Nashville, Tennessee’s, Fellowship Bible Church is well known for its size and also its “Spot,” a place where members can access computer stations or the WiFi connection.
However, going wireless at the “Spot” was a double-edged sword. Any person on the computers or toting a laptop could access any Web site or online program, allowing possible problems to occur, such as email spamming, cyber-bullying, and members being temped to look at inappropriate material.
Fellowship Bible Church solved these challenges using new filtering software. Ethershield, from InternetSafety.com, allows managers to block 35 categories of Web sites, as well as instant messaging applications, chat rooms, and peer-to-peer file sharing programs.
InternetSafety.com introduced EtherShield, a hardware appliance that provides low-cost, plug-and-play Internet filtering for organizations with 10 to 200 users. The system’s ability to block objectionable online applications helps increase employee productivity, free network bandwidth that is being used for non-work-related purposes, and protect organizations from potential legal liabilities associated with inappropriate content.
EtherShield filters every computer on the network without requiring software installation or configuration of settings on each machine. The database of blocked Web sites is automatically updated daily to keep up with changing online content without the need for manual database downloads. These features and easy point-and-click setup choices make the system ideal for smaller businesses, schools, churches and libraries that may not have professional IT staffs.
EtherShield utilizes advanced Web-blocking technology developed for InternetSafety.com’s top-rated Safe Eyes parental control software. It filters Web sites in 35 categories ranging from sports to pornography. Independent tests have found that EtherShield’s effectiveness in blocking unwanted content consistently ranks higher than other filters.
Other features include:
• Easy Filtering Customization–Organizations can specify which of EtherShield’s 35 categories of Web sites they want to block, exempt specific sites from the list, block additional sites by URL or keyword, and create a list of keywords that cannot be used in search engines.
• Optional Program Blocking–IM, chat rooms, newsgroups and peer-to-peer file sharing programs can be blocked or allowed on a one-by-one basis simply by selecting from a list, saving bandwidth and potentially reclaiming hours of time spent on personal Internet activities.
• Filtering by Machine–Different filtering parameters can be applied to different computers or groups of computers. The marketing department may need access to social networking sites like Facebook, for example, while the rest of the organization does not.
• Usage Logging–If a user attempts to visit a blocked site, the system generates a log entry and maintains a database of policy violations.
EtherShield is a 1U 19-inch rack-mountable appliance designed to be installed between the organization’s Internet router and computer network. It can be used on networks with any combination of PCs and Macs. Pricing begins at under $1,000 for 10 users.
