info@edutechcomputer.com
Toll Free (866) 520-8324
|
 |
- Inadequate
protection, poor performance, installation headaches and limited
capabilities are just a few of the reasons why you should choose your
Internet filtering option carefully. The following is a comparison of some
of the pluses and minuses associated with each of the various approaches
to Internet filtering. While products in every category offer some form of
filtering protection, the best solution for you will depend on your
specific environment and needs.
-
This category includes hardware devices
specifically designed for Internet access monitoring and control. Example:
 | iPrism from
EduTech Computer Services |
Pluses
| Easiest solution to implement, since it's
a standalone solution that can be dropped into the network without
impacting existing servers or other network resources. |
| A dedicated device designed specifically
for Internet monitoring and filtering, offering the highest performance
and scalability of all solutions. |
| Better total cost of ownership (TCO) than
with network software or browser-based solutions. |
| Very compact. |
| Single point of contact for service and
support. |
| Truly plug & play, totally transparent to
the network and to users. |
| No requirement to modify individual
desktop browsers to provide safe Internet access. |
| Offers URL-based filtering for maximum
control and flexibility. |
| Offers filtering by user and time of day.
|
| Not only very compact but rack mountable.
|
| Free of moving parts, disk drives, tape
drives, video adapters or other high failure items and so is inherently
more reliable than turnkey filtering solutions. |
| Can monitor and report in addition to or
instead of filtering
Internet access. |
| Offers protection for Internet
services
beyond just Web filtering including streaming audio, streaming video and
FTP. |
| Database and software updates are securely
and automatically applied without need for user or administrator
intervention. |
| Offers optional user authentication and
override capabilities. |
| Database and software updates are offered
as a subscription service. |
Minuses
| Upfront costs may be higher than
software-only solutions. |
| May not be the most cost effective
solution for very small businesses, schools or organizations. |
| Fixed configuration, cannot add
third-party hardware or software components. |
| Demo software not available (however, with
iPrism 30-day full product evaluation units are available). |
Back to Top
This category includes solutions where server
hardware is bundled with pre-configured filtering software. Example:
| Bess by N2H2 |
Pluses
| Easier installation than software-only or
browser-based solutions, although not as easy as dedicated filtering
appliances. |
| Better total cost of ownership (TCO) than
with software or browser-based solutions. |
| May be a more scalable and
higher-performance solution than software-only solutions, not as much as
dedicated filtering appliances. |
| Single point of contact for service and
support. |
Minuses
| Upfront costs may be higher than
software-only solutions. |
| May not be appropriate for very small
businesses, schools and organizations. |
| Requires more initial setup effort and
expense than filtering appliances. |
| Uses general purpose OS and "built to
order" hardware, less reliable than filtering appliances. |
| More difficult to support than filtering
appliances. |
| Larger physical size than filtering
appliance approach, may not be rack mountable. |
| Performance and scalability less than
dedicated filtering appliances, which have been designed and optimized for
the task at hand. |
| Some solutions may require modification of
each desktop browser's proxy setting to provide safe Internet access (this
is the case with Bess). |
Back to Top
This category includes software that works on
NT or Unix operating system platforms, or as a plug-in for proxy server
software offerings. Examples:
| WebSENSE Proxy Server (standalone on
NT) and WebSENSE for Microsoft Proxy Server by WebSENSE
|
| I-Gear for NT or Solaris by
URLabs (now Symantec) |
| Cyber Patrol for Microsoft Proxy Server
by The Learning Company |
| Internet Manager by Elron
Software |
Pluses
| May be able to use existing server
hardware |
| There may be less upfront costs than with
a hardware solution. |
| It may be possible to download and test. |
Minuses
| Implementation work and associated issues:
installation, testing, compatibility, downtime and staff work associated
with the previous - not transparent to network or operations staff.
|
| Utilizes server resources: CPU cycles,
memory and hard disk. |
| Typically lower performance and less
scalable than dedicated filtering appliance and turnkey filtering server
solutions. |
| Potential reliability issues, OS and proxy
must be properly configured and optimized for best performance.
