Today there are many challenges for businesses to keep up with security requirements of social media and Web 2.0 applications. It is necessary for system administrators to use the security policy to overcome these challenges. Below we outline a few of the challenges and also ways in which you can go about preventing them.
Malware threats – Popular applications like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube can cause users to download viruses unintentionally. When users download files and use torrents, they can also let malware into your network. Prevention: Make sure antivirus and anti-malware controls are installed and updated daily. Create updating policies, standards, and training.
Lack of control over corporate content — When employees post wrong or improper information on social media sites. Prevention: Establish clear policies that dictate what can and cannot be shared. Create the capability to capture and log all communications.
Mismanagement of electronic communications that may be impacted by retention regulations or e-discovery. Prevention: Establish policies and processes that ensure all communications are tracked.
Other challenges posed by social media in the work place include:
- Bandwidth hogging – Applications that use a lot of bandwidth can reduce the performance for important business applications.
- Loss of productivity – Employees can spend time on social networking and other applications that can decrease business productivity.
- Content control – Prevent Internet access to websites with inappropriate content, such as sex, violence, and alcohol.
The Network Security Solution for Internet Browsing
The enterprise level Firewall is a popular type of solutions that organisations turn to, to help overcome the challenges of social media in the work place. The Network Security Solution can use the URL Filtering and Application Control Software Blades to monitor and control how organizations of all sizes use the Internet. You can easily create policies which identify or block thousands of applications and Internet sites. These Software Blades help complete the security policy for your organization.
Use URL Filtering and Application Control to:
- Create a Granular Policy – Make rules to allow or block applications and Internet sites for individual applications, categories, and risk levels. You can also create an HTTPS policy that enables the Security Gateway to inspect HTTPS traffic to prevent security risks related to the SSL protocol.
- Manage Bandwidth Consumption – Configure the rules to limit the available network bandwidth for specified users or groups. You can make separate limits for uploading and downloading.
- Keep Your Policies Updated – The Application Database is updated regularly and makes sure that your Internet security policy has the newest applications and website categories. The Security Gateway connects to an Online Web Service portal to identify new social networking widgets and website categories for URLs.
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