In our video ‘Web Protection – How It Works’, Director of Product Development Rick Measham explains the benefits of MailGuard’s WebGuard web filtering software for business users.
Today, almost all businesses have some level of interaction with the interconnected system known as the Internet. A typical business accesses thousands of websites over the Internet each month, and this makes it difficult to restrict or manage web browsing and the type of content accessed by their staff.
Web filtering software explained
The case for a web security and filtering service
There are serious risks attached to unrestricted web browsing, particularly in the business environment. Malware, viruses and phishing scams pose huge security threats. Your network is only protected if each desktop’s anti-virus software is maintained and always up to date, and even then fast-break viruses continue to be a risk.
Sometimes information from the web is necessary to the task being performed; but sometimes it isn't. Unmanaged web browsing can contribute to lost productivity. Time spent on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook means time spent away from actual work.
That’s why some form of web browsing management is desirable in the business environment.
Evaluating web filtering solutions
Most solutions available to small to medium businesses are fairly inflexible, and only offer global restrictions, a one-size-fits-all approach. Yet the alternative, to manually manage and monitor web browsing in-house, is not only time-consuming but difficult to achieve without the support of sophisticated in-house technical resources.
In order to effectively filter web browsing content, your solution needs to see it. In most cases, this means paying your ISP for all the data that has been downloaded.
The MailGuard difference
MailGuard’s WebGuard service provides the solution. A SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solution, WebGuard protects your business network by filtering content in the cloud, before it is downloaded.
“Using WebGuard, all your Internet traffic gets sent through our servers. When the content is good, we let it through in real time. It’s like we’re not even there. But should anyone download malware or viruses or attempt to go to a phishing website, we block the content before it even reaches your network” Rick explains.
In respect to other types of content, such as social media and other non-business related sites, WebGuard allows you the flexibility to decide the rules that should apply for your own business.
Rather than a blanket “allow” or “deny” for individual websites like Facebook, time limits can be placed around staff web surfing; for example, before and after operational hours or during lunch break. WebGuard can also stop, limit, or allow access to specific websites at individual user level, according to departments, or defined groups.
Not only can businesses effectively and proactively manage staff Internet usage, WebGuard’s reporting can track what sites individual employees are browsing at any given time, offering valuable insights on staff performance.
WebGuard provides a secure, cost-effective and flexible approach to web browsing management.
Putting MailGuard's web filtering service to the test
You can put our web filtering service - WebGuard - to the test with a 14 day free trial.
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