Why block websites in your company? To answer this question, we need to delve a little deeper into this topic. Let's imagine a scenario where the internet simply ceased to exist. How would you continue communicating with your family and friends? What would your routine be like in the workplace? No email exchanges, manual reporting, contacting clients and suppliers only by phone…
Although all of this has been a reality for decades, imagining a world without the internet is almost inconceivable. However, as good as this tool is, it also poses a risk to businesses. Because of this, many managers are seeking to block websites in their companies.
The internet is an absolutely indispensable communication channel in today's world, but it must be used intelligently and efficiently. We know that within businesses, this tool plays a fundamental role in promoting products and services, communication between employees, customers, and suppliers, as well as providing an exchange of data and information in real time.
However, despite its many advantages, the internet, when used incorrectly, can bring numerous problems to companies. Unauthorized access during working hours can destroy productivity and expose company data and devices to various types of cyber risks.
There are currently numerous cyber threats that can jeopardize the security and reliability of your company, such as data breaches. With the emergence of the LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law), this problem has become even worse due to the penalties that the legislation can impose. Learn more:
Blocking websites is a strategy that is gaining traction among businesses. This measure helps managers have more assertive control over everything that happens in the company and determine what type of content can or cannot be accessed by employees during working hours.
But how can you block websites without hindering your employees' freedom to browse? Contrary to popular belief, it's possible to implement this type of blocking in a personalized and efficient way . Check out this material we've prepared and find out how!
What is the relationship between internet access patterns and employee productivity?
Internet access has brought countless benefits and has transformed the reality within companies. Activities that were previously done manually and were time-consuming can now be completed with extreme efficiency in the shortest possible time. These conveniences have made internet access a fundamental resource for the success and growth of businesses, regardless of the sector or size of the company.
However, despite delivering numerous benefits, the internet remains one of the main causes of unproductivity in the market. During the contracted period for carrying out company-related activities, employees end up accessing the internet inappropriately, which wastes time, causes delays, and increases the incidence of errors within the business.
Have you ever heard of " cyberslacking "? In the corporate world, this term refers to time wasted on random internet browsing, which is one of the biggest productivity killers.
In a scenario where Brazil was already experiencing a decline in worker productivity (with a 7.9% drop in 2021), the 4.5% reduction in productivity per hour worked ended up demonstrating how this concern is not unfounded.
In this sense, blocking certain resources, websites, and tools in the digital environment ends up becoming a smart and efficient solution. By reducing access to pages that disrupt workers' focus and generate wasted time, the company can contribute to greater productivity and achieve the expected results without the need for major investments.
Is it possible to block websites without disrupting employees?
As we have seen, the internet can bring numerous benefits to businesses, providing greater convenience and intelligence to their processes. However, we must remember that it still poses a significant risk to productivity and cybersecurity.
Completely unrestricted internet access facilitates access for individuals who cause significant harm to the business. Even if the company has an Internet Access Policy that recommends intelligent ways in which this tool should be used within the business environment, many employees end up wasting time accessing various types of content inappropriately , such as:
- Social media;
- Personal emails;
- E-commerce websites;
- Gaming and betting platforms;
- Entertainment website;
- Video and streaming platforms;
- Website containing pornographic or violent content;
- Messaging platform;
- And many others.
These types of content, in addition to harming worker productivity, also represent a significant risk to businesses. Numerous traps exist on the internet designed to deceive users, facilitate scams , and implement major cyber threats.
Strategies like phishing , which uses email to deliver malicious applications or steal user data, end up causing numerous losses for businesses. ransomware attacks . Through this strategy, cybercriminals encrypt data relevant to the business and demand payment of a ransom to restore access.
In addition to causing substantial financial losses for companies, this strategy also damages the business's image in the market with consumers .
Because of these risks, blocking websites has become a necessity for companies. Currently, it's essential to have an efficient tool that helps perform this blocking and protects business information.
However, internet access control isn't just about blocking any and all pages unrelated to company activities. We know that, in many cases, employees need access to certain resources, such as search tools, to ensure the correct and efficient execution of their daily tasks, and a complete block can negatively impact business results .
Indiscriminate website blocking can harm freedom of browsing and lead to significant employee dissatisfaction . We all know that dissatisfaction damages the organizational climate and makes the company environment unpleasant for everyone, so it's necessary to pay attention to these factors and block websites in an intelligent and strategic way.
For this reason, it's necessary to have a complete and efficient tool that helps deliver all the resources and benefits your company needs. Several resources on the market can help you perform this blocking, such as OpenDNS , pfSense , or DNSFilter , but it's important to pay attention to what your company truly needs, such as:
- worker productivity
- To deliver higher quality results;
- Ensure focus on tasks that are truly important to the business;
- Maintaining employee satisfaction levels;
- Increase the protection of data and information stored by the company;
- Reduce the cost of devices infected with malicious applications, such as viruses, malware, spyware, Trojans, and other threats;
- Reduce vulnerability to prevent cyberattacks;
- To use company resources more intelligently and efficiently;
- Between others.
Use the right tools.
As we mentioned earlier, managers need to find a tool that delivers all the necessary functionalities for efficient blocking. This means that, however practical it may seem, completely blocking resources can be detrimental to your business.
Due to this factor, the tool used must allow managers to monitor the behavior and activities performed during the daily routine of each user and contribute to the creation of personalized internet access policies . Based on this information, it is possible to establish more efficient blocking, using specific groups and users according to the company's needs. In this way, it is possible to add all the advantages that your business needs to remain productive and deliver the expected results.
Blocking websites is much more than simply having total control over internet access. It requires a specialized and intuitive tool that delivers benefits and brings practicality to daily operations. Contact us and discover how we can help you with this task.
Until later!
