June 09, 2021
Automatic blacklisting of websites and apps with endpoint protection
SEACOM Business has launched a variety of information technology (IT) security solutions for businesses in South Africa and abroad. One of these services is endpoint protection for a company’s devices, networks and servers. This cloud-based solution delivers advanced anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection for business computers and connected devices.
Our endpoint protection solutions come pre-configured with best practice policies that minimise the costs and time for set-up and implementation. These services can prevent targeted attacks and secure sensitive business information or customer data. In addition, our endpoint protection offers automatic blacklisting or whitelisting of websites and applications used by employees.
What is blacklisting and whitelisting?
To protect a business network from potential threats, the security solution needs to control access to the network and decide which entities should be blocked. These entities can include websites and apps that are used by employees. There are two approaches to managing this access - blacklisting and whitelisting.
- Blacklisting - This involves blocking access to suspicious or malicious websites and apps. Blacklisted entities and malicious software will not be allowed to run on the network system. Even users, IP addresses, email addresses, domains and certain IT processes can be blacklisted. This is the traditional approach to access control and is commonly used by anti-virus software, spam filters and breach detection programmes.
- Whitelisting - This involves only allowing access to approved websites and apps. Even if an entity is not a threat, if it hasn’t been approved by the security software, the user will not be allowed to access it on the network. Instead of creating a list of threats, this approach creates a list of trusted users, domains, IP addresses, email addresses and apps, and it blocks the rest. This is a much stricter approach to access control.
How do you decide which approach to take? Blacklisting is the preferable option if you want to make it easy for employees to access your network and use various websites and apps. This option requires very little administrative effort. However, whitelisting may be the better solution if you want to maximise security. If the admin is not an issue and your network holds sensitive information or personal data, then this option is more suitable.
SEACOM Business endpoint protection services can be configured to automatically blacklist or whitelist websites and applications, depending on your preferred approach. The software can take a blacklist approach to dealing with malware and suspicious websites, but a whitelist approach to controlling access to the network, whereby only registered employees and devices can log on.
These benefits make our endpoint protection solutions easy to run and more cost-effective for your company, especially if you remote employees or branches in different locations. The cost of not protecting your network far outweighs the cost of world-class endpoint protection. For more information or to get a quote, email us at marketing@seacom.com or leave us a message.
SEACOM owns Africa’s most extensive network of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, including subsea cables and secure internet connections. We offer a diverse range of flexible, scalable and high-quality solutions for businesses that meet world-class standards for connectivity.
SEACOM is privately owned and operated, making it agile and adaptable to the needs of the customer. This makes us the preferred ICT and internet connectivity partner for African businesses and peripheral service providers. We can guarantee high-speed, low-latency and secure internet connections to corporates and small enterprises.
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