Wavecrest Computing — Internet Filtering and Reporting Products

Media Archive

Wavecrest's media archive includes a complete library of corporate press releases, published articles and contact information to assist you in your research.

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Press Release Archive

11.18.08 | U.S. Department of Justice Monitors Web Use with Cyfin Reporter

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently renewed Cyfin Reporter for the seventh consecutive year. Cyfin Reporter enables the DOJ to monitor up to 100,000 employees' Web usage simultaneously. The Department continues to use Cyfin Reporter because of its robust performance, accuracy and scalability and the many benefits it provides, i.e., improved productivity and decreases in bandwidth consumption, legal liability and security threats.

It's important for employers to ensure that their employees are using the Internet in a productive manner and are not accessing sites that hurt productivity or degrade network performance. Cyfin Reporter helps organizations do this by providing actionable and accurate employee Web-use reports. Its features include automatic abuse detection, interactive drill-down, and a report scheduler that runs and distributes reports automatically.

Dennis McCabe, Vice President of Business Development at Wavecrest Computing, states, "the great thing about Cyfin Reporter is that it not only allows organizations to monitor 'bad' sites, but it also allows them to monitor those sites that employees should be utilizing on a regular basis, e.g., the company's Web site or intranet." This is what makes Cyfin Reporter a truly effective tool for managing Web use.

For 12 years, Wavecrest Computing has been providing Internet filtering and monitoring solutions to business, government, and educational organizations worldwide. Wavecrest's customer base includes well-known names such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Procter and Gamble, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, Bridgestone, Mazda and many others. Government agencies and educational institutions can purchase Wavecrest products through GSA's Federal Supply Schedule at a substantial discount.

11.03.08 | New Releases: CyBlock 5.9.1 and Cyfin 7.9.1

Wavecrest Computing released a new hardware filtering product, CyBlock Appliance. Its features include:

Blocking Protocols. Applications and protocols can be blocked and are grouped together according to their purpose. Protocols that can be blocked include IM, P2P, streaming and more.
Protocol Monitor. A new Protocol Monitor is available. View users being allowed and blocked to particular applications and protocols, i.e., IM, P2P, email and more.
Logging Configuration. There are separate logging configurations for Web and protocol traffic. Either can be enabled or disabled.

New versions of Wavecrest Computing's CyBlock and Cyfin filtering and monitoring software were also released today. Below are a list of corrections made.

Correction - Scheduled Reports. This release corrects an issue that occurred with scheduled reports in the previous releases. The addition of a new report in the last release caused a change in the order of reports, which made incorrect scheduled reports run.
Correction - Linux Secure Browser. This release corrects an issue with using the browser interface securely (HTTPS) on the Linux operating system. (Cyfin Reporter Only)
Modification - Web Monitor. The "Real Time Monitor" report name has been changed to "Web Monitor", to more accurately describe what this feature does. Its functionallity and location remain unchanged. (Proxy Products Only)
Enhancement - Groups and IDs 'Find' option. This release contains the ability to search for a user that has a fullname with parentheses.

New prospects can download a free 30-day trial of any Wavecrest software product. View all products.

If you are interested in getting more information on our new product, the CyBlock Appliance, please fill out this More Info Form.

Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. Visit Wavecrest's Support Center for access to the most recent upgrades.

10.21.08 | Department of Veterans Affairs Chooses Cyfin Reporter as Its Internet Monitoring Solution

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently purchased Wavecrest Computing's Internet monitoring software, Cyfin Reporter, to manage employee Web use. The VA selected Cyfin Reporter because it provides accurate reports, requires minimal administration, and easily adapts to changes in the network environment.

With flexible monitoring and reporting capabilities, Cyfin Reporter gives management a clear view into employees' Web activity. Its reports offer high and low-level content-categorized reports covering the activity of a single user, a specific department or the entire organization.

Cyfin Reporter's accurate Web-use reports distinguish it from the competition. It differentiates a user's specific click actions from automatically downloaded hits (banners, ads, audio, etc.) that can distort measurements of users' online activity. Dennis McCabe, VP of Business Development at Wavecrest Computing, said that when developing Cyfin Reporter, "providing accurate and actionable data that organizations could rely on was a top priority for Wavecrest."

Cyfin's benefits don't stop at accuracy. It is compatible with a wide range of networks and 95 different logfile formats. It supports multiple logfile formats and locations within a single network and can easily adapt to changes and read new devices placed into the network infrastructure. This means that Cyfin's Web-use reports are always in the same format regardless of the configured logfile types. The majority of its features can also be automated, thus decreasing the amount of time IT spends on Web-use management.

Cyfin Reporter's flexibility--along with its intuitive report design and automatic abuse detection--makes it very easy to administer. These same features make it easy for managers to quickly spot problem areas related to network security, legal liability, and workforce productivity.

Wavecrest Computing has been providing Internet monitoring and filtering solutions to business, government, and educational organizations worldwide since 1996. Their monitoring and filtering software products--known for accuracy, usability, scalability and cost-effectiveness--are found in more than 3,500 commercial and government organizations of all types and sizes. Wavecrest's customer base includes well-known names such as Procter and Gamble, U.S. Department of Justice, BMW, Bayer, Pepsi Cola, HP, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, U.S. Coast Guard, IBM and many others. Government and education organizations can purchase Wavecrest software through the company's GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contract (#GS35F0212L).

08.29.08 | New Minor Releases: CyBlock 5.9.0 and Cyfin 7.9.0

New versions of Wavecrest Computing's CyBlock and Cyfin monitoring and filtering software were released today. They include the following new features and enhancements.

