One of the largest problems faced by organizations of any size is effectively controlling user internet access(from laptops, mobile devices, workstations etc), minimizing the security threats for the organization (ransomware – data loss prevention), user copyright infringement (torrent downloading/sharing movies, games, music etc) and discover where valuable WAN-Internet bandwidth is being wasted.

Organizations clearly understand that using a Firewall is no longer adequate to control the websites its users are able to access, remote control applications (Teamviewer, Radmin, Ammyy Admin, Remote desktop etc), file sharing applications - Bittorrent clients (uTorrent, BitComet, Deluge, qBittorrent etc), online cloud storage services (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, Amazon Cloud Drive, Hubic etc) and other services and applications.

The truth is that web monitoring applications such as GFI’s WebMonitor are a lot more than just a web proxy or internet monitoring solution.

Web monitoring applications are essential for any type or size of network as they offer many advantages:

• They stop users from abusing internet resources
• They block file-sharing applications and illegal content sharing
• They stop users using cloud-based file services to upload sensitive documents, for example saving company files to their personal DropBox, Google Drive etc.
• They stop remote control applications connecting to the internet (e.g Teamviewer, Remote Desktop, Ammy Admin etc)
• They ensure user productivity is kept high by allowing access to approved internet resources and sites
• They eliminate referral ad sites and block abusive content
• They support reputation blocking to automatically filter websites based on their reputation
• They help IT departments enforce security policies to users and groups
• They provide unbelievable flexibility allowing any type or size of organization to customise its internet usage policy to its requirements

Try the award winning GFI WebMonitor for Free and discover how easy you can control users, internet applications, security risks and more.

The Risk in the Business Environment – Illegal Downloading

Most Businesses are completely unaware of how serious these matters are and the risks they are taking while dealing with other ‘more important’ matters.

Companies such as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are in a continuous battle suing and fighting with companies, ISPs and even home users for illegally distributing movies and music.

Many users are aware of this and are now turning to their company’s internet resources, which in many cases offer faster and unlimited data transfer, to download their illegal content such as movies, games, music and other material.

An employer or business can be easily held responsible for the actions of its employees when it comes to illegal download activities, especially if no policies or systems are in place.

In the case of an investigation, if the necessary security policies and web monitoring systems are in place with the purpose of preventing copyright infringement and illegal downloading, businesses are less vulnerable to the illegal implications of their users, plus it allows them to track down and find the person responsible.

Ensuring users follow company policies when accessing the internet has become a real challenge for businesses and IT staff. The legal implications for businesses not taking measures to enforce acceptable user policies (where possible) can become very complicated and businesses can, in fact, be held liable for damages caused by their users or guests.

A good example, found in almost every business around the world, is the offering of guest internet access to visitors. While they are usually unaware of the company’s ICT policies (nor do they really care about them) they are provided with free unrestricted access to the internet.

Sure, the firewall will only allow DNS, HTTP and HTTPS traffic in an attempt to limit internet access and its abuse but who’s ensuring they are not accessing illegal sites/content such as pornography, gambling, etc., which are in direct violation of the ICT policy?

This is where solutions like GFI WebMonitor help businesses cover this sensitive area by quickly filtering website categories in a very simple and effective way that makes it easy for anyone to add or remove specific website categories or urls.

Protect your company and enforce internet access policies on any AD user, guest user, IP address and more.

How to Block Legal Liability Sites

Enforcing your ICT Internet Usage Policy via WebMonitor is a very simple and fast process. From the WebMonitor web-based dashboard, click on Manage and select Policies:

Note: Click on any image to enlarge it and view it in high-resolution

Figure 1. Adding a new Policy in GFI WebMonitor

At the next screen, click on Add Policy:

 Figure 2. Click on the GFI WebMonitor Add Policy button

GFI WebMonitor is an awarded gateway monitoring and internet access control solution designed to help organizations deal with user internet traffic, monitor and control bandwidth consumption, protect computers from internet malware/viruses and other internet-based threats plus much more. GFI WebMonitor supports two different installation modes: Gateway mode and Simple Proxy mode. We’ll be looking into each mode and help administrators and engineers understand which is best, along with the prerequisites and caveats of each mode.

