Remote Clients

Even inside a company office building, many employees are on wireless networks and moving from place to place, not to mention traditional remote client locations in coffee shops, hotels and airports; on networks the IT manager does not control.

While most laptops have a threat detection engine (anti-virus), it must stand on its own against a wide range of web content and threats. Some proxy vendors, like Websense and Blue Coat now offer mobile client solutions. ProxyClient, a Blue Coat product, extends the value of their web filtering and malware host blocking of their honeygrid product (WebPulse) to remote clients. Surprisingly, there's no extra charge or additional licensing fees associated with this product (assuming you are already licensed for their ProxySG product). Websense has a Mobile Client that does something similar, but they do have a per user licensing fee.

It's important for the IT manager to remember that their URL filtering solution must encompass remote clients as they come and go from a corporate network in their daily roles. URL filtering is changing; and the proxy vendors are stepping up to the plate and making sure their products meet today's mobile challenges. Make sure your proxy vendor supports mobile clients.