Enhancement - Array configuration. This release contains a useful new feature which will allow you to combine all of your proxy data into an Enterprise report. It also lets you apply settings and policies from one 'primary' installation to multiple 'secondary' installations. For Cyfin Reporter, this feature works a little differently. Instead, it allows you to use multiple servers' CPU's to process logfile data, while leaving one 'primary' Cyfin Reporter machine free to run reports.
New Report - Site Audit Detail. This report lists all users that visited a particular Web site and shows the total visits.
Enhancement - Proxy Chain ability. CyBlock Proxy and Cyfin Proxy now have the ability to use a 'downstream' proxy in a 'chain' configuration.
Enhancement - Job Queue. New keyboard shortcuts allow you to pause and restart the job queue. Also, all jobs are now numbered in the queue.
Enhancement - Logging optional. (CyBlock Proxy only) Logging of proxy data can be disabled without affecting the filtering policies in place.
Enhancement - New logfile formats supported. (Cyfin Reporter only) Cyfin Reporter extends support for Sidewinder Firewall G2, IronPort Appliance, Symantec Web Security and MIMEsweeper logfiles.

New prospects can download a free 30-day trial of any Wavecrest software product. View all products.

Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. Visit Wavecrest's Support Center for access to the most recent upgrades.

10.23.07 | U.S. Department of Justice Continues to Monitor Internet Use with Cyfin Reporter

The U.S. Department of Justice has been using Cyfin Reporter Internet monitoring software since June 2002 to monitor Web access for their 100,000 users. They recently renewed their product license with Wavecrest Computing once again for the sixth year.

Before initially purchasing Cyfin Reporter in 2002, the DOJ conducted rigorous testing to ensure the product’s scalability, accuracy, and reliability. Cyfin Reporter proved it could easily handle the DOJ’s workload and continues to do so today while providing them with accurate Web-use reports. The fact that the Department of Justice has renewed their Cyfin Reporter software license for the last six years is a testament to the product’s accuracy and reliability.

Wavecrest Computing’s accurate Web-use reports are what distinguish their Internet monitoring and filtering software from the competition. Wavecrest Computing ensures accuracy in reports by differentiating between a user’s specific click actions from automatically downloaded hits (banners, ads, audio, etc.) that can distort measurements of users’ online activity.

Wavecrest’s reports also focus closely on the number of clicks instead of attempting to gauge the amount of time a user actually spent on a Web page. The latter can be very misleading, i.e., the fact that a user downloaded a Web page to a browser doesn't necessarily mean that he or she was actually looking at that page while it was "open." The user could have easily been interrupted or left their browser open while attending a meeting. This makes accurate “time on site” measurements virtually impossible.

“When using employee Web-use reports to make important decisions regarding personnel and Internet policy, organizations want to know that they are using an Internet monitoring solution that provides reliable data in its reports,” states Dennis McCabe, VP of Business Development. “Through accurate reporting, our products help organizations effectively implement and enforce Internet policies, improve workforce productivity and limit potential legal exposure from inappropriate Internet use.”

For 11 years, Wavecrest Computing has been providing Internet filtering and monitoring solutions to business, government, and educational organizations worldwide. Wavecrest's customer base includes well-known names such as the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, Procter and Gamble, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, Miller Brewing Company, London Stock Exchange, Mazda, Bayer, Pepsi Cola, IBM and many others. For government agencies, Wavecrest software can be purchased through GSA as the company is a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contractor (#GS35F0212L).

10.10.07 | Wavecrest Offers Special Pricing to SurfControl Customers

Wavecrest Computing is offering special pricing to SurfControl customers interested in purchasing a Wavecrest product. SurfControl customers can find out about this special offer by contacting Wavecrest’s sales team.

Wavecrest Computing is offering special pricing for SurfControl customers that are nearing the end of their product license and looking for a new Web filtering solution. SurfControl was recently purchased by Websense, who just announced that it was going to stop supporting SurfControl products in the near future. This means that all SurfControl customers will have to either switch to a Websense product or begin looking for another Web filtering solution.

Dennis McCabe, VP of Business Development at Wavecrest Computing, stated that “Wavecrest understands that it is not always easy researching and looking for a new Web filtering product. That is why we are offering to help SurfControl customers easily transition to a Wavecrest product by offering competitive pricing and free technical support.” In addition, Wavecrest offers a free 30-day trial on all of its software products; this allows prospects to fully evaluate the product before buying.

Wavecrest’s Web filtering solutions include CyBlock ISA and CyBlock Proxy. CyBlock ISA was built specifically for networks that utilize one or more ISA Servers. CyBlock Proxy, on the other hand, is a combination Web filter that is ideal for any network. Both products can block over 500 million Web pages that are built into Wavecrest’s 81 content categories, and both are customizable to easily fit any organization’s Web-use policy. Highly affordable, both products feature reliable, easy-to-read reports and automatic abuse detection.

Wavecrest Computing has been providing Internet monitoring and filtering solutions to business, government, and educational organizations worldwide since 1996. Their monitoring, filtering and reporting solutions--known for their accuracy, usability, scalability and cost-effectiveness--are found in more than 3,500 commercial and government organizations of all types and sizes. Wavecrest's customer base includes well-known names such as Procter and Gamble, U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Defense Cyber Crime Unit, BMW, Bayer, Pepsi Cola, London Stock Exchange, Miller Brewing Company, IBM and many others.

SurfControl customers interested in Wavecrest products should contact the Wavecrest sales team by sending an email to sales@wavecrest.net or calling 877-442-9346 toll-free (U.S. and Canada only). If you are outside the U.S. or Canada, you can call Wavecrest directly at 001-321-953-5351, ext. 3.

06.05.07 | Employee Web-use Monitoring at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway has chosen to use Wavecrest's Cyfin Reporter as its Internet monitoring and reporting software for six years now. Wavecrest Computing offers Internet monitoring, reporting and filtering software solutions to a variety of organizations worldwide.

For six years now, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) has been using Wavecrest Computing's Cyfin Reporter Web-use management software to report on Web use for 25,000 employees. When BNSF began looking for a reporting solution, they wanted a product that was reliable, accurate, and easy to use. Cyfin Reporter fulfilled all of these requirements and continues to do so today.

