web traffic filtering

In today’s digitally dependent environment, just about every organization has become increasingly reliant on websites. Employees have become used to casually surfing the web, researching reference materials, chatting with friends and downloading files without always considering possible Internet security threats.

What web surfers might not realize is that without proper URL filtering, the dynamic nature of the Internet can turn a site that is safe today into a threat tomorrow, the next week or even in a matter of seconds. A user who thought it safe to surf to his or her favorite gaming site during working hours, for example, might inadvertently wreak havoc on his company’s networking infrastructure if the site contains phishing, spyware, ransomware or other malicious code.

URL filtering helps organizations prevent computer users from visiting unsafe websites, viewing inappropriate content and unintentionally downloading malware. With URL security screening, filters are configured to comply with an organization’s web usage and IT policies. Once in place, URL filters check the origin and content of a web page against the defined set of rules to determine whether access to the site should be granted or denied.

Using URL filtering:

• Enhances a company’s security posture by preventing access to malicious websites long before a company’s computers, servers and workstations are exposed to them.
• Minimizes costs related to malware outbreaks.
• Reduces liability hazards by preventing access to sites that host inappropriate web content.
• Frees up data bandwidth by denying employees access to bandwidth-hungry sites such as YouTube, significantly boosting the performance of business applications and network resources.
• Increases employee productivity and company efficiency by blocking access to recreational sites, such as those used for gaming, social networking and instant messaging.

For these reasons, more and more organizations are adopting URL filtering solutions.

Our URL filtering protects against websites carrying malware, proxies, adware, spyware, botnets, phishing and spam. Using block lists, allow lists, device policies and access restrictions, Edge Tech Solutions' URL filtering services keep network users focused and on-task while limiting the chances of harmful malware from infecting computers and networks, which could bring your organization to a screeching halt.

But our URL filtering goes way beyond that by allowing customizable features such as:

• Time-based browsing rules
• Web policies specific to device, by user or by both
• Administrator alerts when visits to blocked websites are attempted
• Custom messages alerting users that the website they are trying to access violates corporate web policies
• Schedules that define when certain sites can be accessed (For example, administrators might allow news, sports or social media sites to be accessed during lunch hours and coffee breaks)
• Up-to-date statistics organized according to day, website or category
• Access to built-in report options that summarize web usage by customer, device or site

Edge Tech Solutions compliments its URL filtering tools with a comprehensive and robust suite of IT solutions designed to simplify day-to-day operations of our clients.

Along with URL filters, Edge Tech Solutions offers solutions for:

• Data backup
• Disaster recovery
• Remote management
• Secure email
• Asset tracking
• Patch management
• IT maintenance
• Risk management

While these solutions are each designed for a different purpose, they are all designed with the same purpose in mind: to help our customers operate at optimum capacity.