Why should you use URL filtering?

Why should you use URL filtering?

Giving your employees unfettered access to the internet is simply a terrible idea. Sure, the internet is the perfect collaboration tool and vital research companion to every business, but it has also become the ultimate instrument for procrastinators in the office. Think about it -- it’s tempting to share what you’re doing on Facebook, and it’s easy to find yourself stuck in the recesses of viral YouTube videos all day long.

But the real problem occurs when your employees flirt with danger and access illicit websites that have no place in the office. Not only is it disturbing to find out that Bob from accounting looks at porn and offensive material during office hours, but it’s even more mortifying to discover that your company’s computers have become infected by malware, phishing, and other exploits because of them.

With malware and data leaks just one accidental mouse click away, businesses need to implement network security technologies that can decrease exposure to these malicious websites. Although endpoint security and intrusion prevention systems are crucial for your network security, companies should take it upon themselves to plug any unchecked security holes with URL filtering.

Choose what websites are affected

As you may have guessed, URL filtering helps organizations prevent their staff from visiting inappropriate websites. This is done by categorizing the websites on the internet and either allowing or blocking access to them based on the security provider’s URL category database. Cisco, for example, has a comprehensive URL filtering database with approximately 60 different categories, enabling you to block access to a number of websites that may compromise your organization’s security and productivity.

By simply selecting the categories you’d like to prohibit, users are immediately denied access to thousands of similar websites. And since URL filtering services automatically update category definitions, low-reputation URLs that may potentially hide a string of malware are blocked immediately.

Hypothetically, if you wanted to block all video-streaming websites, you could simply set the URL filtering profile to ‘block’ websites of that category. Therefore, whenever people attempt to access websites like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix within the office network, their browsers would redirect them to a page that said, “The policy of this organization doesn’t allow you to browse this website.”

Additionally, sophisticated URL filtering providers let you add lists of specific websites that should always be blocked or allowed. For instance, you can choose to block all social media websites but only allow Facebook if it’s a key aspect to your organization’s social media campaign. When used correctly, URL filtering can help your business in several ways.

Boost productivity

It’s a familiar habit many office workers have in common: taking a quick breather from work to read the news, visit Reddit, or peruse Amazon’s discount offers. Although this browsing may seem harmless at first, it can hamper business productivity when employees spend hours of company time on non-work-related websites. After all, scrolling through Reddit or Instagram never takes ‘just a minute.’

By denying access to social media, gaming, online shopping, and other time-consuming websites, URL filtering ensures employees don’t stray away from their day-to-day responsibilities. However, keep in mind that URL filtering doesn’t have to be purely restrictive. You can set your filtering profiles to run during non-disruptive times like lunch or outside normal office hours. This approach can help you maintain staff morale while preventing workplace internet procrastination at the same time.

Avoid liabilities

Employees viewing offensive material in the internet can be an HR nightmare for many companies. In fact, in the past three years six NASA employees have been caught looking at porn during office hours -- four were disciplined and the rest were fired. Ultimately, organizations are accountable for the web activities of their staff. By implementing URL filtering technology, you can prevent access to illicit material before it becomes a liability to your company.

Decrease network demands

Naturally, the growth of video-streaming websites like YouTube, Google Play, and Netflix has triggered a considerable increase in bandwidth consumption. Many businesses are also embedding media players on their corporate websites to increase engagement. The result is that both casual and work-related browsing strains the company’s network and causes system slowdowns. URL filtering helps you manage your company’s bandwidth capacities to ensure that internet browsing is at peak performance at all times.

Data Security

Above all else, URL filtering is an essential layer of protection from malware, phishing, and other online exploits. Phishing attacks, for example, are growing more sophisticated; they dupe users with fake links like Goggle.com and bait them with personal surveys for a purported chance to win a brand new car. But most of us already know there's no prize waiting at the other end of that link. Instead, hackers attempt to lure you and your employees into surrendering sensitive information and exploit your system vulnerabilities with malware.

While vigilant internet practices can protect you, there’s always a chance you and your employees might accidentally click on a pop-up ad or a fake link. By setting URL filtering categories to block known malicious websites, end-users can safely avoid walking into a hacker’s trap. On top of that, URL filtering blocks access to applications within allowed websites. For example, you can allow your personnel to access non-work-related sites but block suspicious ad banners that often download an abundance of malware into your computer.

As far as network security goes, implementing URL filtering technologies should be at the top of your priority list. With a user-friendly central console you can determine which websites can and cannot be accessed at work, while ensuring that productivity and security remain optimal. And with today’s web-based threats and the increased potential to procrastinate during work, there has never been a more compelling case for implementing URL filtering in the office.

Even though URL filtering is a key component to a multi-layered strategy for business networks, businesses need to round out their defenses with endpoint security, intrusions preventions systems, data backups, and disaster recovery plans. Here at IntelligISTM, we provide these services, implement them, and monitor your system so you can stay two steps ahead of any cyberthreat. Visit us at www.intelligis.com if you’d like to have our team discuss solutions to protect your network.