Wavecrest Computing released new versions of its employee Web-use management software products today. Wavecrest’s products, Cyfin and CyBlock, help businesses and government agencies around the world control Web usage in the workplace. The new versions offer marked improvements in reporting speed and accuracy. Customers will also experience enhanced product usability and effectiveness.
New Features
Cyfin 7.0 monitoring software and CyBlock 5.0 filtering software include a number of identical enhancements and new features. Included are:
"Wavecrest is making enterprise-level Web-use management accessible to any size organization, from smaller offices with a cable modem to complex corporate networks," says Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president of business development. "The new releases offer significant advantages in speed and accuracy for both small business users and enterprise clients."
Wavecrest's software is priced on a tiered, per-user basis making it the industry's best value in Web-use management software. Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. For data sheets or additional information, visit www.wavecrest.net.
About Wavecrest Computing
Since 1996, Wavecrest has provided its clients with reliable employee Web use management software to help them prevent Web abuse, minimize legal liability risks, optimize bandwidth usage and improve workforce productivity. Wavecrest software is installed in over 3,500 organizations worldwide including the US Department of Justice, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart, Volvo, General Electric, British Telecom, Edward Jones, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and many others. For more information, visit www.wavecrest.net.
For the Third year, the U.S. Department of Justice has selected Cyfin Reporter Internet monitoring software to help manage employee Web use. The DOJ's subscription, which covers up to 100,000 users, was purchased under the auspices of Wavecrest's ongoing GSA (Government Services Administration) contract in 2002.
Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president for business development said, "Cyfin's accuracy of data and scalability were critical to the DOJ, and we're very pleased they have implemented Cyfin so successfully."
Wavecrest Computing's Internet monitoring software is currently installed in over 3,000 businesses and government organizations worldwide and on every continent — except Antarctica.
Wavecrest is a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contractor. Read more about Wavecrest's government clients, click here.
Going to Tech Ed in Orlando ? We are too.
Visit us in Booth 1045. We’ll be happy to show you our advanced Web-use filtering and reporting products – designed for ISA support.
While you’re there, take part in our drawing and you could win a really neat Microsoft Xbox too.
Wavecrest Computing announces the release of CyBlock 4.2.2, advanced Web filtering software with support for Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server) 2004. CyBlock’s flexible Web-use management features enable customers to effectively control Web access and accurately monitor Web usage on ISA Server-based networks.
“IT administrators are more aware than ever of the risks of unrestricted employee Web access,” said Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development at Wavecrest Computing. “Together with ISA Server 2004, CyBlock offers customers a more comprehensive solution to the problem of Internet access control.”
CyBlock installs in minutes and can be quickly set up to support any size organization’s Acceptable Usage Policy requirements.
“CyBlock has for three years been a vital tool in our efforts to manage some 16,000 users’ behaviour on the Web,” said Jonas Sultan, Corporate Security Manager at AstraZeneca, Lund, Sweden. “Excellent functionality coupled with strong reporting capabilities has made our job much easier.”
Scalable to over 100,000 users, CyBlock features an optional XML database that allows administrators to generate user activity reports on large volumes of ISA Server Web logs in a matter of seconds. CyBlock also supports Microsoft Active Directory and LDAP directories, allowing users to import existing group and ID structures directly into the product.
“Customers are recognizing the value that Web-use management can bring to their overall network security and performance,” said Steve Brown, director of product management for the Security Business and Technology Unit at Microsoft Corp. “CyBlock complements ISA Server 2004 firewall, VPN and Web caching capabilities with Web-access control and improved reporting features in an easy-to-deploy, defense-in-depth solution. This helps ISA Server administrators more effectively and efficiently manage inbound and outbound activity on their networks.”
For a free, 30-day evaluation of CyBlock for ISA Server 2004, click here
Wavecrest Computing today released updates to its Cyfin and CyBlock Internet filtering and monitoring solutions, adding spyware blocking capability to its CyBlock Proxy 4.2.2 stand-alone filtering software. This release also includes minor updates to Wavecrest's other products: CyBlock for Microsoft ISA Server 4.2.2, Cyfin Reporter 6.2.2 and Cyfin Proxy 6.2.2.
The new spyware blocking feature in CyBlock Proxy 4.2.2 allows customers to block the types of files most often contain spyware or malicious code.
