Understanding Web Filtering for Small Businesses with IT Services Providers in CT

Web filtering is a common question of concern that many IT services providers in CT are receiving today. Most business managers would ask whether it is appropriate to filter certain sites so that they are not accessible to their employees. Well, whether to filter some sites or not depends on a specific business’ requirements.

To Filter or Not to Filter?

In the past, web filtering was one way of boosting productivity in most companies. The reasoning behind it was that if employees’ access to the web were limited, then they would not waste so much time surfing the internet. Instead, they would channel all that energy towards more productive things such as driving the sales and thus achieving more profits.

However, this cannot be entirely the case today. With technology evolving, use of the web and social media has become part of today’s workplace. You need to use social media to drive your advertisement campaigns and to spread the word about your products and services. Thus, you cannot rule out the use of social media completely. In addition, with the advent of smartphones, your employees still have limitless options even if you were to ban certain sites on office devices. This, therefore, means that everyone will turn to his or her personal devices and the result will be less productivity.

As this debate goes on, IT services providers in CT recommend a little filtering for the sake of IT security. Examples of sites that should be subject to blocking are those that contain adult content, objectionable adverts, viruses, and spyware. However, you have to be reasonable on the filtering.

As you can see, web filtering has two sides to it. It can be good but at the same time, it might have some downsides. Consider the following scenarios:

Time Spent Surfing

It is a common occurrence to find employees spending a lot of time on the internet using company devices during work hours. This counts on the downside. However, banning the social media sites could not be the ultimate solutions. Much as employees may use it for personal reasons, they may also use it for marketing and to gather information that may be useful for the well-being of the company. The sites that you should maybe filter are those broadcasting inappropriate and adult content.

Malware Hazards

Still, on the question of web filtering, malware hazards are an issue to take into consideration. Certain unsafe sites may contain some malicious links that can infect a whole system. This justifies the act of filtering certain site that may be insecure.

Use of Smartphones at Work

You have to be careful about this issue of banning certain sites and have valid reasons for the ban. If your aim is to drive productivity, it may not work because employees can turn to their smartphones and other personal devices to access the filtered sites. Thus, banning the social media sites may not be the ultimate solution.

In the end, the decision of web filtering ultimately depends on your business. Reasonable filtering may be suitable taking into consideration your IT security. For further consultation on web filtering and IT services in CT, contact us at Kelser Corporation. Our experts will help you weigh your options concerning this issue of web filtering.