When BNSF decided to search for a reporting tool, they were already using Web filtering software, but they were not getting the reporting results they needed on employees' Web use. BNSF's management, HR, IT, and corporate audit personnel found that Cyfin Reporter's comprehensive reports had the customizable features they wanted and the accurate results they needed.

BNSF recently collaborated with Wavecrest Computing in a case study that shows how they have used Cyfin Reporter throughout the years as part of their Web-use management program. In the case study, BNSF personnel indicated that one of the most important features of Cyfin is its ability to distinguish between "visits" (page views) and "hits" (all downloaded elements on a page). They stated that "counting true visits is the most accurate way of gauging actual levels of users' online activity, and focusing on total hits can be very misleading." In Cyfin's reports, a visit is only recorded when a user actually clicks on a Web page, while hits include all ads, banners, audio, and other miscellaneous elements associated with that page.

Today, BNSF continues to use Cyfin's reports to help them resolve Web-use management issues in the workplace. The type of reporting results that BNSF personnel find to be the most important are indications of excessive personal surfing to areas that threaten productivity and visits to inappropriate sites, such as pornography. This information helps them ensure that their employees are taking full advantage of the productive potential of the Internet.

With Cyfin Reporter's help, BNSF has "significantly reduced personal surfing in the workplace, helped prevent situations that could lead to legal liability, produced credible information to substantiate disciplinary actions, and helped increase workforce productivity." Read more in the case study about how BNSF has benefited from Cyfin Reporter over the years at http://www.wavecrest.net/editorial/include/BNSF.pdf

Cyfin Reporter is a product of Wavecrest Computing, a ten-year veteran in the field of employee Web-use management. The company's monitoring, blocking and reporting solutions--known for their accuracy, usability, scalability and cost-effectiveness--are found in more than 3,000 commercial and government organizations of all types and sizes. Wavecrest's customer base includes well-known names such as Procter and Gamble, U.S. Department of Justice, Honda, Bayer, Pepsi Cola, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Xerox, IBM and many others.

11.15.06 | U.S. Department of Justice Chooses Wavecrest Computing to Monitor Employee Web Use

The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen to use Wavecrest's Cyfin Reporter as its Internet monitoring and reporting software for the fifth consecutive year. Wavecrest Computing offers Internet monitoring and filtering software solutions and is a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contractor.

For the fifth year in a row, the U.S. Department of Justice has chosen Wavecrest's Cyfin Reporter to monitor Web use for its 100,000 users. The Department of Justice first purchased Cyfin in 2002 through Wavecrest's GSA (General Services Administration) program and continues to use Cyfin because of its robust performance, accuracy, and scalability.

Recently, government agencies have been concerned with how their employees are surfing the Internet at work for personal use. According to Al Kamen's "At Interior, Surfin' USA" published in the Washington Post on October 4, 2006, the Department of Interior found that its employees' personal Internet use could be costing taxpayers "more than $2 million in lost wages" each year. Earl E. Devaney, the Interior Department's Inspector General, also found that in one week of logs, there were over 4,732 entries to sexually explicit and gambling sites."

It is this type of abuse that is convincing many organizations to purchase Internet monitoring and/or filtering software to protect themselves from decreases in workforce productivity and legal liability risks. "It is the risk of legal liability that makes choosing accurate, reliable software important," says Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president for business development. "No one knows this better than the U.S. Department of Justice, which is why we are pleased that they continue to use Cyfin."

Cyfin Reporter provides employers with actionable, manager-ready reports by user, group, or entire enterprise. Cyfin's features include automatic abuse detection, a report scheduler that runs and distributes reports automatically, and standard and customizable categories that can be rated according to an organization's acceptable use policy.

Wavecrest is a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contractor (#GS35F0212L). Federal and many state government agencies may purchase Wavecrest software through the GSA, guaranteeing the lowest available pricing and streamlining the procurement process.

10.16.06 | U.S. Declares Online Gambling Illegal

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act was signed by the President making it illegal for banks and credit unions to process bets made online. The new federal law will force businesses to revisit their Web-use policies for online gambling. Use of these sites at work is clearly a legal liability threat and businesses should reduce their risks by using Internet monitoring or filtering software.

On Friday, October 13, 2006, President Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act making it illegal for banks and credit unions to process bets made online. Online gambling has grown to be a multi-billion dollar industry over the past several years, and the laws are finally catching up to the technology.

The U.S. Department of Justice has held the view that online gambling is illegal under the Federal Wire Act of 1961 and has attempted to go after several gaming executives. The DOJ indicted BetonSports founder, Gary Kaplan and its CEO, David Carruthers, on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and fraud for taking sports bets from U.S. residents. They arrested David Carruthers at a U.S. airport earlier this year.

This new federal law forces all businesses to view employees’ visits to online gambling sites as a legal liability threat. Many companies may have seen little harm in allowing employees to access Web-based gambling sites on their break as long as it didn’t become a productivity drain. Others, however, have already been viewing such activity as legal liability risks and use Internet monitoring or filtering software to enforce policy and protect the company. No matter how companies viewed it in the past, it is now clearly a legal liability threat.

In addition to the new federal law, employers need to be aware of their local state laws on Internet gambling as well. For example, all forms of gambling are illegal in Hawaii and Utah. In 1998, Cynthia Haines gambled away $70,000 on the Internet at online gambling sites. When she couldn’t pay her credit card bills, her bank, Providian National Bank, sued her. She then filed a counterclaim against Providian and her credit card companies, Visa and MasterCard, claiming that they should have never accepted the charges because online gambling is illegal in California. Visa and MasterCard ended up settling with Haines.

According to Mark Ishman’s article, “Computer Crimes and the Respondent Superior Doctrine: Employers Beware,” if Haines had gambled away her money using her employer’s computer, the state of California could have prosecuted her employer for making online gambling available to her.

It is not uncommon for employees to visit online gambling sites at work. According to a June 2006 analysis of employee Web use at work by comScore Media Matrix, more than half of the page views by workers were to online gambling sites.

