Can cybersecurity be linked to productivity?

For many companies, the performance of their network has become almost a challenge due to multiple requests from users for web services and applications. Although access to online content is a source of fuel for different tasks, not all applications meet the company’s objectives. There are countless examples of users using part of their productive time to access trivial information on news websites, keep up with changes in social networks and even entertain themselves by playing games.

In these cases, time is “money”.

Do you know what a secure web gateway is?

To preserve the level of productivity, content filters can be useful for businesses. A Secure Web Gateway are controls that can track any communication request to web applications. In addition, the information collected can be used to better scale the use of network resources.

This type of function is a layer of security, as it has capabilities to study abnormal traffic (including encryption) in real time, evaluating the reputation of URLs, browsers, files and applications.

On the other hand, companies can use them to strengthen their policies or habits that promote better results for their team:

– Give bandwidth preference for essential network resources.

– Avoid inappropriate or unsuitable content;

– Protect users while surfing the web.

If you think you have not yet understood the benefits of this type of feature we can highlight some examples:

Increasing productivity

Think about users who use part of their company’s bandwidth to download videos or access streaming services, for example. There are two obvious impacts of this type of behavior. First, the user may explore these entertainment features and achieve less than the stated objectives. Second, some of the bandwidth is being used for purposes other than those important to the business.

Depending on the application used, the user’s recreational activity may even cause poor performance for other essential network resources.

While blocking access to any web service is not the solution in all cases, it is possible to set filters to target user behavior. For example, you can set rules for accessing certain applications or addresses at lunchtime, but restrict them during business hours.

Protect yourself against disinformation

In the information security industry, the most fragile link in the chain is the user. This is closely related to the level of information and good practices that people have when using online resources.

There are several types of threats on the web, such as scams that try to deceive the uninformed. For this purpose, content filters have category classifications, which companies can select according to their security policy. For example, you can limit access to online gaming sites, where there are many phishing and crypto mining threats.

Abnormal traffic can lead to the transport of malware and viruses. Many techniques for attacking web applications can be prevented by controlling potentially malicious addresses, which are classified according to the intelligence bases used by this type of control.

Reducing legal risks

What happens if some users have access to illegal content? In these situations, the company will be responsible for the activities of its users on the web.

Like inappropriate content categories, filters can restrict keywords that in most cases are of risk to the company. Adopting such rules can eliminate the risk of surfing for pornography, drugs, violence, discrimination and other problems.

redborder ensures the use of filtering and display options when displaying information of interest as a productivity and/or security feature. But regardless of your company’s purpose, the important thing is that both advantages can be successfully achieved.