Controlling internet access is a common practice in companies and is becoming increasingly necessary. Two points are essential in this management: data security and team productivity .
Most security incidents or breaches begin simply: an employee who fails to identify risks and ends up clicking on malicious links, fake ads, or phishing emails. This behavior opens doors for attacks, intrusions, and the loss of critical company data.
Here's a practical example:
Major security incidents currently
The most common attacks continue to be:
- Data kidnapping ( Ransomware )
- Financial fraud, such as altering payment slips
- Phishing and theft of confidential data
- Installation of malware, compromising network and equipment
Regarding productivity, managers need to avoid wasting time and distractions with personal activities on the internet. According to the Digital Global Overview 2024 , a person spends an average of 6 hours and 40 minutes per day on the internet . On social media alone, the global average is 2 hours and 23 minutes per day , and in Brazil it is even higher, reaching 3 hours and 46 minutes per day one of the highest times in the world.
In other words, without minimal control, the impact on team performance is inevitable.
Furthermore, recent studies show that employees take 23 minutes to regain focus after an interruption. With dozens of micro-interruptions a day, the effect on productivity is enormous.
Download the infographic that illustrates employee productivity online.
How do you define an internet usage policy?
To determine what should be blocked or allowed, the first step is to analyze how employees use the internet. Understanding what is essential for work and what generates wasted time is fundamental.
Browsing reports are extremely helpful in this process, offering real visibility into patterns and behaviors.
There are two common strategies:
- Everything is unlocked, only the unwanted content is blocked
- Everything is locked, only what is necessary is being released
The best choice depends on the company's profile. In many cases, flexible rules by department or by schedule work best.
A balance is usually the most efficient: for example, allowing social media access only for HR (recruitment) or permitting entertainment only during rest periods.
What should be blocked in internet access control?
Here are the main types of content that should be evaluated when defining a good internet access control policy
Harmful and malicious websites
The internet is full of threats. A common practice is sending spam with malicious links that install viruses or open doors for intrusions. This is the path to most modern attacks, such as ransomware or financial scams.
The main types of harmful websites include:
- Access anonymizers
- Hacking
- Keyloggers
- Malware and spyware
- Phishing and online fraud
In addition to clearly dangerous content, other categories can lead to risks, such as pornography, gambling, violence, and websites that download dubious files.
Even though they may seem harmless, many employees lack the skills to identify threats, which increases the risk of serious incidents.
It is also crucial to educate users about the dangers the internet poses and how to identify risks . Often, simple actions can prevent major problems; check out some tips to protect your company from cyberattacks .
Social media
Social media continues to be one of the biggest sources of distraction. According to the Digital Global Overview 2024 :
- Brazilians spend 3 hours and 46 minutes a day on social media.
- The global number of users grew by 2.5% in 2024, reaching 5.04 billion.
In a corporate environment, this can represent a significant loss of focus.
An effective solution is not necessarily to ban everything, but to establish smart rules , such as allowing access during breaks or permitting use only for sectors that truly need it.
Internet reports help identify abuse and adjust policies without harming the internal climate.
Instant messengers
Tools like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger speed up communication, but they are also responsible for numerous interruptions.
Common negative impacts:
- Prolonged personal conversations
- Pressure for immediate answers
- Loss of focus and a drop in work quality
On the other hand, they can streamline customer service and integrate remote teams.
Finding the right balance requires clear rules. Many companies, for example, designate Telegram as their official channel and block other personal messaging apps.
Personal email
Accessing emails during work hours is common, but it leads to frequent interruptions.
Blocking access during work hours and allowing it during breaks is usually a balanced strategy. Browsing reports allow you to track abuse and adjust the rules precisely.
Pornography, violence, drugs and alcoholic beverages
You might imagine that inappropriate content, such as pornography, violence, or other sensitive topics, wouldn't be accessed by your employees. However, reality can be surprising, as such access can occur, whether intentionally or inadvertently. Therefore, it's crucial to implement complete blocks for this type of content in the workplace, ensuring not only the company's security but also the team's professionalism. Furthermore, the use of internet logs becomes essential to monitor and identify any attempts to access inappropriate websites, offering managers a clear view of the team's online behavior.
With constant analysis of internet reports , it's possible to apply corrective actions when necessary. In cases of infractions, notifying the employee and offering clear guidance on expected behavior is an important step. If there is a recurrence, more severe measures, such as formal warnings or even penalties, can be implemented to reinforce company rules.
These actions help foster an organizational culture based on responsibility, ethics, and focus, strengthening the work environment. By ensuring that the team understands expectations and that technological tools are used appropriately, the company creates a safe and productive space, reinforcing its image of seriousness and commitment both internally and in the market.
Audio and video streaming
Streaming services like YouTube and Spotify are also among the biggest culprits in loss of concentration during work and contribute significantly to slow internet speeds, as they consume a lot of network resources.
