Web Filter for the Workplace

You may be considering, wisely, adding a web filter for your workplace’s network in order to add an extra level of cybersecurity to your business and, if you have not done so by now then, you should be making this one of your main priorities.

Opting for a cloud hosted solution is most likely for most companies as it is easily managed, automatically updated and can have the settings adjusted to suit the business needs of your company. You don’t need to invest in any hardware and can take control of it from any browser once you are online. a hosted spam filter does not incur capital expense, is infinitely scalable and can be managed from any Internet-connected device.

Choosing the best Web Filter for your Company

There are a range of considerations you should make when trying to decide which web filter to purchase and implement on your network. There are advantages and disadvantages to all of these but we strongly recommend addressing this think points before you make your final decision:

  1. Can the supplier prove their reported spam detections results and levels?
  2. How will the web filter I opt for impact the performance of my web browsers and servers?
  3. Can I choose how spam emails are dealt with?
  4. Does the hosted spam filter use anti-virus software and, if so, which one?
  5. Are front-line tests carried out by the web filter?

The Importance of a Workplace Web Filter

There are many different reasons and reports that highlight the importance of configuring a workplace Internet filter. We will point you towards just some of them:

  1. Hackers steal huge amounts of money every year thanks to spam emails
  2. Productivity is also impacted as staff can spend four seconds dealing with one spam email. This may not seem like much but it all adds up when you see how many spam emails are sent to huge amounts of employees.
  3. Spoofed emails are designed to trick your staff into trusting a source that will end up infiltrating your systems.
  4. In 2015 the amount of money stolen in the average hacking attack was estimated by the Ponemon Institute to be $1.8 million.

Web Filters for Work Operation

The main difference between a cloud hosted spam filter and the other email filtering options is automated updates. With a simple step you can change your mail exchanger (MX) records so as to send inbound and outbound traffic via service provider’s email servers. From here they can be controlled using a web-based interface.

If an incoming email is marked as spam it will be placed in a quarantine folder where with can review it safely. Outbound emails are also scanned to keep an eye for possible email hacks of staff email accounts by cybercriminals. This will mean that there is little chance of your group being added to a website blacklist.

A workplace web will review all incoming and outgoing emails using available and constantly updates lists of senders to see if anything is originating from a known malicious source, giving you peace of mind that your servers are secure and business is not impacted.