Keep your business safe and productive with web filtering

There is no doubt that there are many useful resources in the web, such as the Strident new pages, but there are a great deal that are temptingly unproductive. Web filtering not only protects your colleagues from malicious sites but also those that can be a time-wasting distraction.

Now part of ISO 27001:2002

Web-filtering software is now an intrinsic part of the latest ISO 27001 standard, highlighting its importance in running a secure and productive work environment. Of course, you don't have to be ISO certified to put it place and you can choose to be a strict as you wish. You may wish to ban adult and gambling sites altogether but allow news sites during lunch breaks, for example.

"Web filtering can block certain websites, categories of websites, or keywords," explains Chris Joberns, Managing Director at Strident. "But a business may also want to prevent staff from using the wrong services. For example, blocking Microsoft OneDrive and only allowing Microsoft OneDrive for Business ensures where the company stores its data and has its control policies."

Easily apply web-filtering across all you devices.

Cisco Umbrella, part of the world-renowned Cisco group, is a cloud-based security platform that protects users and devices, regardless of their location. This makes is easy to deploy and manage across an organisation.

DNS-layer security provides protection against malware, phishing, and other online threats by inspecting and blocking malicious traffic at the DNS (Domain Name System) level. Even if a user accidentally clicks on a malicious link, Umbrella will step in to prevent threats from reaching users' devices, even if they are not connected to the business network.

An Umbrella app can also be installed on the PC, tablet or phone (either downloaded manually or 'pushed' in the background by the Strident Agent app) to scan and monitor the device unobtrusively for malicious links in apps and documents.

Automated reports help you keep on top of issues.

Regular reports are a convenient way to keep an eye on what's going on. You may be happy to allow social media but want to monitor its usage.

Reports can cover specific users or groups, and specific sites or categories of site. This allows as much or as little detail to be viewed a required, and there is always the option to go to the Umbrella dashboard and perform a detailed search on a wide range of criteria.

To find out more about Cisco Umbrella or business IT support, please get in touch.