Despite what various experts may claim, the best Internet content filtering tools are those that have a high degree of granularity and are easy to use. Without a high degree of granularity, the likelihood is that the filtering parameters will be set too high or too low – either blocking access to business-critical activities or leaving gateways for cybercriminals and cyber-slackers to exploit
In order to take advantage of a high degree of granularity, tools for filtering Internet content must be easy to use. If not, the likelihood is that the filtering parameters will remain too high or too low because it is too complicated to find the optimal settings. This is why, at SpamTitan, we have developed a range of Internet content filtering tools that are both granular and easy to use.
Three Essential Mechanisms for Content Filtering Tools
SpamTitan´s range of tools for filtering Internet content – the WebTitan range – each have three essential mechanisms that not only protect against web-borne threats without obstructing workflows, but that also make it possible to enforce acceptable use policies in order to eliminate cyber-slacking and prevent other employees being exposed to inappropriate content in the workplace.
The first essential mechanism is blacklist filtering. This process blocks access to websites known to harbor malware or who hide their true identity behind a proxy server. This mechanism is supported by URIBL and SURBL filtering that prevents users visiting IP addresses from where spam emails, phishing attacks and other web-borne threats are known to have originated from.
The second essential mechanism is category filtering. This process categorizes more than six billion web pages across the five million most visited websites into categories such as abortion, adult entertainment, alternative beliefs, alcohol, etc. Network administrators can block access to categories considered high risk and those that may threaten productivity or an acceptable working environment.
The third essential mechanism is keyword filtering. Keyword filtering can be used to prevent access to web pages containing specific keywords, those having specific web applications or those that allow users to download files with specific extensions. File types and access to ports can also be blocked using the keyword filtering mechanism to prevent certain online activities.
The high degree of granularity comes from the option to apply the category and keyword filters by user, user group or business-wide. The filters can also be applied by time or with bandwidth restrictions in place to control access to video streaming web sites. Should a user or user group require access to a web page, app or file type blocked by the general filtering parameters, a whitelisting feature exists to create individual or group exemptions, while cloud keys can override all the mechanisms if required.
The whitelisting feature can also be used to allow unfiltered access to trusted business-critical web pages in order to eliminate latency during the SSL inspection process. This process decrypts, inspects and re-encrypts encrypted web pages to identify threats or policy-excluded content that may be overlooked by other tools for filtering Internet content, but it can have a negative impact on network performance, which is why the whitelisting feature is present in all WebTitan content filtering tools.
Easy-to-Use Tools for Filtering Internet Content
The high degree of granularity does not mean WebTitan´s content filtering tools are complicated to use. Far from it. Deployment is usually completed within minutes. An auto-configuration feature gets the tools up and running within minutes, and the entire filtering operation is managed via a browser-based portal with an intuitive interface. Even Internet access for remote networks can be controlled centrally.
WebTitan can be integrated with management tools such as LDAP and AD so that roles and permission tiers can be created at the click of a mouse. The tools for filtering Internet content have an auto backup feature, and all software updates are performed by automatically. These include keeping the blacklists up to date as new threats are discovered and categorizing new websites as they are published.
In addition to providing real-time insight into web activity, system administrators can set up email alerts to advise of blocked requests to visit webpages and take advantage of a suite of customizable reporting options in order to identify trends by user, user group, IP addresses or URL. If a business ever encounters difficulty in configuring WebTitan´s tools for Internet content filtering, we have industry-leading Customer and Technical support available at all times.
Try WebTitan´s Internet Content Filtering Tools for Free
Our range of tools for filtering Internet content come with a choice of deployment options. WebTitan for Cloud is a simple to use cloud-based Internet content filter that simply requires a redirection of your DNS to implement, while WebTitan Cloud for WiFi is a robust Internet content filtering tool for businesses operating a wireless network.
If you would like to try any of WebTitan´s Internet content filtering tools for free, do not hesitate to contact us and ask about our free fourteen day trial offer. Our team will be happy to answer any questions you have about Internet content filtering tools and guide you through the process of registering for a free account. Within minutes you will be able to evaluate the benefit of tools for filtering Internet content that have the granularity you need to protect against web-borne threats without obstructing workflows, but yet which are easy to use.
