As a business owner, you are always looking for ways to improve productivity. One way to do this is by filtering your employees’ web activity. This can be done without limiting their productivity. In fact, it can actually help increase productivity by blocking harmful websites that have no work purpose. We will discuss how to do this in this blog post.
What are the common ways employees bypass web filters?
DNS-Over-HTTPS – DNS-Over-HTTPS is a protocol that encrypts DNS queries and responses. This makes it more difficult for ISPs to snoop on DNS traffic and block websites.
VPN – A VPN encrypts all internet traffic and routes it through a server in another location. This makes it very difficult for ISPs to block websites.
Proxies – A proxy is a server that acts as an intermediary between the user and the internet. This makes it difficult for ISPs to block websites.
Cellphone Hotspots – Cellphone hotspots can be used to connect to the internet without going through your business’ internet connection thus bypassing your business’ security protocols.
When employees bypass web filters, it presents numerous issues:
Security – Malicious websites can infect your network with malware
Productivity – Time-killing sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit can prevent employees from working
Reputation – Your business could be associated with illegal or inappropriate activity if employees access blocked content at work
Compliance – You may be required to block certain types of content in order to comply with industry regulations
By filtering your employees’ web activity, you can avoid these issues. There are several categories of harmful websites that 99% of businesses have no reason to access for work purposes. These include:
Illegal or inappropriate content – This includes websites that contain illegal content, or that promote illegal activity, such as drug use.
Malicious content – This includes websites that are designed to infect your network with malware.
Time-wasting content – This includes websites that are not work-related, such as social networking sites, video streaming sites, and online gaming sites.
Blocking these types of websites can help improve productivity and avoid potential legal issues. However, you should be careful not to block all non-work-related websites. This can lead to employees feeling censored and hinder their productivity. Instead, you should only block the most harmful or distracting websites.
If you’re not sure how to filter your employees’ web activity, there are many software solutions that can help. These solutions will allow you to block specific websites or categories of websites. They can also provide reports on which websites are being accessed and how much time is being spent on each site.
Choosing the right web filtering solution for your business can be a challenge. There are many factors to consider, such as cost, features, and ease of use. We can help you find the right solution for your business. Contact us today to learn more! Simply enter your name and email address below and we’ll get to work on a solution custom-tailored for your business.
