Author Archives: admin

Wavecrest Recommends Users Upgrade from Internet Explorer 6

If you are still using Internet Explorer 6, we and Microsoft recommend that you upgrade as soon as possible.  One of the main reasons to upgrade is that Wavecrest’s CyBlock versions 6.3.0 and later and Cyfin versions 8.3.0 and later no longer support IE6.

Microsoft also has a big push now to get users to upgrade and stop using IE6.  See their new website ie6countdown.com. One of the main reasons they are pushing the upgrade is security. They state, “we recommend that Internet Explorer 6 users upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer for a safer browsing experience.” So if you haven’t done so already, Wavecrest recommends that you take a minute to make sure all of the computers and servers in your network are upgraded to a later version of Internet Explorer.

If you have any questions, please contact Wavecrest’s technical support team by phone at 321-953-5351, ext. 4 or toll-free at 1-877-442-9346, ext. 4.

Sources:

The Internet Explorer 6 Countdown
Microsoft Begs Users to Stop Using IE6
It’s Time to Finally Drop Internet Explorer 6

New Release – CyBlock 6.3.2 and Cyfin 8.3.2

We have been busy and working hard to add features that you have been asking for into CyBlock and Cyfin. In this latest release, here are some new features we have added:

  • Custom Reports – This allows you to use Wavecrest’s existing standard reports and customize them by selecting which sections of the report to display.  You can create, name and save these reports to be run manually or scheduled to run automatically.
  • PDF Option in Reports – You now have the option to choose whether you want your report in PDF or HTML format. This option is available in manual, scheduled and custom reports.
  • Ability to Add Full URLs to Categories and Custom Categories – Full or partial URLs, not just the domain, can now be added to a category or custom category on the Advanced Settings – Category Setup – Edit URLs screen. This means that you can add bbc.com/sports to the Sports category, and all other pages on bbc.com that are not sports will still be categorized as News.

To see the full release notes for your product, visit the Support Forum. You can download the latest release by going to the Administration – Product Update screen in your CyBlock or Cyfin product.

New Half-Hour Filtering In CyBlock

If you haven’t seen it yet, in the latest version of CyBlock 6.3.1, scheduled filtering has changed from hourly to half hour. This means that you can select to allow a category from 12:00 – 12:30pm instead of the full hour 12:00 – 1:00pm.

You can make these changes at Advanced Settings – Filter Settings – Block Web Categories. Simply click on the clock icon that appears when you select the “block” radio button and select the times you want to block and allow the category.

If you have not upgraded your product to the latest version of CyBlock, you may do so by going to Administration – Product Update screen.

New Release – CyBlock 6.3.1 and Cyfin 8.3.1

We’re excited to announce that some new enhancements have been added to the latest versions of CyBlock and Cyfin.  You asked and we listened!  Included in these enhancements are filtering by thirty-minute increments instead of hourly (CyBlock only), real-time bandwidth monitoring (Proxy and Appliance only), and the ability to email user audit detail reports to individual users.  Below is a full list of enhancements added to the latest CyBlock and Cyfin releases.

  • Filtering by Half Hour (CyBlock Only). Web categories can now be filtered by half hour increments instead of hourly.
  • OtherWise. We have made it easier to participate in our OtherWise program to optimize your categorization results. You can participate in OtherWise by simply going to the Setup – Otherwise screen, select Enable and Submit.
  • Email Report(s) to Individual User(s). Email addresses can now be applied to individual IDs in Groups and IDs, and as a result, an option to “Email Report(s) to Individual User(s)” has been added to audit detail reports.
  • Real-Time Bandwidth Monitor (Proxy and Appliance Only). This new monitor displays the top users based on bandwidth consumption in real time and automatically updates every 10 seconds. The Bandwidth Monitor can be accessed by going to Reports – Real-Time Monitor – Bandwidth Monitor.
  • PAC File URL Bypass (Proxy and Appliance Only). The PAC file now has the ability to check the full URL for bypassing over just the domain.

To see the full release notes for your product, visit the Support Forum. You can download the latest release by going to the Administration – Product Update screen in your CyBlock or Cyfin product.

Happy Holidays! Wavecrest’s Holiday Hours

We want to end this year by wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope you have a wonderful holiday!

In addition, we want to remind you of Wavecrest’s holiday hours.  Wavecrest Computing offices are closed from December 25, 2010 – January 2, 2011.  Our offices will re-open on Monday, January 3, 2011 at 8am.

Should you need support or customer service during this time, limited email support will be available. You may contact either Sales at sales@wavecrest.net or Support at support@wavecrest.net, and they will get back to you as soon as possible.  You may also visit the Wavecrest Support Forum and post your questions there.

Remember to Set Block Policies for New Custom Categories

When you create a custom category at the Advanced Settings — Category Setup — Custom Categories screen, the custom category is automatically set to ‘allow’ in all of your block policies.  So anybody will be able to access the sites listed in the newly created custom category.  If you want to block the sites in this category for some or all filter policies, be sure to go to the Advanced Settings — Filter Settings — Block Web Categories screen and set the policies to ‘block’.

Managing Web Application Authentication Problems with Wavecrest Proxy Products

In order to obtain usernames for filtering and/or reporting purposes in CyBlock Proxy, Cyfin Proxy, or CyBlock Appliance, authentication must be enabled. An issue that arises with authentication is that there are some Web apps and URLs/Domains that do not respond to the authentication request properly.  Because of this, in versions 6.2.0 and 8.2.0 we added the Authentication Manager in CyBlock Proxy, Cyfin Proxy and the CyBlock Appliance.

