpenDNS at work? We want to share your story. Email us at success@opendns.com.

Today we published a new policy. It’s something we’ve always honored, but we’re so firm in our convictions about this particular topic that we felt it necessary to share our stance officially. OpenDNS does not provide content filtering services to governments or Internet Service Providers that contribute to oppression by censoring the Internet for their people.

We are a business, and we strive to do the right thing for our business at all times. We believe it is the right thing for our business, our reputation and the sanctity of our service to avoid providing state-sponsored censorship services. Other security companies have been accused of, and in some cases admitted to, selling censorship technologies to oppressive governments. We are disappointed in these companies, not to mention they may have broken US trade laws in the process.

As we have invented and delivered new security functionality, we have remained highly cognizant of how our services are being used. Our services are intended for use at the network’s edge. By individual network operators in homes, schools and businesses. The important part is that the choice is made by you at home, and the network admins at your place of employment or school. Access to the Internet is quickly becoming a human rights issue, and we believe it’s your right as a citizen of the world to have access to the communication and information power of the Internet. In fact, we want to be the company that delivers that the Internet to you in a secure and safe way.

The policy, in its entirety, is here:

As a steward of an open Internet and choice in the hands of individual network administrators, OpenDNS does not sell to or allow its security and Web filtering services to be used by governments or Internet Service Providers that engage in mass Internet censorship. OpenDNS operates with the core principle that governments and ISPs should not be empowered to dictate which website are accessible at a national or regional level. OpenDNS puts forth every possible effort to ensure its services are not used in this capacity and will immediately cease providing filtering services if made aware it is enabling a government or ISP to censor the Internet for its people or constituents.

OpenDNS will consider providing filtering services to governments and ISPs only in cases where the government or ISP is restricting Internet access for its employees, in the same way a business might, to ensure a safe and secure working environment.

OpenDNS stands firm in the belief that control over what is accessible on the Internet should be managed exclusively at each network’s edge: in individual households, places of business and academic institutions.

As CEO of OpenDNS I think of how my company’s decisions affect the world. I think of people in rural Indonesia who can access the Internet because a third-party DNS service like OpenDNS exists. I think of the schools in Africa who use OpenDNS to provide not only a reliable Internet connection, but a safe one, to their students. When I first started this company, acknowledging the global impact it could have, I shared my decision-making methodology widely: I always want to be able to look my mother in the eyes and tell her what my business is doing. Today I’m more proud than ever to be a part of OpenDNS and I hope our employees and customers are, too.

When we released the Mac-only preview of DNSCrypt, we knew it was a game changer. The revolutionary piece of lightweight software encrypts all DNS traffic between you and our servers. We also knew it was our responsibility to get this fundamental improvement to Internet security ready for the masses as quickly as possible. That’s why last week we announced that we’re searching for a rockstar win32 hacker to build a Windows release. But the blog post catalyzed a frenzy of responses from Linux users asking when a version would be available for them.

The good news, is that the wait is over for Linux users. In fact, there was never a wait at all. We published the code for DNSCrypt on GitHub when we released the preview, so although there isn’t a user interface built just yet, Linux users can still experience the benefits of DNSCrypt in just a few steps. Here are simple step-by-step instructions for setting up DNSCrypt on your Linux machine:

1. Download the right package for your Linux distribution:
   • 64-bit DEB package (Debian, Ubuntu, other .deb-based distributions)
   • 32-bit DEB package
   • 64-bit RPM package (Openwall, CentOS, Fedora, other .rpm-based distributions)
   • 32-bit RPM package
2. Install the package using your package manager
3. Open a terminal. Enter: sudo /usr/sbin/dnscrypt-proxy –daemonize
4. Set your DNS settings to 127.0.0.1. Confirm you’re using OpenDNS here.

Now that you’re using DNSCrypt, you can spread the word to other Linux users. We’d love to see your blog posts, videos and social media posts so don’t forget to tag @OpenDNS on Facebook and Twitter. If you want to help build a GUI to make this process even easier for Linux users, we’d be happy to work with you to get it right. If you’d like us to review your work, email us at dnscrypt at opendns dot com.

Additional instructions and compilation instructions for other operating systems can be found here.

Hospitality and retail brands have been flocking to OpenDNS Enterprise since it launched in 2009. Network Administrators for hotel and retail chains tell us their favorite feature of OpenDNS Enterprise is that it can be managed from anywhere, saving time and money on deployment and maintenance, and making it feel like there’s an extra person on their IT team.  In this edition of Field Reports, we wanted to take a closer look at why one savvy chain of luxury boutique hotels in Seattle chose OpenDNS Enterprise to more efficiently manage Web security at their four locations.

