How To Block Internet Usage

Today not just parents but also companies and organizations are becoming aware of the dangers involved with surfing the web. Certainly many parents and companies are now looking at ways to block internet usage in order to prevent people gaining access to those sites that they deem to be in appropriate.

Using such a thing as a browse control can allow a person to either block the internet completely or only allow a person access to certain sites as well as only allowing access at certain times of the day. The great thing about using this particular form of control for blocking a person's use of the internet within a business environment is that it can be controlled locally through the departmental manager and so reducing the burdens being placed on the businesses IT staff.

Most programs that are now used to help block internet usage including the following options:-

1. Complete blocking of all access to the internet. 2. Internet access to be allowed only at certain times during the week. Plus it can be carried out on each PC separately or for the PC's within a particular department. 3. They will come with a timer feature which then allows the user to only have access to the internet for a certain amount of time each day before it access is discontinued. 4. Provides a feature that allows the user to select those sites which people are allowed access to and those which they can not. These are often more commonly referred to as a "Whitelist" (access allowed) or "Blacklist" (access denied). 5. If they user wants they can choose to elect which things on the internet are restricted and which are not.

Certainly when it comes to choosing the right kind of package for helping to block internet usage there are certain features that you should consider including.

1. Recording and Screen Grabs This is an essential feature if as a business you want to prove that a member of your staff has been using the internet inappropriately. There are products now available which can log and then record every key stroke, instant message, email sent or website visit made by each person within the company.

2. Anonymous Monitoring This is a feature that some companies are now using if the members of staff who have been warned about incorrect internet usage do not heed the warnings given to them. Often employees will not know that they are being blocked discreetly as the employer can use a 404 error screen as their way of blocking and monitoring what a particular employee is doing without them becoming suspicious.

3. Scheduled Blackouts By looking for a program that allows scheduled blackouts of internet usage this will then allow employees to view certain sites that the company deems to be suitable at certain times of the day? By using this kind of program to block internet usage then productivity levels will remain high as employees will have less chance of being able to surf the net which is not work related at those times when they are meant to be working.