Considering this, it is recommended to have some type of control with restrictions for these websites, especially during times or periods of higher internet usage, such as the start of shifts and days of the month that concentrate the execution of important company activities, such as sending tax forms to an accounting office , for example.
File storage and software download
These sites also contribute to poor internet performance, as storage services are often used to transfer large files. Furthermore, software download sites may offer malicious files that can install unwanted programs on computers.
To avoid risks, it is also recommended to control and block these websites, allowing access only when necessary for business activities, such as exchanging large files with clients, as might be the case for an advertising agency, photography studio, or printing company.
Games and betting
Another type of content that you might think your employees don't access during work, but accessing gaming websites may be more frequent than you imagine, especially from your employees' smartphones.
Since this type of content will rarely be related to your company's activities, it is recommended to block access without any kind of restriction based on time or department, mainly because this habit can become an addiction and greatly harm the team's performance.
Online shopping
In our reports on internet use in companies, we identified that e-commerce websites and online shopping are among the most common activities performed by professionals in the workplace.
Since these types of websites are, in most cases, unrelated to work, it can be a good practice to restrict access to prevent professionals from wasting too much time searching for items of personal interest to buy.
Job
These are websites that basically offer job opportunities for professionals.
Unless it's for promoting your company's opportunities, it makes perfect sense to create browsing restrictions for this type of content.
Tip: If you have an internet access control , you can predict when an employee is dissatisfied with their current job based on their access to websites in that category.
Entertainment
Entertainment websites can include various types of content, such as Home and Garden, Sports, Movies and Soap Operas, Government and Politics, Fashion and Beauty, Religion and Esotericism, Health and Medicine, and Travel and Tourism. It's common for these topics to pique the interest of employees in the workplace, such as searching for news about their favorite soccer team or following fashion trends. However, accessing these websites can distract from professional activities.
It's important to highlight that, in some cases, there are exceptions that can be considered. For example, blocking social media can be a good practice, but allowing LinkedIn access might be essential for Human Resources departments that use the platform for recruitment. Similarly, the use of instant messaging can be controlled, keeping WhatsApp accessible for the sales team when serving customers.
Defining an effective access policy should always seek balance and common sense. Certain content can be made available during breaks and rest periods, allowing employees to relax. This not only avoids excessive distractions but also helps employees return to work more focused and productive after these breaks.
Internet access control
To implement internet access control in your company, there are different alternatives, such as traditional Linux proxy solutions provided by specialized companies, which require a larger investment in servers, specialized labor, and constant maintenance.
Other options include Dell SonicWall , Fortinet FortiGate and similar solutions, or more modern solutions that utilize cloud resources and are more affordable, easy to implement and manage. This type of service is mainly recommended for small and medium-sized businesses; good options are OpenDNS , DNSFilter or Lumiun .
To choose the best option for managing internet access, it's important to clearly define your company's needs and compare the costs, features, and benefits of each of the existing solutions.
Why Lumiun?
There are several solutions on the market for controlling and managing internet access, but many are expensive, complex, and require constant maintenance, making them impractical for small and medium-sized businesses.
To meet this need, Lumiun's solutions offer an affordable, simple, and cloud-based alternative, with rapid deployment and intuitive management, without technical complexity.
Key features and advantages of Lumiun solutions:
- Quick installation, no technical knowledge required
- It does not require the purchase of new equipment or servers
- Automatic updates, no maintenance worries
- No cost for a specialized professional for installation
- 100% cloud-based management, accessible from any device
- Support in Portuguese via phone, email, and chat
Lumiun solutions allow you to create access policies in a practical way. To block categories such as pornography, social networks, or games, simply activate the desired option in the panel. It is also possible to apply rules by time or sector. Comprehensive reports help increase security, visibility, and productivity in the digital environment.
Lumiun DNS:
- Internet Access Control : Allows you to block unwanted and inappropriate websites based on categories (such as social networks, games, entertainment, etc.), helping to maintain productivity and security.
- Simplified Management : Managing internet access can be done easily, without the need for advanced technical knowledge. The system is cloud-based, which facilitates implementation and management.
- Detailed Real-Time Reports : Offers internet access reports , allowing managers to monitor employee browsing and identify potential problems or excesses.
- Blocking Inappropriate Content : Uses filters to automatically block access to inappropriate content, such as pornography, violence, gambling, and others, promoting a safe work environment.
- SafeSearch Enabled : Automatically removes explicit results from search engines like Google, Bing, and YouTube, ensuring safer browsing.
- Traffic Monitoring : Monitors internet traffic by device and user , providing a detailed view of network consumption and usage.
Lumiun Box:
- Easy control of key applications
- Blocking access to specific websites
- Access control by categories and content types
- Real-time access report
- Remove explicit content from Google, Bing, and YouTube search results using SafeSearch.
- Monitoring network traffic by equipment and users
- Limiting traffic consumption by groups of devices or users
- Integrated management of multiple networks
- Business VPN to facilitate access for external users.
If you would like to learn more about Lumiun's solutions, speak to a consultant or schedule a demonstration .
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