Online gambling is just one of a number of reasons why businesses and other organizations should use accurate Internet monitoring or filtering software to protect themselves from legal liability threats. According to Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development for Wavecrest Computing, “it is extremely important for companies to use an accurate, reliable product when monitoring Web use.” Wavecrest’s Cyfin and CyBlock products are just that. Wavecrest’s Cyfin Reporter has been trusted by the U.S. Department of Justice for the last four years, and they recently renewed their license for a fifth year.

10.10.06 | Surfing the Internet Increases Companies' Risks of Security Threats

Spyware and malicious code are big threats to company networks because they can consume bandwidth and compromise security. Recent studies show that company networks are being infected with spyware and malicious code more often through employees surfing the Web. These increasing threats make it imperative for companies to enforce a Web usage policy to protect their networks. Wavecrest Computing suggests that companies monitor and/or filter employee Web use in order to better protect themselves from security threats.

Recent studies have shown that employees surfing the Internet at work put company networks at a higher security risk. According to CNET News, a recent IDC Denmark study found that surfing the Internet poses a bigger risk to companies than email attachments. IDC found that “up to 30% of companies with more than 500 staff have been infected as a result of Internet surfing.”

Symantec recently released their security report on September 25 and found that nearly half of all computer attacks are targeting Web browsers. Because it has been more difficult to get users to open email attachments, hackers are attaching spyware and malicious code to Web sites, so when a user visits the infected site, the spyware or malicious code is automatically downloaded. The spyware can also be attached to Web sites in a banner/ad, link or file.

Sites that are at the most risk are those that enable information to pass between users quickly, e.g., social networking sites and blogs. These sites continue to see an increase in visitors. According to recent studies by comScore Media Metrix, the percentage of visitors to MySpace from the UK increased 467% from July 2005 to July 2006. In July 2006, the average visitor went to the site an average of 5.4 usage days. In the same month, in the US, the average visitor went to MySpace an average of 8.7 days.

To help its customers manage this issue, Wavecrest Computing, a leader in Internet filtering and monitoring software, recently added Social Networking to its category list. Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development at Wavecrest, stated that “We saw a pressing need for a social networking category because of the tremendous increase in traffic to these sites.” He continued by saying that “This is one example of how Wavecrest continually works to meet the needs of its customers as technology advances.”

Per Anderson, IDC Denmark’s Managing Director, stated that “the risk of infection is about five times greater for companies that allow Internet usage by staff to go unhindered and unmonitored.” To reduce the risk of infection, companies need to protect themselves with accurate Web-use management software.

Filtering and/or monitoring employees’ Internet access with one of Wavecrest’s Cyfin or CyBlock software products greatly reduces the risk of security threats and legal liability while helping to increase workforce productivity. In addition to offering Web-use management software, Wavecrest encourages companies to create a Web usage policy and clearly communicate it to their employees.

08.09.06 | Social Networking More Popular With Adults Than Previously Thought

Blogging began as personal online diaries and has now evolved into all-encompassing social networking sites. Such sites, which combine and take maximum advantage of chat and multi-media technology as well as blogging concepts, now constitute a virtual—and exploding— online revolution. The downside? They create major time wasters for employers whose employees can't resist the allure of just one more entry. As a result, filtering and monitoring social networking activity is now imperative—not just to conserve bandwidth and increase workforce productivity but to protect companies’ reputations and intellectual property. Addressing this issue, Wavecrest Computing strongly recommends that social networking be addressed in employee conduct initiatives, including network usage policies and related monitoring programs.

Wavecrest Computing in Melbourne, Florida, recognizing the ever increasing popularity of MySpace and other social networking sites – Friendster, Flickr, TagWorld and Facebook to name a few – created a “Social Networking” category in their URL database to better identify and highlight these frequented work distractions for their customers.

If record label companies view MySpace as an indispensable stop for record labels seeking to promote a new band, companies that wish to increase their workforce productivity and better utilize their bandwidth should recognize the need to manage access to Social Networking sites

Many think social networking sites are just a place for teens to hang out. Not true. A larger, growing number of adults frequent MySpace because it is an easy, quick way to keep in touch with current friends and family, find old friends and classmates, and listen to new music on a daily basis.

With 80 million registered users worldwide and the world’s 73rd most-visited website, many of these visits obviously occur during business hours. Today, an estimated 130,000 new members join the site every day, totaling 3 million new members per month. The recent Nine Inch Nails release alone resulted in a half-million user streams in one week. And judging by the above statistics, a very large portion of these streams had to have occurred at work – a lot, all day long.

Negative banter about companies on MySpace produces postings from employees who slam not only managers and co-workers, but customers. To preclude such negative publicity, Wavecrest encourages companies to clearly define social networking in their employee conduct code as it relates to their company to protect themselves and their intellectual property.

A continual increase in traffic to social networking sites mandated a separate category in Wavecrest’s URL control list. “These heavily trafficked sites have fast become a major productivity drainer for our customers,” said Dennis McCabe of Wavecrest Computing. “Pretty much anyone, any age range, who frequents social networking sites does so from work—unless access is restricted. And the first step to restricting access is identification through proper categorization.”

05.16.06 | Wavecrest Computing Turns 10 – Leaders in Employee Internet Management Solutions

Wavecrest was the first in the industry to provide categorized web reports; the first to provide reporting based on visits versus all hits; and the only company to provide automatic abuse threshold reporting.

Wavecrest Computing in Melbourne, Florida answered the need to monitor and report on employee Internet activity 10 years ago. Pioneers in the field, Wavecrest is now a global industry leader.

A privately owned company specializing in employee Web use analysis and reporting, Wavecrest was the first in the industry to provide categorized web reports. It was also the first to provide reporting based on true visits versus all hits and is the only company to provide automatic abuse threshold reporting. Noted for the industry’s top rated, most accurate web activity reporting, Wavecrest products let clients customize reports to meet specific needs. That customization and uncomplicated reporting sets Wavecrest apart from all the others. The company’s fundamental purpose is to provide reports that relate to people using the Internet, thus enabling management, HR, IT and information security personnel to translate critical Web-use information into business intelligence. Other companies provide more IT oriented reports.

