GFI WebMonitor 2013 brings web filtering to off-network laptops

GFI Software announced GFI WebMonitor 2013, the latest version of the company’s Web security and filtering solution targeted at SMBs.

This new version enables IT managers to deploy a roaming Web filtering agent on laptop and notebook devices. With this new agent, businesses can extend corporate browsing policies to company assets running outside of the corporate network and provide continuous filtering protection whether employees are in-house or on-the-go.

SMBs have long used Web filtering solutions, like GFI WebMonitor, to prevent the productivity, bandwidth and security issues associated with Web browsing in the workplace. But, with telecommuting on the rise and more companies giving employees laptops and notebooks to access corporate resources remotely, IT managers have lost visibility into browsing activity on work-issued devices – posing legal liabilities for the company, among other risks.

To help businesses overcome this challenge, GFI WebMonitor’s new roaming agent extends corporate browsing policies and filtering protection to laptops and notebooks running outside of the corporate network – and does so without compromising connectivity speeds.

With this feature in place, IT managers can trust that road warriors, remote employees and workers who take their devices home at night are held to the same Internet usage policies that in-house employees follow. This capability is also beneficial for small businesses that use laptops and notebooks as their primary computing devices.

For maximum flexibility, GFI WebMonitor’s roaming Web filtering agent enables IT managers to create and apply different filtering policies depending on a device’s location. For example, streaming media may be allowed once a device leaves the corporate network, but specific categories of websites, such as gambling and adult sites, remain inaccessible. Additionally, GFI WebMonitor is now able to log Web access activity occurring outside of the corporate network in addition to in-house activity and provide full reporting capabilities regardless of a user’s location.

“The line defining the amount of control IT managers can have over users’ activity on work-issued devices is always blurred,” said David Attard, product manager, GFI Software. “A balance needs to be struck, as implementing too many browsing regulations can make employees unhappy and impede productivity. Yet, without enough controls in place businesses open themselves up to a variety of legal and security risks. GFI WebMonitor’s new roaming agent provides IT with the best of both worlds. They can give employees the freedom to use the Internet as they wish, while putting access controls in place to prevent them from visiting websites that could cause malware infections or legal liabilities. In other words, they can sleep well at night knowing their employees – and their business – are well-protected.”