Spyware — software that tracks Web surfers' activity without their knowledge and sends the information back to a third party Web site — usually exploits vulnerabilities in ActiveX. This new feature allows administrators to better manage ActiveX vulnerabilities by selecting the file types they wish to block — preventing potentially dangerous files from ever reaching the users' computers.
Other types of content can also be filtered, including streaming media and Flash, giving administrators the ability to more effectively control bandwidth usage.
For complete release notes, visit Wavecrest's online forum at http://forum.wavecrest.net/.
The upgrades are free to current Wavecrest customers. To download the latest update for your product, click on the "Support" menu, above.
Wavecrest Computing announces the release of CyBlock 4.2.1 and Cyfin 6.2.1, with new options for administrators and added support for Microsoft ISA 2004. Product updates and technical enhancements include:
CyBlock ISA: Support for ISA 2004
CyBlock ISA 4.2.1 extends support for Microsoft ISA Server 2004. An enhanced filter design improves efficiency and stability for the end user.
CyBlock Proxy: New blocking features, reporting on login names
With the release of CyBlock Proxy 4.2.1, users now have the option to block and report on login names instead of IP Addresses (the default). A new "Blocking by File Extension" feature allows administrators to block potentially malicious content (for example, .vbs files) from reaching users computers.
Cyfin Reporter: Minor updates
Maintenance updates in Cyfin Reporter 6.2.1 improve report scheduling and processing speed.
Cyfin Proxy: Reporting on login names
With the release of Cyfin Proxy 6.2.1, users now have the option to report on login names instead of IP Addresses (the default). In addition, connections to most servers are now keep-alive enabled, allowing for faster proxying of connections.
For complete release notes, visit Wavecrest's online forum at http://forum.wavecrest.net/.
The upgrades are free to current Wavecrest customers. To download your update, click on the "Support" menu, above.
Cyfin 6.2.0 and CyBlock 4.2.0 are now available, featuring improved performance, security and usability - particularly for enterprise customers.
Speed
Browser interface speed has been increased by 25%, giving users faster page loads at every level of the product. In addition, Cyfin and CyBlock will support a high volume of simultaneous logins with no conflict between multiple connections.
Security
Cyfin 6.2.0 and CyBlock 4.2.0 are Wavecrest's most secure releases ever. At each installation, passwords are encrypted with a 56-bit encryption key for added security. If the application is left idle for more than 20 minutes, users will be logged out automatically to prevent unauthorized access.
Usability
New administrative features make it easier to create and run reports. Cyfin and CyBlock now remember report settings, retrieving previous settings the next time the user visits a report screen. "Select All / Deselect All" buttons have been added to all category selection pages, streamlining setup. In addition, administrators can now cancel any report in the job queue at any time.
For complete release notes, visit Wavecrest's online forum at http://forum.wavecrest.net/.
The upgrades are free to current Wavecrest customers. To download your update, click on the "Support" menu, above.
Cyfin 6.2.0 and CyBlock 4.2.0 are now available, with features that improve performance, security and usability - particularly for enterprise customers.
Speed
Browser interface speed has been increased by 25%, giving users faster page loads at every level of the product. In addition, Cyfin and CyBlock will support a high volume of simultaneous logins with no conflict between multiple connections.
Security
Cyfin 6.2.0 and CyBlock 4.2.0 are Wavecrest's most secure releases ever. At each installation, passwords are encrypted with a 56-bit encryption key for added security. If the application is left idle for more than 20 minutes, users will be logged out automatically to prevent unauthorized access.
Usability
New administrative features make it easier to create and run reports. Cyfin and CyBlock now remember report settings, retrieving previous settings the next time the user visits a report screen. "Select All / Deselect All" buttons have been added to all category selection pages, streamlining setup. In addition, administrators can now cancel any report in the job queue at any time.
For complete release notes, visit Wavecrest's online forum at http://forum.wavecrest.net/.
The upgrades are free to current Wavecrest customers. To download your update, click on the "Support" menu, above.
When the network administrator of one U.S. company ran a routine Web activity report on the firm's 250-plus users, he noticed employees logging thousands of hits a day to the same IP address - a Web site with no connection to the company's business.
A closer look found the trouble wasn't cyberslacking employees - it was spyware, software that tracks Web surfers' activity without their knowledge and sends the information back to a third party Web site automatically. Spyware can compromise security, consume bandwidth and slow networks to a crawl.