The Wavecrest product line addresses the needs of any size organization. Cyfin Reporter logfile analyzer was the most affordable, accurate, powerful reporter in the industry at the start ten years ago and still is today. It is compatible with many different firewalls, proxy servers and caching appliances on the market, and it is scalable to 100,000+ users. Recognizing the need to filter and block as well as report, Wavecrest developed CyBlock several years ago. The CyBlock Proxy version meets the concerns of small to mid-size organizations and has real-time capability that displays User ID, Visit Category and URL.

“To meet the needs of our customers as technology advances, a number of enhancements to current products will be announced shortly,” said Dennis McCabe, vice president at Wavecrest Computing. “We are also developing two new products that will be introduced next year.”

Wavecrest has enjoyed steady growth. Not only did the company survive the dot-com bubble collapse, it prospered and continues to enjoy a 97% renewal rate. Wavecrest plans to grow by satisfying the ongoing and evolving needs for effective, efficient and affordable employee Web-use management tools.

11.04.05 | Major Release! CyBlock version 5 and Cyfin version 7

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:

A more robust URL categorization list. Daily update capability and eight new categories, including Spyware, Phishing, Stock Trading and others.
A new report-generation process. Works in seconds and requires 80% less storage than logs.
More logfile support. Supports multiple logfile types and directories.
More efficient update process. Ability to check and install updates from within the products.
Markedly enhanced reporting accuracy. A unique process for distinguishing true user activity from extraneous ‘hits.” Wavecrest is the only vendor that provides this capability.

"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.

10.01.05 | US Dept of Justice Chooses Cyfin Reporter

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.

05.20.05 | Visit Wavecrest at Tech Ed in Orlando!

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.

11.04.04 | CyBlock for Microsoft ISA Server 2004

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

10.26.04 | CyBlock Proxy 4.2.2 With Spyware Blocking

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.

10.01.04 | Product Update! CyBlock 4.2.1 and Cyfin 6.2.1

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.

08.04.04 | Releases Improve Performance, Security, Usability

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.

08.04.04 | Cyfin 6.2.0 and CyBlock 4.2.0 Now Available

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.

05.14.04 | There's No Such Thing as Safe Surfing Anymore

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."

02.17.04 | Wavecrest Announces Major New Releases

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.

02.17.04 | Faster, More Flexible Web Access Control for Microsoft ISA Server

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.

10.01.03 | US Dept of Justice chooses Cyfin Reporter - for the second year

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.

08.12.03 | Good News for State and Local Governments

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.

06.16.03 | "Extending ISA Server": Wavecrest's Cyfin and CyBlock

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.

04.25.03 | Wavecrest Web Site Introduces "Digital Dashboards"

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."

04.07.03 | Internet Use Policies a Key Factor in Reducing Legal Liability

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.

02.27.03 | Wavecrest Adds Browser Interface to Cyfin and CyBlock

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."

06.25.02 | U.S. Department of Justice Chooses Wavecrest Computing

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.

02.04.02 | Wavecrest launches new Web site

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.

02.01.02 | Wavecrest Computing Releases CyBlock Web Filter

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."

08.29.01 | GE Aircraft Engines Chooses Wavecrest's Cyfin Reporter

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.

Industry News

11.25.08 | More Cyber Monday Shopping Expected This Year

Cyber Monday is just around the corner, and this year, almost 84 percent of online retailers are planning Cyber Monday promotions. Cyber Monday takes place the first Monday after Thanksgiving (December 1), i.e., the first day employees are back to work. Last year, Americans made hundreds of online purchases and spent $733 million on Cyber Monday.

This year will not be any different, and in fact, more shoppers will probably be looking for online deals on Cyber Monday. A survey conducted by BIGresearch found that 70 percent of young adults 18-34 with Internet access will shop at work.

Cyber Monday shopping and holiday shopping are huge productivity wasters for businesses. Wavecrest Computing's products help organizations curb personal online shopping at work. Organizations can monitor and/or filter Web use with Wavecrest's Cyfin and CyBlock products. All products monitor and report on employees' Web use by categories, e.g., shopping, sports, games, etc. Wavecrest's CyBlock products allow organizations to block Web access by categories and hour so that they can allow employees to access shopping sites on their lunch break or after hours.

For 12 years, Wavecrest Computing has been providing Internet filtering and monitoring solutions to business, government, and educational organizations worldwide. Wavecrest's customer base includes well-known names such as the U.S. Department of Justice, Procter and Gamble, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, Bridgestone, Mazda and many others.

03.13.08 | March Madness Causes Bandwidth and Productivity Concerns

Experts estimate that 1.5 million workers will be watching the NCAA March Madness games online from their desks, and 37.3 million workers are expected to participate in office pools. So what does this mean for employers? An overall potential $1.7 billion loss in productivity according to a study completed by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

This year, CBSSports.com and NCAA.com are making it very easy for employees to participate in the tournament pools and watch the games online. For example, CBSSports.com has teamed up with Facebook, making it easy for Facebook users to join a pool and fill out a bracket. CBSSports.com has also launched a developer platform that allows more than 200 Web sites to provide the live video feed of the games, making it easy for employees to find and watch the games online. And just like last year, NCAA On Demand is including the "boss button," which brings up a fake spreadsheet to make it appear that employees are busy working when the boss walks by.

Besides a loss in productivity, businesses and schools are concerned that widespread viewing of the live streaming video of games by employees or students will slow or crash computer networks. This is especially worrisome because for the first time this year all 63 tournament games will be available online, without online blackouts of games showing on local CBS TV stations. As a result of the mounting concern, many businesses and schools are planning to filter the games this year to prevent employees and students from watching the videos and sucking up all the bandwidth.

