Searching For Best Option For Our Business

[Samrc]

Our business uses sites on the internet to produce freight calculations (UPS, etc) and other reasons too.

But some of the people in our company are abusing the ability to use the web and spending WAY TOO MUCH time playing games and other activities. We want to limit access to specific sites only on a couple machines.

 

I've looked at a couple of programs that are designed for parents to control childern activity.

But I'd rather have a program we could put on our server and be able to control internet based on IP or workstation activity. If not, then standalone software would be fine. I've googled without much success.

 

Does anyone employ such software? Recommendations would be appreciated as this is not my expertise!

[TCH-Bruce]

Sami, if you have a router you can block access for IPs within your company.

[Madmanmcp]

Found this with a Google search...I have no experience with it. But it has a free eval copy

 

h_tp://www.wavecrest.net/searchad/general_eim/g_control.html?gclid=CLSC-_X20oUCFRUzGgodyn7p0w

[TCH-Tim]

If all you want to do is allow a few machines to specifically access a few specific sites, it would probably be easiest to do at the router/firewall. We messed with monitoring software at an old job, but like you we didn't really need to monitor, we just needed to specifcally allow access to certain places and disallow everything else. If they can't get anywhere else, no need to invest in fancy software.

[Samrc]

I currently am using simple IE6 settings to limit to "approved sites" on one machine as a test and it works fine for stopping access (as long as only IE is used for access and we only use IE here at the office). I showed it to my boss at first she thought that was fine.

 

But she is afraid that is limiting too much and does not want to be a hard***. She would like to be able to allow internet at lunch times, etc but not during rest of the work day so has now asked me to revise my requirements to track usage instead and fall back on approved site list only when absolutely necessary. Totally different concept!

 

We messed with monitoring software at an old job, but like you we didn't really need to monitor, we just needed to specifcally allow access to certain places and disallow everything else. If they can't get anywhere else, no need to invest in fancy software.

 

I will mention your suggestion for the firewall/router settings and let her know your experience.

[stevevan]

But some of the people in our company are abusing the ability to use the web and spending WAY TOO MUCH time playing games and other activities.

Come on...nobody really spends a lot of time online doing that, do they? I would second the firewall/router solution. It may be the easiest to do what you are looking for.

 

I had to do that when I was still in the military to help catch an individual going to "those" sites on government computers. He didn't know about log files on our servers. Needless to say, he received a courts martial and a dishonorable discharge, plus some time in jail.

[TCH-Bruce]

Sami, you can also set rules for the time of day they can use the Internet connection though the router. This can be done by IP address.