Pierhead Housing has reduced its IT administration and improved management reporting with the Bloxx web-filtering appliance.
Pierhead, which manages 1800 properties around Liverpool and the Wirral, had been using a web filtering system to manage employee internet access and to protect their users and network from web security threats, but were unhappy with some aspects of the system.
Craig Jones, ICT officer, Pierhead Housing, said, “The main problem was the amount of time we had to spend managing the system and configuring the software, and in particular blocking sites not listed in the URL database. Furthermore, the inflexibility of the reporting of users’ internet activity was a big drawback.”
Pierhead wanted a web filtering system that could automatically categorise and filter web pages to reduce management time. The system also needed to produce reports on departmental internet usage.
After considering other web filtering systems, Pierhead chose the Bloxx web filtering appliance. The Bloxx web filter uses Tru-View technology to analyse and categorise web pages when they are requested, virtually eliminating the need to manually block or allow access to web sites.
Jones said, “The Bloxx appliance was easy to integrate into our network and configuration was straightforward due to the LDAP integration facility. I also liked the fact that it is a hardware solution, so it doesn’t need to rely on the specification or performance of an existing server.”
A weekly report is now automatically sent to each department head, with a breakdown of their department’s top users and most popular websites. Jones said, “The automatic reporting is a big bonus as it has significantly reduced the amount of administration time and gives managers confidence that everyone is using the internet correctly.”
Jones added, “The Bloxx appliance is blocking and allowing exactly what we want it to, with virtually zero administration effort required by me – that’s a big difference from before.”
Staff productivity and awareness of appropriate internet use has improved since the system was installed, with a large decrease in non-work related web browsing.
Jones concluded, “My job has been made easier by the reduced administration time, the departmental heads are confident that their staff are using the internet wisely and there is all-round confidence in the system within the company.”
