News
LANCOM prevents misuse of Internet access
June 2010 by Marc Jacob
Several LANCOM VPN router models, LANCOM’s VPN central-site gateways and the LANCOM WLAN controllers can now be upgraded to provide flexible control over Internet access by means of the new LANCOM Content Filter Option. This intelligent high-end solution uses a database-supported web filtering technology that works with profiles to control access rights and that also offers practical functions such as overrides. A system requirement for operating the content filter on the LANCOM devices is LCOS 8.0, the operating system available for free download from LANCOM.
Private surfing while at work costs the economy billions. And yet if companies wish to prevent their employees from visiting online shops or file-sharing networks, conducting illegal activities, or exposing the company network to computer virus from download sites, then they face a dilemma: Static blocking of Internet access by keyword often causes harmless sites to be blocked, which can lead to significant disruption of work for a number of departments, such as the personnel department.
Intelligent database-supported access control by URL checks
When integrated into LANCOM products, this databank-supported web filtering technology provides intelligent, flexible control over Internet access through LANCOM routers, gateways and WLAN controllers. The requested URL is checked against a range of categories, including dating, online games, erotic, etc. Depending on the configuration, the page can be displayed or blocked.
The content filter is controlled by a completely flexible configuration. URLs of certain categories can be completely blocked or allowed, or combinations of both are possible. An example: Even though the category "News" is blocked, it remains possible to access cnn.com. Attempting to access a prohibited web site would cause a blocking page to be displayed.
A special feature of the LANCOM Content Filter: Users are offered the option of accessing certain categories with an override. If the administrator has enabled overrides for certain categories, then it remains possible to view blocked pages, for example when the personnel department needs to visit a job-exchange website. Overrides can be set according to category or URL. Overrides are logged and, if required, an alert can be e-mailed to the administrator.
The Content filter can also be configured according to the time of day. For example, visits to online shopping sites during the lunch hour or outside of office hours can be allowed. Rounding off the product is an extensive range of statistical functions.
As a feature of LCOS, this highly integrated solution from LANCOM provides secure Internet access with built-in access control.