Columbia West Properties operates hotels in Seattle’s most appealing hotspots: The Hotel Five in downtown Seattle, The Maxwell Hotel in the prestigious Queen Ann’s neighborhood, and The University Inn and The Watertown Hotel in the city’s University District. The popularity of the hotels contributed to a major concern for Columbia West’s IT team: conserving precious bandwidth and preventing access to unsavory Internet content was becoming an uphill battle. The IT team was stretched thin, using valuable resources to identify offensive or malicious sites and individually blacklisting them to ensure that hotel guests received the most optimal experience.

The small team couldn’t afford to spare the extensive time and work necessary to individually deploy appliances and perform the same time-consuming maintenance at four different hotel locations. OpenDNS Enterprise made it so they didn’t have to. First, because OpenDNS Enterprise solved multiple problems for the team, it prevented them from having to deploy a variety of different solutions, including appliances, software-based solutions, firewall modules and add-ons. Second, because all updates are delivered in real-time in the cloud, and changes can be instantly copied over to all networks Columbia West’s IT team manages, the team is able to use time that would have been spent managing deployments or updates focusing on more proactive IT projects.

The outstanding team who managed the deployment of OpenDNS Enterprise, explained: “Remote management makes our work so much easier. When I have filtering rules set for one property such as our University Inn hotel, I can easily copy them over to our other property, The Watertown hotel, with just the click of a button, even though I may be hours away from these hotels at the time”

If you’re using OpenDNS at work and want to share your story, give us a shout. Email us at Success@OpenDNS.com.

Editor’s note: Leonie Smith is social media advisor, cybersecurity advocate, educator and mom to four kids. In the 15 years she’s been participating in online communities, gaming, and social media to connect with other parents and grow her businesses, she has become an expert in social platforms. We asked Leonie to share her wisdom with the OpenDNS users who want improved security at home and the parents who want to better understand online risks like cyber bullying.

OpenDNS: What do you think are some of the most pressing threats to kids’ online safety?
LS: One of the biggest threats I see is that kids run across unsavory or adult content without really trying. Beyond that, kids can unknowingly interact with adults and cyber bullies through chat rooms, social media and online gaming social media. Many parents don’t know the extent of communication that’s available online today, and this lack of understanding makes their families more vulnerable. The most important thing to realize, is that there are simple steps parents can take to educate themselves and improve the odds of keeping their kids safe online.

OpenDNS: What can parents do to better understand the threats their kids are facing?
LS: The first parents can take is to get involved early. I’ve met lots of parents that think their kids are too young or don’t use computers. But, I’ve seen plenty of toddlers playing with an iPhone or iPad to keep them entertained at a cafe or on an airplane. Parents should change they way they think about “computers” and start thinking about protecting all Internet-connected devices. The next step is to find out what their kids love about computers share the online experience with their kids. They can play games or do research on interesting topics online together. It’ll help parents understand what they don’t know about the Internet, so they can do their homework. It’s also completely okay to acknowledge that the Internet is complex and even home IT security may require the help of an expert.

OpenDNS: If you could only give parents one piece of advice for protecting their kids online, what would you tell them?
LS: Start talking to your kids while they’re young so that you have an open dialogue happening about the Internet before your kids are teens. It’s important that they know they can come to you if they’re being bullied online, if they download a virus, or if someone is making them uncomfortable online so you can stop it before something bad happens. Help them understand that you’re there to help.

OpenDNS: On your website families can find information on how to deal with cyber bullying. How serious has cyber bullying become and what can parents do?
LS: Teachers and school administrators I talk to tell me it’s the number one problem they face on a daily basis, and unfortunately, cyber bullying is much worse than even statistics reveal. That’s because so many kids don’t report it out of fear that their Internet/phone/computer will be taken away or that their parent will go to the school or the bully’s parents and make the situation worse. Parents need to ensure their children feel safe to tell them about any cyber bullying they experience. Parents can get started by carefully explaining to kids what Cyber Bullying is, and that it is not the fault of their child. It’s also very tough to say this to parents, but it’s important that they keep an eye on their kids to ensure they are not bullying others.

