Overview
The internet may seem like it’s always been around, but it is still a relatively new invention. As a result, there are still several aspects of it that are fairly unregulated. Therefore, there are lots of threats and inappropriate content bouncing around the web, and they’re all only a click away. That’s why internet filtering technologies are so popular these days. Solar Winds is a web filtering application that helps to keep users safe and productive when they’re on the web.
Pros
Solar Winds keeps users safe from a multitude of web threats and malware. It offers bandwidth monitoring so that you can be sure your network is being used for appropriate and work-related tasks. It uses a powerful combination of content filtering and reporting to ensure that you know what’s going on in your network.
Solar winds also lets you set blacklists and whitelists so you can have more complete control over the way your workers use the internet. Moreover, Solar Winds allows you to set time limits for different sites. That means you can let your employees have some break time and use that time to engage in things like social media, news, and entertainment sites. After all, studies have shown that employees who are able to take breaks and use the internet for recreational purposes at work, in limited quantities, are more productive and effective at their jobs.
Solar Winds also lets you set different profiles for different kinds of users. For example, you want to make sure that your marketing department has access to Facebook and social media, but your IT department probably doesn’t need that kind of access. Therefore, Solar Winds is a powerful tool to help keep your employees on task and productive.
Cons
There are a few cons to Solar Winds. First, the software is targeted at businesses, so it’s not the kind of thing that can help you keep your family safe and keep individual freelancers on task. This also means that you’ll be paying a premium price for a premium service, so you need to be sure that your return will be enough to justify the investment before you pay for service from Solar Winds.
Verdict
Solar Winds is a good option for most medium-sized businesses. It functions as a great accountability application, and offers a free trial so you can give it a shot and see if the software provides the solutions you’re looking for.