A latest line of web filtering appliances will let organisations begin to open up or limit employee web access to set times of the day, or start to run policies to control the amount of time people spend browsing the web at work.
Available as a Dell-based appliance or as hardened software for HP and IBM hardware and VMware, Clearswift Groups’ Web Appliance 1.3 is based on its flagship MIMEsweeper policy engine.
The company has long campaigned that web browsing at work should be sensibly controlled using policies that are set by HR and administered by IT using automated filtering systems.
In past surveys carried out by the company it has been shown that very few HR managers are involved in monitoring employee internet usage. With better dialogue between IT and HR, Clearwift argues that companies could create a policy that benefits the business without compromising security.
The company’s chief executive Richard Turner, said “Our focus is on business enablement not fear and negativity.”
As well as a URL filter, the Web Appliance 1.3 system includes the Kaspersky anti-virus software and an anti-spyware system that is based on Sunbelt Software’s CounterSpy.
The secure content company said today that it was also releasing an upgraded edition of its Clearswift Email Appliance.
The box is built on a hardened Linux operating system, and offers bi-directional protection of all inbound and outbound traffic, something Clearswift has always seen as setting it apart from its numerous rivals. These include IronPort Systems, Websense and BlueCoat, McAfee and Sophos.
In the context of enterprise content governance, being able to monitor flows of all message content, both in and out of the organisation is deemed very important. Controlling what leaves an organisation is as important as being able to stop the bad stuff coming in.
