Overview; Risks Posed By Non-Work-Related Use Of The Internet - HP 7102dl - ProCurve Secure Router Configuration Manual

Content Filtering

Overview

7-2
Overview
For most companies, the Internet has become an invaluable work tool, pro-
viding new ways to do business and a high-level of contact with customers
and suppliers. But with all its benefits, the Internet introduces costs. Almost
everyone now realizes the risks posed by attacks launched through the
Internet; however, not all costs associated with the Internet are as obvious as
a virus, worm, or Denial of Service (DoS) attack. Some costs are introduced
by the way your own employees, well-intentioned or otherwise, use the
Internet. Web content filtering attempts to mitigate those risks by distinguish-
ing traffic related to proper use of the Internet from traffic related to
improper use—as determined by your company's policies.

Risks Posed by Non-Work-Related Use of the Internet

One obvious cost associated with Internet use is the decrease in productivity
when employees take time from the work day to "surf" the Internet or make
online purchases. Perhaps more serious than the lost time is the misuse of
company assets for activities such as downloading and storing copyright-
protected MP3 files or surfing pornography sites (sites, which if witnessed by
other employees, present a potential hostile workplace situation). These non-
work-related activities put businesses at risk for lawsuits resulting in potential
large monetary settlements; more seriously, media coverage of such legal
actions can seriously damage the company's reputation.
As employees download and store nonessential applications and data from
the Internet, storage requirements on desktops and corporate servers esca-
late. Also, many users now routinely participate in bandwidth-intensive Inter-
net activities, such as viewing streaming videos, downloading MP3 files, or
playing Internet games. These activities can starve out business-related traffic
on WAN and LAN links. Bandwidth consumption is of particular concern for
WANs: personal Web surfing can congest connections that are already rela-
tively slow.