Productivity Inhibitors

Most organizations are interested in establishing the Web as a business tool, not as a distraction. To accomplish this, it's critical to educate, communicate and then enforce an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Most organizations leverage technology to enforce a number of common policies, including:

• Blocking pornographic Web sites
• Blocking access to time-wasting and non-business Web content; e.g. gambling, jokes
• Limiting personal Web site access to lunch hours
• Restricting overall Internet use by applying weekly bandwidth or time quotas
• Blocking access to certain file types such as video or music

URL filtering is a powerful tool for managing Internet distractions, especially when combined with a Secure Web Gateway, like the one provided by M86 Security. Our URL filtering technology — considered by many in the industry to be the most complete and effective available — gives organizations control, security and compliance peace of mind. M86 URL filtering solutions enable organizations to set policies for dozens of Web categories, including Web 2.0, business related sites, Web email, streaming media, personals/dating, society/lifestyle and dozens others.

In addition to distracting Web sites, applications like IM, Skype and P2P, while often integral to organizational operation, are also magnets for non-productive or non-business related activities that impact productivity. There is also a security risk at stake; cybercriminals use these applications as an attack vector to distribute their malicious code. Counterproductive Web applications can be more damaging than just contributing to distractions, however. For example, the use of a movie-exchanging application impacts the bandwidth use, which, in turn, can impact the productivity of other, hard-working employees. M86's Secure Web Gateway controls and restricts these applications to uses beneficial to the organization.