How Web Filtering is Right for Your Business?

Web Filtering for business

Monitoring access to sites on the grounds of network security is justifiable. The intentions to control the watch time on social networking sites would cause a divide. There is a line between restricting access and managing time during work hours.

Businesses may shoot themselves in the foot by allowing unsophisticated web filtering. Is web filtering right for my business? How does one maintain the balance without encroaching upon employee freewill? The benefits are immense, but the backlash in the event of undemocratic behavior may cause a stir.

The intertwined fate of web filtering and limited access needs collective contribution. A workplace would enjoy enhanced productivity and employee happiness by managing web filtering. Which type of content to filter and which sites to keep running would meet the end goals. Cybersecurity problems and solutions maintain a close relation.

The system put forth should seek a technological harmony between man and the machine.

Web Filtering

1. Web Filtering and Workplace Productivity

Productivity is an outcome of several proven and creative forces at work. It’s right that online distractions could divert our attention. We could lose minutes first. They turn into hours by the end of the week. On month-wise, we have got days lost tracking cheap entertainment news or topics.

Businesses have got a legitimate issue at hand. They don’t shy from proposing web filtering. They know the truth is there for everyone to see. It’s human nature to take micro-breaks and justify them. The excuse for nurturing the creative veins is good enough to relieve oneself of moral guilt.

Web filtering works. It does enhance productivity and instills moral responsibility. It’s up to the organizations to extend it to what limits. The idea is to nurture a spirit of self-regulation than outside norms. Employees share a sense of ownership, accountability. They realize the benefits of restricting access to a particular set of sites. They agree, but they expect the management to trust them too. The execution would help create a conducive environment to enjoy work and have fun.

2. Employee Role, Cybersecurity Sessions and Network Security

Hackers are restless individuals. They take it as a personal challenge to bring the organizations down. Businesses have a real opportunity by working as a team. The cybersecurity sessions are one way of raising the awareness level. Employee participation, combined with web filtering, could secure internal networks.

Employee RoleOrganizations should act as a single unit. Every single team member remains accountable for protecting, adhering to guidelines. Hackers prey on ignorance and then go for the kill.

The exploit kits thrive on software inconsistencies. Employees are not the target this time. These kits could corrupt the machines and turn them against the internal network. What about anti-virus software? They play the catching game, and before they could act, the damage cripples everything. Web filtering is one go-to approach to strengthen a network security design.

3. Phishing Attacks Leave Information Standards Exposed

Hackers pose as a business to extract information is an example of phishing attacks. Everybody knows that. What makes it tick even after hundreds of hours of session on it? The issue runs deeper. The failure to manage webmail services bypasses the first layer of security. They drop the guard, and things take a U-turn from there. Web filtering allows access to manage webmail services. The system scans the mails and blocks malicious content.

4. Web Filtering Protects Brand Reputation

Employees are at the center of the action. There is a window for something unimaginable to happen. That’s how the Internet works. What if employees stumble upon a corrupt link or clicks on the download option? It’s not always the hackers who damage the brand’s reputation. A copyrighted dispute could prove all the work undone. Web filtering cancels out any such incidents from taking place.

Cybersecurity problems and solutions offer a contradicting view of web filtering. Businesses invest in enterprise-grade security software to protect the network. At the same time, they put trust in their people. The trust factor and the use of web filtering are two different prospects. Both shed light on roles and responsibilities.

Winning the fight against hackers calls for a dedicated approach. Employees should support techniques like web filtering. Employers should work on keeping the atmosphere lively. They should look for measures to enhance productivity rather than controlling every movement.

Web filtering encourages responsible behavior while accessing online content. Businesses need the right mix of ownership and self-monitoring to keep hackers away. A single incident of security breach could take your organization back by years. You would have to start everything from scratch. The loss of intellectual data casts doubt over the brand for a lifetime. Web filtering enables a positive vibe at workplaces.

The fight against cybercrime begins with controlling the urge to spend precious time browsing no-good sites for entertainment purposes.

About the Author

Andrew Starr Andrew Starr is a Cyber Security Professional with over 25 years in the Industry. As a CISSP he is passionate about helping business secure their systems and networks. Over the years he has a privileged to worked with clients from all around the world, including household names like Barbour and Unilever to the Metropolitan Police.

Currently he is working with Just cyber security and working with leading cyber security solutions across the globe.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of The World Financial Review.