With the exception of the play-in game on Tuesday, March 18, first-round games are annually played during business hours on Thursday and Friday, so organizations should begin preparing now. Businesses and schools can protect their organizations from security, bandwidth and productivity issues by monitoring and/or filtering their employees’ and students’ Web use.

Wavecrest Computing offers several Internet filtering and monitoring software products for businesses and other organizations. Their products enable employers to block and/or monitor sites by categories, e.g., sports, gambling, streaming media, spyware/malicious, social networking, etc. CBSSports.com and NCAA.com, including NCAA On Demand, are included in the Wavecrest site-blocking list under sports, but if you want to only block and/or monitor the live video, users can take advantage of one of Wavecrest’s custom categories to block and/or monitor www.ncaasports.com/mmod/player. All of Wavecrest's products come with a free 30-day trial, so organizations can download the free trial and begin filtering and monitoring Web use today.

Sources:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20080311-9999-1s11gallery.html
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2008-03-12-Streaming_N.htm

11.26.07 | Protect Against Lost Productivity Due to Cyber Monday Shopping at Work

Cyber Monday and online holiday shopping could mean lost productivity for businesses this year. It is the traditional start of the online holiday shopping season, and some experts are predicting a 20% hike in online sales this year with total Internet holiday shopping sales expected to near $25 billion.

According to the job placement consulting firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., of Chicago, employers could lose a total of $488 million in productivity as employees go online to do their holiday shopping.

Shop.org estimates that 68.6 million U.S. employees, or 54 percent of the workforce, will use their Internet connections at work to purchase their holiday gifts on Cyber Monday, which falls on November 26 this year. Many of the big retail stores, like Macy’s and Target, have already been planning for the day and will have one-day only specials.

Also according to Shop.org, while women are typically known to enjoy shopping more than men, it is men that are more likely to shop online from work. Adults aged 18 – 24 also fall into this category with 73 percent of them shopping online for the holidays. Overall, the Internet will influence 30 percent of holiday sales.

To protect your company against productivity losses and online security threats during the holiday season, you can monitor employees’ Internet access with one of Wavecrest’s Cyfin or CyBlock filtering and reporting software products.

Wavecrest is a ten-year industry leader in the Web-use management field and encourages companies to clearly communicate Web-use policies to their employees and then closely monitor for compliance. Wavecrest Computing’s customer base includes the U.S. Department of Justice, Procter and Gamble, London Stock Exchange, BMW, Miller Brewing Company, Citibank and many more.

10.11.07 | Online Video Could Be the Next Target for Hackers

Hackers are continuously looking for new ways to deliver their malicious code to computer users in order to steal private data, hijack Web transactions, or spy on users. Hackers have gotten smarter with how they deliver their malicious code by embedding it in images or disguised as a Portable Document Format (PDF).

According to Chris Rouland, the chief technology officer for IBM Corp.'s Internet Security Systems, "the next logical step seems to be the media players."

There have only been a few cases of video-related hacking. In November 2006, one of these worms was discovered. After a user opened a media file in a player, a corrupt Web site was launched without prompting. Hackers created another program that installs spyware when a video file is opened. Attackers have also tried to spread fake video links by posting them on YouTube.

Other sites that are recently the target of hackers are user-generated sites, such as social networking, blogs, and wikis.

Wavecrest’s products monitor and filter Web sites by categories, e.g., spyware, social networking, streaming media, blogging, etc. By monitoring Web use, organizations can also easily identify when spyware may have been downloaded on a user’s computer as unusual patterns will begin to appear in the Web-use reports.

Sources:
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=023000SJS6V1
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,300685,00.html

06.18.07 | Searching for Music Online Is Risky Business

A new study by McAfee found that searches for online music returned a higher percentage of risky Web sites than any other category of searches. Of the sites returned, 19.1% were considered a security risk. Searches for file sharing sites also returned a high percentage of risky Web sites. Four of the most dangerous searches on Google for file sharing sites were “bearshare,” “limeware,” “Kazaa,” and “winmx.”

This was a surprise considering that in the past pornography Web sites were always considered to be the most “risky sites.” Even though music download and file sharing sites pose a greater threat now, McAfee stated in their study that searching on adult terms is still riskier than searching on non-adult terms. They also found that searching on adult terms is producing more threatening results today than in December 2006.

What makes most of these sites dangerous is that many of them contain malicious code or spyware that is downloaded immediately when a user clicks on the infected site. In fact, a study by Symantec in September 2006 found that employees surfing the Internet poses a bigger risk to company networks than spam. This means that companies with no Web-use policy or management process to control employee Web surfing are putting their networks at a higher risk for attack.

Organizations can combat these security threats by communicating their acceptable use policies to employees and filtering and/or monitoring employee Web use. Wavecrest Computing offers several filtering and monitoring solutions to help organizations control employee Web use. As well as filtering and monitoring, Wavecrest products provide accurate and reliable reports that give organizations a clear view of their workforce’s online activity. This allows organizations to spot problem areas easily and take early corrective action.

Source: http://www.siteadvisor.com/studies/search_safety_may2007.html

05.01.07 | Employees Waste Two Work Days Each Month Online

In a recent study by YouGov, employees admitted to wasting about 30% of their time online each month. This equals about two work days per month. If you have 200 employees making an average of $15/ hour wasting this much time surfing the Internet each month, $576,000 in wages is being wasted each year.

The study also found that most of this time was wasted on shopping sites. Close behind shopping were news and travel sites. Men were found to be the biggest time wasters, and many of them admitted that they occasionally went to adult entertainment sites at work.

This amount of personal surfing is a big drain on workforce productivity and a major legal liability risk, especially if employees are being distracted by adult entertainment and gambling sites. Organizations can easily reduce personal Web surfing by employees by having a well-communicated Web-use policy in conjunction with Wavecrest’s Web monitoring and filtering software. Wavecrest’s products help organizations pinpoint both positive and negative Web surfing.

