SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SonicWALL, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNWL - News) today announced that Vistamar School of El Segundo, Calif., a newly-formed independent co-ed high school, has chosen SonicWALL to build a secure wireless network to keep students and staff productive and safe from Internet threats. The new infrastructure provides students and staff with constantly updated protection against Internet threats and gives school administrators precise control over Internet usage to restrict access to inappropriate, illegal or unproductive content.

Vistamar School was founded in 2005 to provide alternative options in high school education, providing a broad learning program in an intimate atmosphere with the goal of fostering diversity in thought and culture. Located in a former industrial warehouse retrofitted to create a 21st-century campus, the school also boasts a network purpose-built for the needs of an educational establishment. Vistamar School selected SonicWALL partner C3 Systems & Security to create the technology infrastructure from the ground up. The network was designed to grow cost-effectively as the school expands, provide flexible access to online educational resources, and provide visitors with Internet access without compromising the integrity of the network.

Protecting students from harmful, illegal or inappropriate Internet content has been a primary factor in designing the network. For Vistamar School's needs, C3 Systems built a solution around SonicWALL's integrated network security, content filtering and wireless access technology to provide a high-performance, flexible and above all, easily-managed solution.

"Content filtering is of key importance to us, and C3 Systems built our network around this requirement," said Jean Campbell, CFO, Vistamar School. "The SonicWALL content filtering solution allowed us to set our own policies regarding which Web sites would be blocked and when. We even had the flexibility to set specific times when students could surf so-called fun sites -- during their lunch hours and after school.

"Secure wireless access has also proved to be a huge benefit to us because it frees staff and students from needing a physical connection -- we can work online from anywhere in the school, even outside. We are also able to offer wireless guest services in a secure, controlled fashion, so our network security remains locked down tight."

"Installing SonicWALL solutions for content filtering, Unified Threat Management and wireless access was an easy decision. With SonicWALL's superior UTM and filtering capabilities, we knew the network, and the students, would be protected. By using SonicWALL's Global Management System software, we can also monitor and update the network remotely. This is an added benefit for the school because they don't need to employ a full-time, on-site IT person," said Chris Cunningham, CTO, C3 Systems & Security. "SonicWALL's comprehensive solutions meet a variety of network security needs and they continue to be an extremely reliable partner."

Vistamar School utilizes the SonicWALL PRO 3060, a high-performance, security gateway supporting SonicWALL's Unified Threat Management services. Powered by the SonicOS Enhanced operating system and SonicWALL's proprietary deep packet inspection architecture, the PRO 3060 gives Vistamar School powerful and cost-effective firewall performance and VPN concentration. The PRO 3060 acts as the governing device for three SonicPoint G wireless access points, long-range secure access devices that extend and enforce the organization's security policies to wireless users. The SonicWALL CSM 2100 sits behind the PRO 3060, providing dynamic threat management and precise control over Internet usage that can be enforced with groups or individuals. The SonicWALL AD Connector provides Active Directory integration and a schedules feature further extends the flexibility and control of content filtering policies.

"Since the installation of the SonicWALL solutions, we have experienced no downtime and the implementation has been extremely easy to manage," continued Cunningham. "We really appreciated the ability to work with one vendor. SonicWALL has proved to be an excellent choice."

About Vistamar School

Founded in 2005 in the South Bay of Los Angeles, Vistamar School is an independent, co-ed, day school for grades 9-12.

About C3 Systems & Security

C3 Systems & Security, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, provides a broad range of services including daily on-site and remote computer support for small businesses. With a transition underway to a Remotely-Managed IT model, C3 Systems has embraced the "remote helpdesk" philosophy and provides enterprise-level technology support for its clients. Leveraging the low cost of the SonicWALL TZ series routers, C3 Systems is able to provide managed services for smaller offices at an affordable price. Founded in 2001, C3 Systems' client-base has grown to over 300 businesses in the Los Angeles area.