General 3min de Leitura - 19 de December de 2017

Web Filter: benefits for analysts and security administrators

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Unsurprisingly, the internet is an extremely necessary resource in corporate environments. With a gigantic amount of data being sent every day to digital platforms and a growing number of users using the feature, it has turned into an environment full of possibilities as well as threats.

With a constant evolution of technology, the challenges of controlling Internet use have become more difficult. What was once a simple firewall job, today it requires more advanced filtering technologies.

In this way, analysts and security administrators are increasingly looking for resources capable of organizing, structuring and controlling the use of the Internet in the corporate environment. Whether it’s to keep a team productive and engaged, or secure and free from attacks, companies need to increasingly seek adherence to the principles associated with Digital Security.

A good way to have this control is through tools like Web Filters. To know what it is and what are the benefits of using it for analysts and managers, continue reading this blog post.

What is a Web Filter?

Web Content Filter, also called Web Filter, is the name given to the tool that enables the application of controls over the use of the internet, according to the security policies established by the corporation. Directly, these filters help analysts to bring compliance between the established policy and the day-to-day in the organization.

The benefits of Web Filter for the day-to-day of analysts and managers

These days, there are many benefits to applying a web content filter. Next, we compiled some topics that show what needs can be easily met by the tool resources, ensuring effectiveness in the rules applied by analysts and validated by managers in different areas of the organization.

Content Categorization

One of the biggest bottlenecks faced by security professionals concerns the list of websites/applications they need to build based on corporate policies, in order to prevent the internet from bringing threats to the company. It is extremely difficult to work on these lists manually, as the maintenance work is highly costly and the outcome is inefficient.

When using the resources provided by a Web Filter, these difficulties can be mitigated. That is because filters work with huge bases of websites/URLs categorized according to content, purposeand description. This operating model removes all the complexity associated with managing access lists, ensuring efficiency for analysts and technology managers.

However, some professionals choose to use lists of free or paid URLs found on the internet, with extremely limited effectiveness. Facebook, for example, has hundreds of specific addresses on its server, making complex for analysts to have knowledge about all of them.

For this and many other reasons, lists that need to be built manually, requiring constant maintenance, are not advised. Professionals most often do not have the time (or willingness) to analyze the internet in search of all addresses, much less to remain alert in the search for new ones. Constant maintenance is unfeasible for companies and analysts who want to maintain adequate levels of security.

As it is mentioned, it is highly indicated the use of resources that provide content categorization, making structuring and maintenance of access lists and rules easier and more efficient.

Security, availability and efficiency

In addition to providing complete agility in Internet usage control, Web Filter also provides an extra layer of security. For being so effective and addressing complete categories of content, including the classification of websites with malicious content. Automatic restriction to this type of content provides reassurance for analysts and managers.

Moreover, it is also extremely effective when it comes to internet availability. One of the main causes of unavailability is summarized by the excessive consumption of bandwidth by some collaborator of the company, which potentially prevents the use by other departments. Bandwidth control, based on Web Filter categories, also helps professionals overcome this problem within the organization.

Access reports

For the most part, content filters have features with access reports as part of their structure. This allows the analyst to know exactly what the collaborators are accessing, what is the average bandwidth consumed by each of them, how long employees visit each website, among others.

These reports enable analysts to act proactively, anticipating corrective actions by identifying abnormalities in the use of the Internet. Some solutions even send automatic email notifications, making it even easier the day-to-day for analysts and managers.

Improvement in productivity

Searching for the right tools to improve team productivity is a constant challenge for managers and analysts alike, regardless of their area of expertise. With the improper use of the internet, it is easy for the team to become less productive and losses can be very representative, as you can read in the article on losses associated with lack of productivity.

However, by correctly categorizing content, it becomes easier to turn employees’ time into useful and valuable activities for the growth of the industry and the company.

One of the biggest losses of a company can happen internally, through the misuse of the internet. By efficiently categorizing content, this will not be a problem. Analysts and technology managers play a key role in the development and success of the organization, since a large part of a company’s processes are computerized and often dependent on the Internet.

Bring ease to your daily work and results for your company by applying solutions that provide the web content filtering feature.

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This post is also available in: Português English Español