Lightspeed Systems is a company that sells content-control

Content-control software

Content-control software, also known as censorware or web filtering software, is a term for software designed and optimized for controlling what content is permitted to a reader, especially when it is used to restrict material delivered over the Web...

 and security software and systems for schools.

Overview

Founded in 1999, Lightspeed Systems Inc. develops web filtering, network security and network management solutions for the education market. Lightspeed Systems solutions are used in more than 2,000 school districts in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia by more than 6 million students. For the past several years, Lightspeed Systems has been recognized on the Inc. 5,000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies.

Rating scale

The software rates a website on a scale of:

1. G - Safe for all ages
2. PG - Parental Guidance advised
3. R - Appropriate for high schools under adult supervision — contains drugs, alcohol, violence
4. X - Obscene and vulgar
   VULGAR
   Vulgar is the fourth studio album released by Dir En Grey on September 10, 2003 in Japan and on February 21, 2006 in Europe. A limited edition containing an additional DVD was also released. It featured the video of the song "Obscure", albeit a censored version...
   
   
5. S - Denotes security
   Security
   Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
   
    and viral risk

The institution using the software can select what certain rated websites can be accessed by students.

Content filtering categories

• Custom - Institutional allow or block
• Adult
• Forums
  Internet forum
  An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
  
  , chat
  Online chat
  Online chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, that offers an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, hence the delay for visual access to the sent message shall not hamper the flow of communications in any of the directions...
  
  , and e-mail
  E-mail
  Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
  
  
• Security
  Security
  Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
  
   - viral threats
• Advertising
  Advertising
  Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
  
  
• Business and work
• Education
  Education
  Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
  
  
• Family life
• Kids and teens
• Miscellaneous
• Recreation
  Recreation
  Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
  
  
• Reference
  Reference
  Reference is derived from Middle English referren, from Middle French rèférer, from Latin referre, "to carry back", formed from the prefix re- and ferre, "to bear"...
  
  
• Society
  Society
  A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
  
  

Products

• Web Filter — Desktop and mobile filtering with an education-based database and flexible policies.
• Lightspeed Rocket — Integrates filtering for school
  School
  A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
  
  s. This includes e-mail management (to meet government CIPA regulations) and website filtering.
• My Big Campus — Safe sharing of online videos, and other collaborative materials (forums, blogs, instant messaging).
• Campus Mail — Hosted, monitored email accounts for students and teachers, plus online file storage.

Financial

Lighspeed maintains a workforce of around 94 employees. Its revenue

Revenue

In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....

 for 2006 was $6 million, and for 2009 it was $14.2 million. In 3 years, Lightspeed has had growth of 138%. It is ranked 134 in its sector (software).

Executives

• Founder
  Entrepreneur
  An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
  
   - Rob McCarthy
• CEO - Joel Heinrichs(Douchebag)
• COO
  Chief operating officer
  A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
  
   - John Genter
• CRO - Brian Thomas
• CTO - Rob Chambers