Spyware is a growing concern for network administrators mainly because it's so easy to get. Most casual at-work surfers never realize that simply by clicking on a Web site or downloading a free screensaver they could also be installing spyware on their office computer.
Software programs are available that sniff out spyware once it's been installed, but according to Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development at Wavecrest Computing, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
"There's no such thing as safe surfing anymore," McCabe warns. "It's important to protect your network against spyware before it becomes a problem. The best way to do that is by monitoring user Web activity in the workplace and if possible, blocking access to high-risk spyware sites, especially those offering free games or utilities."
Wavecrest's Cyfin monitoring software helped the company above spot unusual activity on their network early and address the problem before it got worse. Wavecrest's CyBlock filtering software goes even further by actually preventing users from accessing risky Web sites in the first place.
McCabe points out that while spyware is a front-page news today, unchecked surfing poses other serious risks as well.
"Misuse of the Internet can be very costly," McCabe says. "Companies can face lawsuits if employees access pornography in the workplace or download copyrighted material illegally on corporate networks. And then there's lost productivity - it's harder to quantify, but it is a significant drain on corporate resources."
Wavecrest Computing is setting the standard in Web use management software with the release this week of CyBlock 4.0 and Cyfin 6.0. Major advances include XML-enabled data processing, auto-administration tools and flexible network integration options.
Both products are now available in SA (stand-alone) editions designed to integrate easily in any network environment - even those without a proxy, firewall or caching appliance.
"Cyfin Proxy and CyBlock Proxy make enterprise-level Web-use management accessible to any size organization, from smaller offices with a cable modem to complex corporate networks," says Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president of business development. "The new releases offer big advantages in speed and performance for both small business users and enterprise clients."
CyBlock and Cyfin's XML option allows administrators to run detailed user activity reports on huge volumes of data in seconds - the fastest, most scalable Internet reporting tool in the industry.
New administrative tools - like the Logfile Manager, Job Queue and Groups and IDs Import features - manage many routine functions automatically.
Together, the new capabilities in CyBlock 4.0 and Cyfin 6.0 represent some of the most significant advances in Web-use monitoring software since Wavecrest introduced the industry's first categorized employee Internet reporter in 1996.
Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. Visit our support page for more information.
Wavecrest Computing announces the release of CyBlock ISA 4.0, a precision Web filtering and reporting solution optimized for Microsoft ISA Server. CyBlock ISA 4.0 features an IT administrator’s wish-list of options, including XML, automated administration tools and support for Microsoft Active Directory and LDAP.
With XML, CyBlock ISA’s reporting feature – already the industry’s most accurate - is faster and more robust than that of any competing solution. User activity reports that once took hours to generate now take seconds – even when running categorized URL reports on logfile data from over 100,000 users.
CyBlock ISA’s time-saving administrative tools monitor the product’s internal processes and manage many routine functions automatically, giving IT administrators freedom to focus on mission-critical network operations. New administrative features include:
Logfile Manager. Updates and displays the time stamp and status of currently configured log files automatically, for easy set-up and troubleshooting.
Job Queue. Allows administrators to schedule and monitor the progress of routine tasks like URL list updates, report creation and distribution.
Groups and IDs Import. Automatically imports groups and IDs from Microsoft AD or any LDAP-compliant directory server.
"CyBlock’s compatibility with ISA Server and SBS Premium make enterprise-level Web-use management accessible to any size organization," says Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president of business development. “CyBlock ISA offers big advantages in speed and performance for both small business users and enterprise clients alike."
CyBlock ISA 4.0 retains Wavecrest’s familiar manager-friendly features, including categorized user-activity reports and a reports-only browser interface that allows authorized managers outside IT to run ad-hoc or scheduled reports on their personnel as needed.
Wavecrest’s software is priced on a tiered, per-user basis making it the industry’s best value in Web-use management software. Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. For additional information, read about our CyBlock ISA software.
For the second year, the U.S. Department of Justice has selected Cyfin Reporter Internet monitoring software to help manage employee Web use. The DOJ's subscription, which covers up to 100,000 users, was purchased under the auspices of Wavecrest's ongoing GSA (Government Services Administration) contract in 2002.
Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president for business development said, "Cyfin's accuracy of data and scalability were critical to the DOJ, and we're very pleased they have implemented Cyfin so successfully."
Wavecrest Computing's Internet monitoring software is currently installed in over 3,000 businesses and government organizations worldwide and on every continent — except Antarctica.
Wavecrest is a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contractor. Read more about Wavecrest's government customers.
State and local governments can now save money, time and effort by purchasing Internet monitoring software through Wavecrest Computing's General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule contract.
The "cooperative purchasing" arrangement extends to state and local government agencies the same benefits federal agencies receive from IT contract holders approved by the GSA. These benefits include federal government discounts, pre-negotiated contract terms and conditions and the assurance that GSA-approved vendors are fully qualified. Participation in cooperative purchasing is voluntary for state and local governments.
Currently, Wavecrest is the only developer of Internet monitoring software that holds a GSA schedule contract.
For more information on purchasing Wavecrest software through the GSA, contact our sales team at sales@wavecrest.net or 321-953-5351, ext. 3.
Windows & .NET Magazine recognized Wavecrest's Cyfin Reporter and CyBlock Web Filter in its Summer 2003 "Get More from Windows" Annual Issue.
The article, "Extending ISA Server," highlighted third-party solutions that "enhance performance, ease monitoring and administration, and improve or add security features" to Microsoft's ISA Server.
Wavecrest's CyBlock works with ISA Server and MS Proxy Server, optimizing Web use management by allowing administrators to block employee access to unacceptable Web sites as well as monitor and report on Internet activity. Cyfin Reporter works with ISA and MS Proxy as well as with nearly all popular proxys and firewalls to accurately monitor Web activity and generate clear, categorized reports quickly and easily.
To learn more about Cyfin and CyBlock, visit our Products page.
Visitors to Wavecrest Computing's Web site (www.wavecrest.net) will notice a new look for the home page, expanded IT content and new "digital dashboard" product pages for Cyfin® Reporter and CyBlock Web Filter.
"The digital dashboard allows visitors to quickly access an enormous amount of product information from one screen," says Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development at Wavecrest. "Visitors will find downloads, product updates, FAQs, technical data and much more - without having to click through layers of Web pages."
A follow-up study to the American Management Association's annual survey on monitoring and surveillance reported that fears of legal liability related to "hostile workplace environment" concerns is the #1 reason companies track employee emails, computer files and Internet use. The study, conducted jointly with US News & World Report, revealed that 15% of the companies surveys have already "been involved in some kind of legal action concerning employee use of e-mail and/or Internet connections."
Significantly, the study reported that if a company is accused of wrongdoing, federal sentencing guidelines establish that fines can be reduced by as much as 95% if the company "has concrete internal programs to detect and prevent illegal acts" - such as an Internet-use policy and Web use management software. The report continued, "If these capabilities are not present, fines and penalties can be increased by up to 400%." (Source: Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Ithaca, Oct/Nov 2001)
Wavecrest Computing's Web use management software helps mitigate legal liability with flexible policy-support features that provide customized reports designed to automatically identify areas of non-compliance. For more on Cyfin® Reporter and CyBlock Web Filter, click here.
Wavecrest Computing has introduced a new browser interface for its Web use management software that allows secure access to Web activity reports more quickly and efficiently.
The browser interface makes it easier for authorized managers and HR representatives to request and receive secure, categorized reports on employee Internet use directly from their desktops - rather than from busy corporate IT departments.
The browser interface is included in both Cyfin Reporter v5.1.0 and CyBlock Web Filter v3.0.1, Wavecrest's combined Web filtering and reporting tool. Wavecrest's Web use management software captures and categorizes Internet, intranet and extranet activity, allowing managers to implement acceptable use policies (AUPs) that protect organizations from legal liability, preserve network bandwidth and improve workforce productivity.
"With the new browser interface, authorized personnel have fast, easy access to the reports they need," said Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development at Wavecrest. "Because they can request reports directly from Cyfin, IT departments no longer need to juggle multiple requests and generate reports on demand."
The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen Wavecrest Computing's Cyfin Reporter product as its Web monitoring software. The DOJ's subscription, which covers up to 100,000 "seats," was purchased under the auspices of Wavecrest's ongoing GSA (Government Services Administration) contract.
Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's Vice President for Business Development stated, "We're very pleased to add the Department of Justice to our list of clients. We began emphasizing sales to the government sector early last year and now have clients in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department as well as — now — the Department of Justice.
" We also have a number of state, local and foreign government customers. Our goal is to provide their managers with easily accessible, accurate, actionable information to help them administer Internet Usage policies and increase their agencies' overall productivity."
To read more about Wavecrest's government clients, click here.
On February 4, Wavecrest Computing launched a completely new and expanded Web site, replacing the one that has served it so well for the last four years. The new site reflects Wavecrest's evolution from a supplier of Web-access reporting software to a leading developer/provider of total Web-use management solutions and services. The company now provides integrated filtering, reporting and policy-support products as well as reporting-only software. In addition to product and service information, the new site provides interesting news articles, white papers and research results.
Wavecrest Computing announces the release of its latest Web-use management product, CyBlock™ Web Filter. Combining advanced Web-use reporting with customizable Web-access blocking capabilities, CyBlock is a complete policy management tool. Comprehensive and easy to use, it helps enterprises of all types and sizes improve performance, reduce costs and increase productivity by effectively managing their workforce's Web activity.
CyBlock's filtering capability allows administrators to block Web-access activity prohibited by your company's acceptable use policy, such as visits to pornographic Web sites, Web-based email accounts or non-work-related sites. In addition, CyBlock provides managers with accurate, comprehensive reports they can use to evaluate computer users' Web-access activity and take corrective actions if necessary.
CyBlock's filtering capability is flexible and robust. Block or allow access to one, some, or all of CyBlock's standard categories of Web sites and add up to 12 custom categories tailored to your organization's unique needs. These blocking actions can be applied uniformly (globally) to an entire organization, or they can be applied in specific ways to single users and/or specific workgroups.
Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president of business development, said, "CyBlock provides organizations with accurate, flexible tools to control and monitor employees' Web-access activity in highly effective ways-to optimize workforce performance, minimize Web-access abuse, reduce bandwidth costs, and minimize legal liability exposure."
GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE), the world's leading producer of large and small jet engines for commercial and military aircraft, has selected Wavecrest Computing's Cyfin Reporter software to help manage employee Web use for 25,000 users worldwide.
Cyfin Reporter is a policy-based Web-use management software designed to help companies ensure appropriate use of the Internet in the workplace. Cyfin directly supports organizations' acceptable Internet use policies, protecting them from legal liability, saving bandwidth costs and improving workforce productivity.
"Cyfin scalability makes it the ideal Web-use monitoring and reporting solution for global enterprises like GE Aircraft Engines," said Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president of business development. "In fact, Cyfin is able to effectively monitor and report on Web activity for up to 100,000 users."
For more information on Cyfin Reporter, click here.
With the beginning of football season just around the corner, fantasy football players are spending more time online looking up statistics and preparing their rosters for the start of the football season. Based on a recent study by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., “nearly 37 million people spend around 50 minutes a week managing their football fantasy teams at work.” Another survey by West Virginia Wesleyan College found that two-thirds of the 1200 fantasy participants surveyed “spent at least five hours per week managing their teams.”
Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. estimates that fantasy football is “costing businesses $1.1 billion a week.” They also rank it as one of the “biggest waste of productivity in the workplace” along with shopping on eBay, Inc. and playing online poker.
Wavecrest’s Cyfin and CyBlock software help organizations monitor employees’ web usage, helping improve productivity and preventing legal liability. Wavecrest's reports capture Web activity in up to 81 different content categories (like fantasy leagues, gambling, sports, and shopping), allowing managers and IT administrators to spot Web abuse or over-use quickly.
According to eweek.com, "80% of enterprise computers are infected with some kind of adware or spyware." Despite increased awareness of spyware's dangers, the problem continues to grow, with more than 300,000 Web sites distributing malicious software. Some of these will frustrate you with annoying popup advertisements. Others just might steal your identity.
For IT administrators, awareness of spyware is more important than ever. Wavecrest introduces 8 new categories for its Cyfin and CyBlock products, including the category of Spyware/Malicious.
Internet users now spend significantly less time each month reading email — and more time reading articles and watching videos, reports a new study from the Online Publishers Association and Neilsen NetRatings.
