Employee monitoring software

[TollhouseFrank]

a lot of times, a company may want to do things like limit what can be visited online, especially media-heavy domains so that one or a handful of users aren't hosing the connection to the world outside because they just had to watch the latest 'My Little Pony' episode online.

You could always try the hosts file on each machine. Just get a generic ad/porn blocking hostsfile (i use hostsman to automate this for me), and then it'll be real easy to see if people are visiting very work innapropriate sites if they suddenly come to IT and ask why POGO is busted or why facebook/name-the-social-networking-site looks all funky.

 

[SteveLord]

Why block a site? Well, it makes sense to block ones that harvest malware. Especially in ad banners and this can happen on more websites than you'd think. Don't believe in preventative measures?

 

[Adragontattoo]

Your company hasnt seen what some employees deem "required" if you allow open access.

Common sense says "you're at work":
Porn is not work related.
Pirated movies are not work related.
Youtube videos.
Rotten.com
netflix
Gaming
Gambling
IM to the point that you have to unplug their network drop to get a response.
Napster/BT/Limewire/whatever else you want to use.
etc.
Seen all of those plus so much more...


Some people honestly believe that there is nothing wrong with watching porn on the company dime if their work is done. Or printing porn. Or any of the above plus numerous other things.

You can block the above and not impact "work". Trust and policy only go so far. People will push the boundaries if it isnt a hard wall that they have to get around. Eventually someone will print out a few thousand pages of color porn because "Nobody said I couldnt!" or your network will find out how bad an open pipe can be when someone gets inside.

Anything HIPPAA, Security, SW, HW and many other things are governed by rules, regs, contract reqs. etc and can NOT have an open pipe if they want to continue without serious issues.

To those saying that you can use a proxy to circumvent, only if your IT person is a moron.

I put up a Firewall, that blocks sites by classification. You have to go through that firewall to get out to the world. You have no option of using a proxy there to circumvent. You can try but I can block connections except through X port, from X IP, on X system, during X time, and have permissions based on your Account.

Look at the term Walled Garden.

Free/Pay to play options are
Websense
Bluecoat
PFsense (pay and free)
Smoothwall (pay and free)
Astaro (pay and free)
and soooooo many others

 

[mbentley]

SteveLord, as long as you have your answer, we're closing this thread as it is attracting spammers by the truck load. Feel free to PM me if you still haven't received an answer and we can reopen it.