Proxy vs Gateway Mode

Proxy mode, also named Simple Proxy mode is the simplest way to install GFI WebMonitor. You can deploy this on any computer that has access to the internet. In Simple Proxy mode, all client web-browser traffic (HTTP/HTTPS) is directed through GFI WebMonitor. To enable this type of setup, you will need an internet facing router that can forward traffic and block ports.

With GFI WebMonitor functioning in Simple Proxy mode, each client machine must also be configured to use the server as a web proxy for HTTP and HTTPS protocols. GFI WebMonitor comes with built-in Web Proxy Auto-Discovery (WPAD) server functionality that makes the process easy - simply enable automatic discovery of proxy server for each of your client machines and they should automatically find and use WebMonitor as a proxy. In case of a domain environment, it is best to regulate this setting using a Group Policy Object (GPO).

When WebMonitor is configured to function in Internet Gateway mode, all inbound and outbound client traffic will pass through GFI WebMonitor, irrespective of whether the traffic is HTTP or non-HTTP. With Internet Gateway mode, the client browser does not need to point to any specific proxy – all that’s required is to enable the Transparent Proxy function in GFI WebMonitor.

WebMonitor Download: Control internet resources available to your organization's users. Get complete control on how users and applications access the internet. Application level blocking and malware protection.

Supported OS & Architectures

Whether functioning as a gateway or a web proxy, GFI WebMonitor processes all web traffic. For a smooth operation that amounts to using a server architecture capable of handling all the requests every day. When the environment is small (10-20 nodes), for instance, a 2 GHz processor and 4 GB RAM minimum with a 32-bit Windows operating system architecture will suffice.

Larger environments, such as those running the Windows Server operating system on a minimum of 8 GB RAM and multi-core CPU will require the 64-bit architecture. GFI WebMonitor works with both 32- as well as 64-bit Windows operating system architectures starting from Windows 2003 and Windows Vista.

Installation and Upgrading

When installing for the first time, GFI WebMonitor starts by detecting its prerequisites. If the business is already using GFI WebMonitor, the process determines the prerequisites according to the older product instance. If the installation kit encounters an older instance, it imports the previous settings and redeploys them after completing the installation.

Whether installing for the first time or upgrading an older installation, the installation kit looks for any setup prerequisites necessary and installs them automatically. However, some prerequisites may require user interaction and these will come up as separate installation processes with their own user interfaces.

Installing GFI WebMonitor

As with all GFI products, installation is a very easy follow-the-bouncing-ball process. Once the download of GFI WebMonitor is complete, execute the installer using an account with administrative privileges.

If WebMonitor has been recently downloaded, you can safely skip the newer build check. When ready, click Next to proceed:

Figure 1. Optional check for a new WebMonitor edition during installation

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In this era of constantly pushing for more productivity and greater efficiency, it is essential that every resource devoted to web access within a business is utilised for business benefit. Unless the company concerned is in the business of gaming or social media, etc. it is unwise to use resources like internet/web access, and the infrastructure supporting it, for a purpose other than business. Like they say, “Nothing personal, just business”

With this in mind, IT administrators have their hands full ensuring management of web applications and their communication with the Internet. The cost of not ensuring this is loss of productivity, misuse of bandwidth and potential security breaches. As a business it is prudent to block any unproductive web application e.g. gaming, social media etc. and restrict or strictly monitor file sharing to mitigate information leakages.

Track, monitor and block any user application from the internet with award winning GFI WebMonitor - Limited Free Download!

It is widely accepted that in this area firewalls are of little use. Port blocking is not the preferred solution as it has a similar effect to a sledge hammer. What is required is the fineness of a scalpel to parse out the business usage from the personal and manage those business requirements accordingly. To be able to manage web application at such a level, it is essential to be able to identify and associate the request with its respective web application. Anything in line with business applications goes through, the rest are blocked.

This is where GFI WebMonitor excels in terms of delivering this level of precision and efficiency. It identifies access requests from supported applications using inspection technology and helps IT administrators to allow or block them. Hence, the administrators can allow certain applications for certain departments while blocking certain other applications as part of a blanket ban, thus enhancing the browsing experience of all users.

So, to achieve this, the process is to use the unified policy system of GFI WebMonitor. The policies can be configured specifically for application control or, within the same policy, several application controls can be combined using other filtering technologies.

Let’s take a look at the policy panel of GFI WebMonitor:

Figure 1. GFI WebMonitor Policy Panel interface. Add, delete, create internet access policies with ease (click to enlarge)