Surf Life Saving Queensland is well equipped to keep people safe on the beaches but when the organization found itself drowning in spam it chose NetBox Blue for help. The organisation coordinates the work of 59 clubs and close to 30,000 volunteers across the State, disseminating vital information, leading fundraising efforts and organizing sporting events. But the effectiveness of the whole organisation was threatened when spam started to swamp the network. Although a spam filter in place, spam was still getting through the filter. For every six genuine emails, the organisation was getting four spam emails.

“It was having an impact on people’s time, on server utilisation and band width usage,” Surf Life Saving Queensland Information Systems Administrator Brendan Kelly says. “It was affecting the entire organisation in a whole range of areas.”

Once the NetBox solution was deployed on an IBM server, the situation changed in a matter of days. The NetBox, with its unique pre-delivery filtering system blocks virtually all spam before it even reaches the network gateway. The IBM server ensures excellent performance and reliability along with the peace of mind that comes with IBM on-site support. It all means that staff at Surf Life Saving Queensland can concentrate on what they do best - keeping Queensland’s beaches safe.

The Organization

Queensland beach goers have been relying on surf life savers for close to a century. Life Saving began as a fragmented voluntary surf rescue service. But as surf bathing became more popular, the dangers became more apparent and the need for a more organized approach to safety deepened. Small groups of experienced surfers, concerned with the rising incidence of drownings, began to form lifesaving bodies.

As these clubs grew in size and numbers, there was the need for a united front to raise funds and to improve lifesaving techniques. Surf Life Saving Queensland grew out of that need. Today the organization is world renowned for the outstanding courage and service of its members.

Surf Life Saving Queensland remains dedicated to surf safety, but is also responsible for public education and training, surf sports as well as fundraising, marketing and administration. Seventy staff work in the Brisbane office, coordinating the lifesaving activities of clubs and keeping volunteers informed. For Surf Life Saving Queensland, a secure and reliable network is a vital part of its operations.

The Situation

Prior to installing a NetBox, Surf Life Saving Queensland shared the same problem as companies worldwide. Spam was on the increase, staff frustration was getting more acute and productivity was plunging. The organization’s spam filter was only blocking around 60% of spam, leaving staff to wade through the rest.

“People were getting frustrated,” Mr Kelly says. “As I walked around the building people complained to me about spam. They were getting tired of it.” And so was Mr Kelly. “I was getting 40 spam emails a day and it was worse on weekends,” he says.

Spam emails were clogging the network and data use on the internet link was spiraling. A new security and content filtering appliance was desperately needed.

The Solution

Surf Life Saving Queensland sought advice from their trusted IT integrator of 10 years for a solution to their spam headache. Hall Computer Services was quick to recommend NetBox Blue. The NetBox with a suite of features including spam and virus filtering and internet and email management tools offered the company an effective solution.

“We implemented the NetBox on a two week trial,” Mr Kelly says. “We saw the benefits in the first week. It passed the trial with flying colours.”

The Results

Surf Life Saving Queensland is now enjoying a smooth running network, free of spam. In one typical month, the organization was bombarded by more than two million emails. More than 98% was blocked as spam.

“As soon as I installed the Netbox, users were extremely happy that they weren’t having to delete copious amounts of unwanted emails,” Mr Kelly says. “It was a great relief for everyone.”

With a NetBox, virtually all spam is stopped at the pre-delivery level. In the case of Surf Life Saving Queensland, 99.8% of all spam is blocked before it is downloaded to the organization’s network. This takes an enormous burden off the network. By preserving the network’s bandwidth and securing the internet gateway, Surf Life Saving Queensland can confidently consider implementing other internet based services such as VoIP.

The management tools included in the NetBox have also been instrumental in improving productivity in the office. The organization has reduced unwanted network traffic by blocking several non-work related websites. The NetBox also enables managers to monitor and control the use of other websites.

“Certainly things like Facebook and MySpace were being over-utilized before we installed the NetBox,” Mr Kelly says. “We haven’t blocked them, but now that staff members are aware that we can review what websites are being hit, they have reduced the traffic to those sites on their own. Just letting users know that they are being monitored is enough and they develop self control.”

Mr Kelly has no hesitation in recommending the NetBox to other organizations.

“From my point of view, the NetBox is pretty simple to set up and use,” Mr Kelly says. “It provides you with so much flexibility and of course it reduces spam quite drastically and that’s something that any company in this day and age needs.”

To read more please see the case study.