The Authentication Manager helps prevent these issues by automatically detecting the disruptions, identifying the failed applications, and employing automatic authentication-bypass techniques (when authentication is enabled in Moderate mode). This allows users to bypass proxy authentication (not the proxy server) with those web sites and web applications that do not properly respond to the proxy authentication request.  An example of this is your offensive line in a football game.  Just like your offensive line creates a hole for the running back to run through, bypass authentication opens a hole in the proxy so that the request can go through. The request will bypass authentication but not the proxy.

To learn more about proxy authentication and the Authentication Manager, read our document “Managing Web Application Authentication Problems” and see your product manual for specific instructions on fully utilizing the Authentication Manager.

Online Holiday Shopping Is Coming Soon

With the holiday season coming up, now is a good time to remind your employees of your organization’s Web-use policy.  Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, and many employees may want to do some pre-searching and shopping to find those upcoming holiday deals. Online holiday shopping can generate network security and performance issues and be a huge productivity waster for businesses.

If you have CyBlock, your product can be set up to block Web access by categories and by hour so employees can access shopping sites on their lunch break or after hours. This approach can help sustain morale while minimizing the risks associated with online shopping. If you have Cyfin, you can monitor employees’ Web use to ensure that Web-use policies are followed or that unwanted spyware or malware is not downloaded as a result.

Wavecrest Computing: Fourteen Years of Internet Monitoring and Filtering

Wavecrest Computing, a leading developer of Internet usage management products, has now been in business for fourteen years. Since 1996, from their base in Melbourne, Florida, Wavecrest Computing has developed, marketed and supported a spectrum of innovative Internet monitoring and reporting solutions. Their products help all types of organizations manage employees’ online activities and ensure compliance with acceptable use policies. Starting fourteen years ago with a single customer, their client base has grown to more than 3,000 organizations, many of them Fortune 500 companies and high profile government agencies.

What makes Wavecrest stand out from competitors is their on-going commitment to customer service. When customers call, they talk to a real person from Wavecrest’s Melbourne, Florida location, and they get personalized attention. Their support personnel know that customer satisfaction is key to the company’s (and their own) success. For years these dedicated men and women have listened to Wavecrest customers and made sure that Wavecrest consistently delivers the products and services needed to meet the many dynamic challenges associated with use of the Internet in the workplace.

Those challenges have certainly evolved over the years. Examples include the very real and seriously increasing risks of social networking, video streaming and other Web 2.0 technologies that produce productivity losses, bandwidth drains, legal liability, and network security threats in the workplace.

As the Internet grows and the challenges escalate, Wavecrest has kept pace every step of the way.

Taking a look at Wavecrest’s product history, they started with a basic software application called ProxyReporter. It read and analyzed employers’ outbound Web logs. From that data, it then produced reports that helped management and IT monitor employees’ use of Web access.

As the Internet became more sophisticated, Wavecrest went on to develop a series of increasingly robust Web-use monitoring and filtering products designed to suit a variety of customers and network infrastructures. Their monitoring products now include Cyfin Reporter–a highly sophisticated and scalable logfile analyzer/reporter–and Cyfin Proxy, a standalone Web proxy/monitor/reporter. Their combination filtering/reporting products include CyBlock for ISA/TMG–a combination filter/reporter system for use with Microsoft ISA and TMG products–and CyBlock Proxy, a standalone proxy/filter/reporting solution.

Wavecrest’s latest innovation is CyBlock Appliance, a hardware based Internet-usage management device. Designed to monitor and help control use of all Internet protocols, CyBlock Appliance is a standalone proxy, monitor, filter and reporter.

Through the years, Wavecrest products have been well received and proven to be highly reliable and cost-effective. They are all backed with a 90-day money-back guarantee. Wavecrest frequently incorporates new features to keep up with the ever-changing Internet and marketplace demands. Dennis McCabe, VP of Business Development, states, “Our main goals at Wavecrest are to provide outstanding customer service and a reliable and robust product that stands above the competition.”

About Wavecrest
Founded in 1996, Wavecrest Computing is a recognized B2B leader in policy-based Web-use management solutions. The company’s products are relied on by IT personnel, HR professionals and business managers around the world to proactively address issues of Internet abuse, legal liability, security threats, workforce productivity and misuse of bandwidth. Wavecrest has been profitable since 1997, and sales have increased steadily since then. Among their more than 3,000 clients are Procter & Gamble, British Telecom, US Department of State, Edward Jones, IBM, IKEA, MillerCoors, Siemens, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) and a growing list of global enterprises and government agencies.

Best Practices for Monitoring Employee Computer Use

We recently came across “Best Practices Regarding Employee Computer Use,” written by Dandford Grant, a partner at Stafford Frey Cooper law firm, and thought it could be a great resource for Wavecrest customers and others thinking about implementing a filtering or monitoring solution. The paper discusses employee privacy rights, monitoring and surveillance of employees, and recommended policies & practices. It also gives examples of past legal cases and their rulings.  Below are a few highlights and good points to take away from the paper.

  • “In most situations, a certain amount of monitoring is good business and may be required.”
  • An employer should inform employees that Internet and email use will be monitored.
  • “Monitoring should be fair and consistent,” i.e., run and review the same reports regularly and dig deeper when the data warrants it.
  • Most importantly, communicate with employees frequently about your organization’s acceptable use policy and best practices when using email and Internet sites, such as social networks, blogging, etc.