According to the survey, the average Web surfer now spends 4 hours and 41 minutes each month viewing media sites, up 48 minutes over last year. Time on email, however, has dropped by 1/2 hour each month, to 4 hours 52 minutes.
Wavecrest's CyBlock and Cyfin software help organizations monitor employees' Internet usage, helping improve productivity, conserve bandwidth, guard against spyware and prevent legal liability. Wavecrest's reports capture Web activity in up to 72 different content categories (like news, pornography, entertainment, sports and spyware), allowing managers and IT administrators to spot Web abuse or over-use quickly.
Spyware — software that tracks Web surfers' activity without their knowledge and sends the information back to a third party — is a growing concern for IT administrators. Users can download spyware just by surfing the Web, unwittingly compromising network security, draining bandwidth and slowing networks to a crawl.
While spyware activity is hidden to the user, in most cases, it's also undetectable by firewalls because spyware's outbound traffic is ignored by the firewall's inbound blocking capabilities. The good news is spyware is easily picked up by monitoring outbound Internet activity. Outbound activity trackers like Cyfin monitoring software and CyBlock filtering software can help identify spyware and give you tools to protect your network in the future.
Two recent surveys of holiday shoppers herald glad tidings for online retailers - but may set off alarm bells for corporate managers. According to separate surveys conducted by Jupiter Research and Deloitte, online holiday shopping this season is expected to increase by 18% over last year, with a third of shoppers admitting they plan to do their gift-buying while at work.
The Jupiter Research study reports retailers expect online holiday shoppers to boost Internet sales to $17 billion this year - a 21% jump over 2002. What's more, 40% of the Web users Jupiter surveyed say they plan to do "some or all" of their holiday shopping online.
Where are these holiday shoppers doing most of their browsing? At work. Results of Deloitte's 18th annual Holiday Survey revealed more than a third of online shoppers plan to do their holiday gift shopping from the office.
How do businesses manage employee Web use during the holidays?
"At-work Web-use typically spikes during the holidays," says Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development for Wavecrest Computing, a Melbourne, Fla.-based Internet monitoring software company. "The businesses that manage Web use well let their employees know what their policy is on personal Web use at work, so everyone knows what is and is not considered acceptable online activity."
McCabe says a clear acceptable use policy allows employers to be flexible without costing their business hours of lost productivity due to employee abuse of online privileges.
McCabe adds, "If you have a clear policy and a good monitoring tool in place, you can manage employee Web use during the holidays without turning into a Grinch."
By the end of the year, the US economy will lose approximately 10 billion hours in productive workplace time — an estimated $250 billion dollars in lost wage expenses, reports Internet Policy Consulting.
"The 10 billion lost work hours is the equivalent to 5 million office workers being paid to Web surf for an entire year," I-Policy said today.
The firm based their estimate on publicly available data from Computerworld, Nielsen/Net Rating, comSource Media Metrix, a UCLA study and their own research. I-Policy Consulting helps business and government clients understand, manage and control their Total Cost of Internet.
Now for the good news: employers can limit at-work surfing easily and effectively without unplugging the workforce from the Internet.
Cyfin Reporter and CyBlock Web Filter Internet monitoring software from Wavecrest Computing allow organizations reduce at-work surfing and curtail productivity losses.
For more on how Cyfin and CyBlock can help you monitor employee Internet activity, click here.
Source: I-Policy Consulting, October 6, 2003.
Last month the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) announced it would file lawsuits against hundreds of people who downloaded digital music files — and if the files are downloaded at work, it's the company that pays.
According to Human Resource Executive magazine, copyright infringement penalties can cost a company up to $150,000 per work, "be it a music file or software." One company, Integrated Information Systems of Tempe, Ariz., entered into a $1 million settlement with the RIAA for allegedly allowing employees to download music files.
"A computer and Internet monitoring system can help companies spot illegal downloads before litigation takes place, or at least lower the cost of a judgment," the article continued.
Cyfin Reporter and CyBlock Web Filter from Wavecrest Computing allow companies to monitor employee Web activity and spot file downloads like MP3 music or MPG files. These are automatically categorized as "downloads" by Wavecrest's software, allowing employers to quickly identify downloaders and take action to remove the files from their networks immediately.
For more on how Cyfin and CyBlock can help monitoring employee Internet activity, click here.
Source: Human Resource Executive, October 2, 2003.