|
| More difficult to support. Since hardware
support is not provided by filtering vendor, multiple vendors are required
for problem resolution. |
| Vendor must have system administration
level access in order to access the server directly to support, thus
potentially compromising network security. |
| Configuration dependency based on proxy
type and version. |
| Upgrades to OS and proxy may impact
usability of filtering. |
| Some solutions may require modification of
individual desktop browsers to provide safe Internet access. |
Back to Top
This category includes Windows software, Mac and browser plug-ins that
add Web filtering capabilities to a desktop PC. Examples:
| CyberPatrol for WIndows and Mac by
The Learning Company |
| Net Nanny by Net Nanny Software
International |
Pluses
| For organizations with very small numbers
of users, it can be a cost effective solution. |
| Perceived as simple solution. |
| Easy to test - just download install and
go. |
Minuses
| Necessary to load client software on a lot
of PCs in company or school environments, time consuming for
administrators, intrusive to users. |
| Can be relatively easy for workers and
kids to circumvent protection. |
| Many use keyword filtering techniques that
are unreliable. |
| Can use lots of memory and processor
resources on client PC. |
| Updates must applied manually each PC.
|
| Client software may not work on all PCs in
the network. |
Back to Top
This category includes Web sites from which kids are directed only to
other Web sites that are known to be child safe. Examples:
| Yahooligans! by Yahoo
|
| Searchopolis by N2H2 |
Pluses
| They are free. |
| Nothing to install, just link to the site
and begin searching or surfing. |
Minuses
| By themselves, these tools are easy to
circumvent. Only when used in conjunction with other Internet access
control systems, can they be a good solution. |
| Because they are basically "allow lists",
they can be overly restrictive as to where kids can go for information.
|
| Cannot be configured -- one size fits all
approach. |
Back to Top
This category includes Internet service
providers that offer Web filtering as a service on either a free or fee
basis. Examples:
| This.com ISP |
| Good News Internet Services ISP |
Pluses
| Depending on the ISP, there may be nothing
to install or do to get filtering protection. |
| The filtering service may be free (or
embedded in the access price) or low cost. |
Minuses
| This approach is really targeted at home
users and will not be a viable solution for most businesses and schools.
|
| Would require you to change ISPs (unless
your existing ISP was one). |
| Since there aren't that many safe ISPs
around yet, you may not be able to find one near by. |
| No control over site filter lists.
|
| ISP may not use a very good filtering
solution, and therefore not offer the protection needed. |
| May require changing browsers or changing
browser settings. |
Back to Top
Filtering services that can be added on to
firewalls or other network devices. Examples:
| WebSENSE for CheckPoint FireWall-1
by WebSENSE |
| WebNOT for Raptor Firewall by
Raptor |
Pluses
| Can use existing network hardware.
|
| There may be less upfront costs than with
a dedicated filtering appliance and turnkey filtering server solutions. |
Minuses
| Firewalls typically not optimized for
large Web site database lookups. |
| Disk and memory resources typically
limited, not scalable to keep up with rapid growth in number of Internet
sites. |
| Using third party application add-on may
impact security of firewall. |
| Must be very careful with configuration
changes so as not to impact firewall security. |
| Implementation work and associated issues:
installation, testing, compatibility, downtime and staff work associated
with the previous - not transparent to network or operations staff.
|
| Utilizes device resources: CPU cycles,
memory and hard disk. |
| Tends to be lower performance and less
scalable than dedicated filtering appliance. |
Back to Top
Of the seven product categories, only four -
Dedicated Filtering Appliances, Turnkey Filtering Servers, Server Software
and Add-ons to Firewalls - are really appropriate for multi-user
environments where centralized configuration and control are needed. Of
these, only two categories, Dedicated Filtering Appliances and Turnkey
Filtering Servers can be transparently installed without risk of downtime or
long-term impact on existing network resources. And finally, only one
category, Dedicated Filtering Appliances, offers the "designed in" high
performance, scalability and reliability that businesses and schools desire.
The iPrismTM
filtering appliance is unique in the market. It was designed from the bottom
up as a filtering device and precisely enforces Internet access policies
using URLs instead of the less accurate keyword or IP address only
approaches. It can also block productivity sapping services
other's ignore, such as IRC and ICQ, plus bandwidth draining services such
as streaming audio, streaming video and FTP. iPrism offers true plug-&-play
installation requiring no modifications to browsers, network hardware or
software. And only iPrism comes with EduTech Computer Services' power and
proven Web automatic filtering service, making the Internet the safest and
most productive environment possible.
|
 |
 Request a 2 week evaluation
unit at no cost to you. Plug the iPrism into to your network and in
minutes you can explore its features and user friendly interface.
Click here to request an
evaluation unit.
|
