Use a Cloud Web Filter to improve the efficiency of your Organization

1. How can cloud web filtering solutions help you protect your organization and make it more efficient

Cloud based web filtering is quickly becoming a best practice in the protection of internet users from cyberthreats. This post explains what cloud based content filtering is and how it helps navigate safely and protect companies, institutions, households and remote workers/students from internet-related threats.  

2. What is web filter in cloud?

The internet has become part of our daily personal and professional lives. While its use has grown exponentially, so has the number of threats users face everyday surfing among websites and webpages. Cloud internet security is an efficient tool to make the internet experience safer: it protects users from being exposed to illegal, inappropriate and unsavoury content. 

FlashStart has been active in cloud based web content filtering since 2003. Almost twenty years of experience have made it a reliable yet flexible tool in the realm of cloud internet security. Dealers can choose the option that best fits their needs to provide cloud based content and malware filter to their customers and ensure them a clean and safe internet experience.

3.How does cloud based web security work?

Cloud web security is completely online based: there is no need to purchase new hardware, neither do users have to download and install complex and weighty softwares. A simple router’s connection and/or an end-point synchronization is enough to immediately start safe surfing. The Flashstart’s Cloud dns filtering is fully cloud based and it  acts as a checkpoint that remains active throughout the navigation in order to detect inappropriate web content and block the user from accessing it.

 


HAVE to KNOW

since Cloud web filtering is based on safe DNS servers, it is important to pay attention to service continuity and failover when choosing a global service.For this reason FlashStart’s secure DNSs are spread geographically around the globe and they are capable of offering a very low latency response time thanks to their location inside the main global internet exchange sites.


 

The Flashstart’s anycast based network ensures a total redundancy in case a specific server would be offline or under a ddos attack, a growing and common danger for worldwide services.

FlashStart’s secure primary and secondary DNS servers are located in different sites in order to guarantee an additional level of security and responsiveness in every condition and situation! 

When a user tries to connect to a website, his DNS resolution request is sent to the cloud. The web filter cloud includes a categorization list of all the internet content that the user cannot access. Such content is defined on the basis of constantly-updated blacklists and country-specific regulations. On top of these, the company or institution that provides the internet connection can add specific content whose access it wishes to block.

More than 90 blacklists are available and grouped into 12 macro-categories. Besides blocking and allowing a specific category, it’s also possible to schedule blocking based upon a hourly and daily planning (for example, a Company would like to block social networks during working hours and unlock that category during lunch time).

Cloud based content filtering can be applied at domain-level or subdomain-level (ex. site.com or thirdlevel.site.com). FlashStart supports both options, allowing companies to implement a cloud web filtering solution fully tailored on their targets and necessities.

The “Geo-blocking” option completes the Security settings by offering the opportunity to block DNS resolution to specific, and dangerous, countries where a high number of infected servers might reside.

This is the correct architecture for a great cloud DNS service!


>> Start your » Free Trial now!       


Technology trust is a good thing, but control is a better one.”

Stéphane Nappo, Vice President at Groupe SEB.

4. Who should use cloud-based web filtering?

Cloud based web filtering is the ideal solution for a variety of users: given its flexibility, it is easily adaptable to satisfy the needs of companies and institutions in a wide range of sectors. FlashStart allows you to set up the web filter cloud through a few and easy steps. You can book a demo straight away to better understand its advantages. Our staff will assist you via video with any issues you may encounter.   

Companies

Being connected is now more than ever a top priority: companies are becoming more and more distributed and they need to reach their workforce, customers and new potential business partners no matter where they are located. 

Cloud web security allows companies to:

» Protect their employees wherever they are – at home, in the office or in a coffee shop: FlashStart start products are deployable as end-point application and/or network router based control. Check out how it works now! 

» Improve the productivity of employees by restricting access to certain content: instruct the web filter cloud to block access to websites that could distract employees (e.g. social media or dating websites)

» Allow your company to work safely with almost no slowdown in internet activity: cloud content filtering uses algorithms that quickly detect and block dangerous content. Users will seldom notice any slowdowns. 

“The human factor is the easiest way to attack a system. According to some studies, almost 90% of Cyber Attacks are Caused by Human Error or Behavior”.

From: https://cyberstartupobservatory.com/cybersecurity-stephane-nappo/

Schools and universities

Online solutions in the educational sector are becoming an essential tool to enhance the learning experience but young learners are an easy target for cybercriminals. A cloud based web filter:

» Protects students against cyberbullying, hackers and scammers

» Protects students and institutions from legal risks connected to illegal goods available on the web (e.g. piracy tools)

» Guarantees home-based students the same level of protection they could enjoy within the school: FlashStart cloud content filtering can be deployed both at the level of WiFi network and on the single, personal device through the Client-Shield app. 


No matter what device and operating system your students work with, FlashStart cloud web filtering solutions will protect them! Check out prices for schools and educational institutions!


Governments

Governments and public institutions are often the target of cybercriminals since their databases host huge amounts of information. Cloud based web content filtering lowers the risks associated with online activities: 

» It permits to deal with citizens and stakeholders safely: cloud web filtering creates a trustworthy environment for public administrations to communicate and exchange documents with all interested individuals

» It promotes better work practices: organisations can set the cloud web filter so as to forbid employees from accessing distracting websites and applications at a specific time, thus boosting efficiency in the workplace

» It makes legal compliance easier: cloud based content filtering respects country-specific blacklists and personal privacy standards. 

FlashStart is completely made in Italy, therefore the GDPR – European Union personal privacy standard – is fully integrated in its cloud based web content filtering tool. Other specific local privacy requirements can be easily added. Dealers can enquire about country-specific requirements with our 24/7 support centre

5. Cloud web filtering and Covid-19

Covid-19 hasn’t stopped globalisation. To the contrary, it has brought it even more within our houses: working from home, learning from home, shopping from home. Thanks to the internet connection, our house has become the centre of our daily activities. Hence, the need to protect it from external threats. Cloud internet security is the ideal choice also in this case. 

Applying a cloud based web filter is the easy and fast way to protect households. The cloud web filtering solution suits all family members: 

» It guarantees that children and teenagers will not be exposed to inappropriate content: since the cloud web filter is difficult to disable, parental control will be much easier to strengthen

» It allows adults to work safely and efficiently: distracting content is automatically blocked with almost no additional need for power consumption. FlashStart offers a complete Work From Home cloud web security solution supplied as part of the FlashStartPro+ license.  

» Once it is set, you can easily forget about it since the cloud based web filter will automatically work on all connected devices. 

Covid-19 also represents a huge challenge for network Admins who have to protect remote worker’s PCs and Notebook to keep off-site security efficient and synchronized with company’s policies.

During the pandemic hera, FlashStart has released ClientShield, the ideal addon to “bring security at home” and keep internet surfing policies fully aligned with company’s safety strategies.

A similar working model is available for School’s IT managers, committed to extend School’s pupil protection to home schooling, too.

Always attentive to developments in the industry and continuously checking for new threats, FlashStart pays special attention to Covid-19 related fraud sites. Its cloud based web filtering tools are constantly updated. Start your free trial today on any device! 

6. Information is key

Knowing the threats faced by your system and users is the first step in tackling them. The FlashStart cloud-based web filtering system includes a reporting tool with 18 standard reports that allow users to check what sort of malware, dangerous requests and risky content the cloud web filter has blocked over the past 6 months. All this is achieved granting respect for the privacy of end users. 

If you would like to know more about cloud based web security and the FlashStart tools, contact us! Our support staff is available 24/7 and can assist you via video in English, Italian and Spanish.

 


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