OpenDNS: Why do you suggest OpenDNS Parental Controls and OpenDNS Family Shield to families and parents over other available options?
LS: I suggest OpenDNS to families because its the only way I know to protect your Internet from unsavory and suspect sites on all devices that are accessing the Internet from your home Wi-Fi. You  can certainly put parental controls on all devices at home to restrict children from accidentally or purposely accessing inappropriate sites, but that will fall down as soon as a guest comes into your home with a device like a laptop or iPod or tablet that doesn’t use your preferred settings. OpenDNS protects your phones, your iPad, your iPod, and all your computers from accidentally accessing Adult or unsavoury sites. You can set the filter according to your needs, and allow certain sites through if you wish. I recommend OpenDNS in conjunction with open dialogue, education, awareness and supervision.

Want to answer five questions for OpenDNS? Email us!

A few months ago we shared with you a compelling statistic. OpenDNS is present on a whopping 50% of U.S. college campuses. As we continue our Field Reports series, we thought it would be a great time to take a look at why OpenDNS Enterprise is the choice of colleges and university network administrators.

Like most colleges and universities, Southwestern Michigan College had minimal filtering needs. Aside from keeping the real unsavory aspects of the Web off of public workstations, the school’s real goal was preventing access to sites that hosted malware or other Internet threats. However, the school was paying a high price for Websense content filtering appliances and more bells and whistles than they could use. The community college with two campuses, hundreds of wired workstations, and countless student-owned Internet-connected devices wanted to add an extra layer of defense against today’s malicious Internet climate, but protecting student-owned devices wasn’t something they could do with their Websense appliances.

As Internet-connected devices continue to proliferate, it’s no longer uncommon for students to take notes on their laptops, iPads or even their Android phones. Because these devices are used both for work and for play, and roam off and back on to the school’s secure network, they are at a much higher-risk of malware infection. This makes the job of the school’s IT team — protecting the network from malware, and keeping students safe — much more difficult. That’s why the college’s IT team turned to OpenDNS Enterprise.

Aside from providing straightforward and easy-to-manage Web filtering, OpenDNS Enterprise is uniquely capable of both preventing access to sites that host malware, and ensuring devices that are already infected can’t communicate back to their online hosts.

The good folks who managed the set up of OpenDNS Enterprise for Southwestern Michigan College explained: “Our filtering requirements are minimal so we could no longer see the value in paying for a product like Websense. OpenDNS Enterprise not only meets our filtering needs in a straightforward way, it gives us an added layer of protection for our students by blocking malware. That makes it a much better value than anything we’ve used in the past.” You can read more about how Southwestern Michigan College is using OpenDNS Enterprise here.

If your company is using OpenDNS Enterprise to solve an interesting problem, give us a shout at Success@OpenDNS.com. We’d love to share it right here.

We first announced DNSCrypt in December. And the response to the new service, which is a first-of-its-kind way to easily secure all of your DNS traffic, was inspiring. Within just days, thousands of people came forward to beta test DNSCrypt. IT security professionals, academics, remote and traveling workers from all walks of life and people who simply connect to the Internet at a coffee shop or airport from time to time. Since our launch, 10′s of 1000′s more have downloaded DNSCrypt for Mac and are running it today. The wide-scale embrace and enthusiasm affirmed what compelled us to build DNSCrypt in the first place: that there’s a gaping hole in security today that DNSCrypt can fill.

But we’ve only scratched the surface of what we want to do, and we’ve not yet delivered a version to our friends running Windows.

We first released a version for Mac, and that prioritization decision was met with many questions about our logic. I’ll shed some light here. Simply put, we’re almost exclusively a mac and unix shop here at OpenDNS and our developers were most comfortable building for what they know. But most of the world still runs Windows, and in order for DNSCrypt to have the greatest global impact and really, really increase privacy and security on a massive scale, a Windows version must be built.

That’s where you come in. We’ve ported the core DNSCrypt code over to Windows, but we’re not a Windows shop. We aren’t .NET hackers. And we need some help to get there. In fact, (literally) millions of Internet users want to use DNSCrypt on Windows today. The work we need help with will be felt by millions of people.

It’s not often in your career that you’ll be extended an opportunity like this. As a matter of fact, this could be the only opportunity you’ll ever have to make this sort of impact. You build this software, and you’re a hero.

It’s OK if you have another full-time job. We’re happy to have you on a contract or part-time basis. Or if you don’t have a full-time job and want one at OpenDNS, we’d like to talk about that opportunity, too. Because you’re a world-class developer. And because like us, you truly care about making the Internet a better, safer place and being a part of one of the greatest innovations Internet security has seen. Ever. Our compensation, benefits, and perks are first class. And, whatever development environment you need, you got it.

So email me. david at opendns dot com. Do it. Point me toward your credentials and tell me why you’re the man or woman for the job. Show me what you’ve built.

I look forward to hearing from you.