If you want to find out what is happening in the world today, if you have a question you want answered, if you need a solution to a problem, if you want products or services, if you want to reconnect with friends, if you want more information about things and much, much more, chances are that you will turn to the internet. After all, the internet provides us with an absolute wealth of information, available literally any time we want it. However, access to this limitless information comes at a cost–a big one.

The Risk of the Internet

There is no doubt that the internet has opened the door to a great wealth of information, and that with online content development businesses can reach more consumers more easily than ever before. But there is also a pretty big risk that comes with internet use–the risk that one may encounter objectionable web content. There are really only two effective ways to resolve this risk: avoid all internet use (which is highly unlikely and altogether unreasonable in this day and age) or invest in the best web content filtering you can find.

The Importance of Web Content Filtering

Web content filtering occurs when a specially-designed program is used for the purpose of screening web pages and email, and then excluding access or availability from those that are deemed objectionable. Businesses often use web content filtering as part of their internet firewalls, where certain character strings indicate possible objectionable content so it can be excluded. Some of the most basic types of web content filtering programs screen web pages and email for pornographic, violent or hate-oriented content. Some web content filtering programs can be adjusted by the user himself, as in the case of parents who want to screen and exclude certain types of content on personal electronic devices that their children will be using.

Web content filtering has always been desirable, but it is more in demand now than ever before, according to a report that was published by Credence Research. Many different businesses, schools, federal agencies, and other institutions have begun to recognize the growing danger presented by increasingly invasive malware, spam, spoofing, phishing, spyware, unauthorized data breaches, identity theft, and other objectionable programs and viruses. Additionally, organizations must realize that allowing individuals to access the internet means that they are allowing them access to a huge entertainment portal that is full of interesting and engaging content sites–including iTunes, YouTube, Hulu, and Vudu for example–that can result in higher data consumption and a strain on overall internet connection. Furthermore, social network sites like Facebook and Twitter have been more deeply penetrated by cyber criminals who then find that they can work through these sites to access business servers and spread malware and objectionable and malicious content. This is especially true in cases where organizations do not own or control all of the devices that are used to access the internet, as occurs when more and more individuals have begun to bring in and use their own personal electronic devices. It is no wonder, then, that they have turned to various cyber security solutions, including web content filtering.

With web content filtering, not only can organizations screen and block access to certain types of web content, they can track which websites are being accessed by individuals in the organization and investigate and handle personal browsing trends as needed. Needless to say, this will not only better protect the organization’s information, it can also help ensure the optimum use of dedicated network bandwidth, keeping the organization’s internet usage efficient and effective.