03.12.07 | March Madness Threatens Productivity, Bandwidth, and Network Security

The 2007 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, a.k.a. March Madness, will kick off at noon on March 15. The tournament is one of the most widely watched sporting events in the world and according to eMarketer, brings in more advertising dollars than the Super Bowl. In recent years, the event has posed some serious problems for businesses as it drains network bandwidth and workforce productivity and opens networks to threats posed by malware and viruses.

CBS SportsLine is offering its “NCAA On Demand” for free again this year, and most visitors are hitting the site during work hours. According to a report published last year by Nielsen/ NetRatings, more people visited NCAA and other sport sites during March Madness 2006 while at work rather than at home. The streaming video and real-time scores that are offered at “NCAA On Demand” and other sport sites are high bandwidth features that can slow a company’s network and cause problems for employees that are trying to be productive.

Challenger, Gray and Christmas, an employee outplacement company, estimates that March Madness costs the nation’s employers $237 million for every 13.5 minutes workers spend on the Internet. CBS is very aware that employees are visiting the site from work. They have once again included the clickable “Boss Button” that workers can use to quickly bring up a fake spreadsheet so that it appears they are working.

In addition to a drain on bandwidth and productivity, employers should be concerned about the increased security risks that come from employees surfing the Internet. A recent trend for hackers has been to attach malware, spyware, viruses, and other attacks to sports and gambling sites. Just in early February, hackers infiltrated the Miami Dolphins Stadium Web site and tried to attack its visitors. The last thing employers want is for one of their employees to surf to one of these infected sites just to place a bet or get the latest scores.

Businesses can protect themselves from these security, bandwidth and productivity issues by monitoring and/or filtering employees’ Web use. Wavecrest Computing offers four Internet monitoring and filtering software products for businesses and other organizations. Employers can block and/or monitor sites by categories, e.g., sports, gambling, streaming media, spyware/malicious, etc. “NCAA On Demand” is included in the Wavecrest URL list under sports, but if you want to only block and/or monitor the live video, users can take advantage of one of Wavecrest’s 12 custom categories to block and/or monitor www.ncaasports.com/mmod/player.

Sources:
“March Madness Major Threat to Network Security”: http://www.informationweek.com/news/
NCAA Sports On Demand: http://www.ncaasports.com/mmod
eMarketer: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1004668&src=article2_newsltr

02.19.07 | MySpace: the Biggest Internet Time Waster in America

A recent report from Compete Inc. showed that MySpace was one of America’s biggest Internet time wasters. In August 2006, MySpace had 80 million registered users. It was the top site visited in 2006, and users spent about 12% of their time online at MySpace’s Web site. The report found that many of these users leave it open throughout the day so that they can immediately retrieve new messages posted by friends. This is not surprising since News Corp., who purchased the site in 2005, reported on February 8, 2007 that they have spent more than $60 million dollars in additional hardware just to handle the increased traffic.

Community colleges and businesses are making the decision to block their students and employees from using MySpace due to the amount of bandwidth that the site consumes. Lorain County Community College in Ohio just recently began blocking MySpace on their campus for this reason. Their director of Information Systems reported that the heavy MySpace use was maxing out the College’s bandwidth. The students were also using the library’s reference computers to visit their MySpace pages.

While many may think that most of MySpace users are teens and college students, according to a report from comScore Media Matrix in August 2006, half of MySpace users are 35 years or older. This means that employers also have to monitor or filter their employees’ Web use to sites that are eating up bandwidth. This way they can save bandwidth for use in business critical applications.

Wavecrest Computing offers several monitoring and filtering products to help organizations conserve bandwidth, protect their networks, and increase productivity. Wavecrest’s software products monitor and block sites by ‘content’ categories and extensions, e.g., Social Networking, IP Addresses, Gambling, etc. In addition to the standard categories, Wavecrest products include 12 additional custom categories that organizations can use to monitor or block specified Web sites.

2.05.06 | Phishing Worm Infects MySpace Users

Just last week MySpace was infected with a phishing worm that infected several user profiles, passed between users, and attached itself to video files. MySpace was forced to shut down hundreds of user profiles from its 80 million registered users.

These attacks are no surprise based on a security report released by Symantec on September 25 that found that nearly half of all computer attacks are targeting Web browsers. Because it has been more difficult to get users to open email attachments, hackers are attaching spyware and malicious code to Web sites, so when a user visits an infected site, spyware or malicious code is automatically downloaded.

These threats are especially prevalent in sites that enable information to pass quickly between users, e.g., social networking sites and blogs. In November, Wikipedia, a popular online encyclopedia that can be edited by anyone, was infected with malware.

Filtering and/or monitoring employees’ Internet access with one of Wavecrest’s Cyfin or CyBlock software products greatly reduces the risk of security threats. With Wavecrest’s products, companies can easily filter and monitor employees’ Internet access with categories such as phishing, spyware/ malicious, social networking, blogging, etc.

11.20.06 | Online Holiday Shoppers Take Advantage of the Internet at Work

Online retailers expect to see an increase in online sales for the 2006 holiday season. Online holiday sales have continued to steadily grow over the past several years. In 1999, they accounted for $5.3 billion of the season’s sales, while last year they were $26 billion. This year, the National Retail Federation expects online holiday sales to reach $32 billion. They also predict that one in four purchases will be made online.

With the steady growth of online sales, it appears that more shoppers have gotten tired of fighting crowds during the holidays. While many shoppers still get out there to get that great deal on Black Friday, some are turning to comparison shopping on the Internet. Those using the Internet will begin their shopping on Cyber Monday, the first work day following the Thanksgiving weekend. They wait for Monday to take advantage of the fast Internet service at work.

However, don’t think that Cyber Monday is the only day your employees will shop online at work. While online holiday shopping officially begins that day, the busiest online shopping day has fallen on a Monday between December 12 and 18 for the past seven years.

