Posted by The blogging Desk on Mon, Oct 25, 2010
by Chad Weaver
It seems like I finally got bit by the cloud bug. I know that the cloud can really be a buzz word, especially with working in IT support, but up until now I really hadn’t given it a second thought. After checking out the new hotness from Microsoft with their Office 365, I decided to see what else the cloud could do for me. Now the big buzz word is SaaS, or software as a service. So, what better use of it then for security?
Security has a special place in my heart; I love network security and all the nerdiness that comes with it. Keeping networks secure is something I really enjoy doing. Some of the hardest things to do are to keep users browsing securely. Installing a web security solution is a great way to accomplish this. But, what happens when a mobile user takes their device home; how do you protect it then?
The cloud seems like a perfect solution in this case, so I looked at a hosted web security service by Websense. To over simplify the setting, it is a remote proxy server that all your organization’s web traffic can pass through. By doing so, it can be filtered for viruses, mal-ware, and also enforce your organization’s web policies to all users whether or not they are using your network at home or the on the road. If it’s your company’s asset, this solution helps enforce your settings no matter where the user is located. This is a great break through, given the advances in datacenters. The filtering is done in real time as the traffic is passed through and to the end user it would be transparent. They wouldn’t even notice the protection!
I believe this provides the peace of mind that all IT security guys, such as myself, are really looking for. Maybe there is something to this cloud thing after all.
Is Websense something your interested in? Maybe you just want to hear a bit more? Give us a call or shoot us some info, we'd be glad to help!
