How to obtain productivity from your employees with GFI WebMonitor

We have just released a version of GFI WebMonitor 2009 that can now be installed on Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG). Businesses using TMG, Microsoft’s latest generation of ISA Server, now have a dedicated plug-in that enables them to monitor Internet use in the organization, ensure a safer browsing experience and boost productivity.

GFI WebMonitor 2009, which can be deployed along with or independently of ISA Server, is currently in use by thousands of customers and voted #1 year after year by ISAServer.org readers. The product gives organizations comprehensive control of the use of the Internet by employees in the workplace, performing both Internet monitoring and web security. It gives management the ability to monitor Internet browsing, block access to sites on an individual or group level, provide protection against hidden downloads as well as blocking and identifying background processes from downloading payloads that may be malicious in nature or use up network resources.

“GFI WebMonitor is a fantastic tool for IT administrators and managers. A recent survey we conducted in the US found that nearly half of those surveyed are lagging behind their peers in monitoring Internet use; this indicates that they are not aware of the risks that come with uncontrolled Internet access or how simple and cost-effective it is to address the issue. It is not a case of ‘big brother’ but rather one of ‘keeping alert’ and being ‘prepared’. With monitoring in place, management has a front-line view of Internet activity in the company,” Walter Scott, GFI’s CEO said.

GFI WebMonitor 2009 allows administrators to manage what sites users can browse and block access to websites in particular categories, such as adult material, online gaming, personal email, Peer-2-Peer, Facebook, MySpace, and more. Web monitoring is made easy with an extensive database that provides URL coverage and categorization for 205,000,000 domains and that is continuously updated.

GFI WebMonitor also offers web security features that enable administrators to monitor what files employees are downloading, to block file-types such as MP3s and movies and to scan all files for viruses, spyware and malware using multiple anti-virus engines. GFI WebMonitor lowers the risk of phishing by blocking access to phishing websites through the use of an auto-updatable database of phishing URLs. The web monitoring features also allow you to monitor and block Windows Live Messenger (MSN) chat sessions and file transfers.