Despite the many benefits of workplace Internet access, managers are justifiably concerned about inappropriate Web surfing's effect on productivity. Certainly some workers waste company time and increase the risk of legal liability by surfing pornography and gambling sites, but there are other more "socially acceptable" types of sites that can gobble up productive time as well. Classic examples are shopping and hobbies.
A recent article posted on CNET News.com stated, "In a study of online behavior from September to October 2002, 43% of people take time from their day job to shop online, according to America Online and research group RoperASW."
High speed Internet service at many workplaces makes surfing a more convenient and pleasant experience, and busy people often surf their favorite shopping sites at work, i.e., already sitting at a computer. Many employees routinely purchase gifts, clothing and sporting goods from online merchants, and shopping during the workday seems like an efficient way to accomplish errands.
Another increasingly popular trend: wedding sites. Today's busy brides don't have time to run around town in search of gowns, flowers, and invitations - they can now do it all online. From hiring caterers and photographers to ordering cakes and purchasing honeymoon tickets, online wedding sites are big business - and these transactions often occur during the workday.
Hobby sites are also attracting lots of workplace surfers. Some very popular sites feature activities like martial arts and paintball, and crafts such as quilting, jewelry-making, and rubber-stamping. Many of these sites include discussion forums in addition to providing for online product sales.
What's the bottom line? Employees browsing shopping and hobby sites may or may not be a problem, depending on company culture and policy, but it's certainly a popular and increasing trend worth keeping an eye on.
TechWeb News reports that the music and movie business is threatening to hold Fortune 1000 companies accountable for employees who use office computers to download and fileshare copyrighted material.
In a brochure distributed jointly by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the groups warn companies they could face legal action for allowing employees to copy music or movie files to the corporate network.
The brochure states, "When you or your employees put music or any other copyrighted material on your computers without permission from the copyright owner, it's not 'sharing' or 'fair use.' It is copyright theft."
In many organizations, employee Web-use management is considered solely an IT-security issue. Not so. It's a people issue. Admittedly, Web-use management deals in part with access control—a term that evokes images of authentication, user IDs, and passwords. But while important, these are just ancillary issues when it comes to Web-use management. Employee Web-use management is the art and science of optimizing a workforce's use of Web access. The goal is to maximize employee productivity and preclude any "hostile workplace" situations.
The real issue is how access to Web sites is being used. And that's a human behavior question—and a complex one at that. The way in which employees surf the Web is driven by motivation and attitudes, management direction, organizational policy, organizational culture, and human nature itself. And it affects productivity, profitability, costs and morale. These issues are far too serious to be looked at as "security" questions. They deserve the attention of management, HR and IT professionals at all levels.
Mention the words "Internet monitoring," in a managers' meeting, and you're likely to start a debate. Some will argue monitoring Web use is essential to effective business management, while others say it's an invasion of privacy and harmful to morale. There is, however, common ground. A sound policy-based Web-use management approach can provide effective managerial control without generating negative side effects, including damage to workforce morale.
There are two keys to effective policy-based Web-use management. The first is a clear, comprehensive, well-communicated Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). The second is a robust Web-access reporting and filtering software package. People work best—and their morale is higher—when they understand clearly what they can and what they shouldn't do; a clearly stated, well-communicated policy can meet this need. And managers work best—and are more effective—when they're given the proper tools; a well-designed software program that provides precise reporting and flexible filtering can meet that need.
This article was excerpted from Wavecrest's white paper, "Policy-Based Approaches to Internet Monitoring in the Workplace." To view the entire paper, click here.
Online gambling is more popular than ever, and a new report by Jupiter Media Metrix states that 33 percent of online gamblers visit casino sites while at work.
Are increased ads pumping up gambling sites? You bet they are! Apparently, increased advertising is paying off. According to WSRN.com (Wall Street Research Net), online advertising by virtual casinos has increased 170 percent between December 2000 and December 2001. While they previously advertised mainly on gambling-related sites, virtual casinos now do 39% of their advertising on mainstream portals.
Could your employees be breaking a law when they place an online bet? The legislature is currently debating this issue.
Sources
The legal issue: http://exn.ca/Stories/1998/08/13/56.asp
The advertising issue: http://www.wsrn.com (Article link is no longer available)
Online gambling in the news:http://www.msnbc.com/news/ROULETTE_Front.asp
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