To protect your company against security threats and productivity losses during the holiday season, monitor employees’ Internet access with one of Wavecrest’s Cyfin or CyBlock filtering and reporting software products. Wavecrest is a ten-year industry leader in the Web-use management field and encourages companies to clearly communicate Web-use policies to their employees and then closely monitor for compliance.

11.08.06 | Are Your Employees Addicted to the Internet?

A study completed under the direction of Dr. Elias Aboujaoude at Stanford University’s School of Medicine found that one in eight adults is addicted to the Internet, and more than 8% surveyed admitted hiding their Internet use. Dr. Aboujaoude stated that "the issue is starting to be recognized as a legitimate object of clinical attention, as well as an economic problem, given that a great deal of non-essential Internet use takes place at work."

Those that are addicted to the Internet spend more than 30 hours a week of non-essential use on the Internet and are mostly white, college-educated males in their 30s. Most likely, they are not spending all or even most of those 30 hours surfing the Internet at home. Instead, they are doing their personal surfing at work.

With a higher percentage of people admitting they are addicted to the Internet, it is important that businesses protect themselves from productivity losses. Wavecrest’s Cyfin and CyBlock software help organizations improve workforce productivity by monitoring and/or filtering employees’ Web use. Wavecrest's products block and/or capture Web activity in up to 81 different content categories (like gambling, social networking, and shopping), allowing managers and IT personnel to spot Web abuse quickly.

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6062980.stm
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2033323,00.asp

10.17.06 | U.S. Declares Online Gambling Illegal

Internet gambling is enjoyed by 23 million Americans, and it is not uncommon for them to visit online gambling sites at work. According to a June 2006 analysis of employee Web use at work by comScore Media Matrix, more than half of the page views by workers were to Online Gambling sites.

Online gambling is just one of a number of reasons why businesses and other organizations should use accurate Internet monitoring or filtering software to protect themselves from legal liability threats. According to Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development for Wavecrest Computing, "it is extremely important for companies to use an accurate, reliable product when monitoring Web use." Wavecrest’s Cyfin and CyBlock products are just that. Wavecrest’s Cyfin Reporter has been trusted by the U.S. Department of Justice for the last four years, and they recently renewed their license for a fifth year.

10.05.06 | Social Networking More Popular With Adults Than Previously Thought

Underscoring the scope of the social networking phenomenon, Google named MySpace the top gainer for places to visit on the Internet in ’05, only two years after it was founded. It recently topped Yahoo Mail as the most-visited Web site in the U.S. What started as a site for aspiring musicians and bands to share their music and concert locations quickly became the number one spot to connect with others for everything from making new friends, to dating, to professional networking.

Many think social networking sites are just a place for teens to hang out. Not true. According to comScore Media Metrix's analysis in August, half of MySpace users are 35 or older. A larger, growing number of adults frequent MySpace because it is an easy, quick way to keep in touch with current friends and family, find old friends and classmates, and listen to new music on a daily basis.

With 80 million registered users worldwide and the world’s 73rd most-visited Web site, many of these visits obviously occur during business hours. Today, an estimated 130,000 new members join the site every day, totaling 3 million new members per month. The recent Nine Inch Nails release alone resulted in a half-million user streams in one week. And judging by the above statistics, a very large portion of these streams had to have occurred at work – a lot, all day long.

A continual increase in traffic to social networking sites mandated a separate category in Wavecrest’s URL control list. "These heavily trafficked sites have fast become a major productivity drainer for our customers," said Dennis McCabe of Wavecrest Computing. "Pretty much anyone, any age range, who frequents social networking sites does so from work—unless access is restricted. And the first step to restricting access is identification through proper categorization."

09.27.06 | Surfing the Internet Increases Companies’ Risks of Security Threats

Symantec recently released their security report on September 25 and found that nearly half of all computer attacks are targeting Web browsers. Because it has been more difficult to get users to open email attachments, hackers are attaching spyware and malicious code to Web sites, so when a user visits an infected site, spyware or malicious code is automatically downloaded.

Sites that are at the most risk are those that enable information to pass between users quickly, e.g., social networking sites and blogs. According to recent studies by comScore, the average U.S. visitor spent 8.7 usage days on MySpace in July 2006. These sites continue to see an increase in visitors. Just in the past year, MySpace has seen a 467% increase in the number of visitors from the UK.

08.18.06 | Fantasy Football Creates Productivity Losses for Businesses

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.

08.23.05 | Spyware - Can You Afford to Ignore it?

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.

11.04.04 | Web users spend more time surfing, less time on email

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.

05.12.04 | Control Spyware with Internet Filtering and Monitoring Software

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.

Look for unusual patterns of activity. Run a Site Analysis Report at least once a week and watch for anything that looks out of the ordinary. If a user is suddenly logging thousands of visits a day, chances are it's a spyware issue. Dig deeper with a "User Audit Detail" report to identify the source of the activity.
Watch the "Dotted Decimal" category. High activity in this reporting category is cause for concern. Most spyware programs send information back to an IP address (a "dotted decimal" address), while actual user activity is almost always driven by domain name. Wavecrest software will categorize all dotted decimal activity automatically and large volumes of traffic here warrant further investigation.
Block access to high-risk sites. If you're a CyBlock filtering software user, consider creating a custom category that blocks user access to high-risk or known adware sites (filesharing, chat, etc.)
Update your Acceptable Use Policy. There's no such thing as safe surfing anymore. Minimize risks of Internet abuse by implementing a policy to curtail at-work surfing and communicate it to clearly to employees.

12.04.03 | Online Holiday Shoppers Browse at the Office

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."

10.06.03 | At-Work Surfing Could Cost Economy $250 Billion

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.

10.02.03 | Employee Downloads May Lead to Lawsuits

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.

04.22.03 | Shopping and Hobby Sites: Popular Time-Zappers

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.

02.14.03 | Hollywood warns Fortune 1000 about illegal file sharing

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."

02.04.02 | Employee Web-use management: It's a people issue

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.

01.22.02 | Online Gambling is On the Rise — But is it Legal?

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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