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The Connection, Inc has been serving the New Jersey area since 1992, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

What’s the Benefit of Content Filtering?

What’s the Benefit of Content Filtering?

Wasting time is a big concern in any business, and this is one place where the Internet can potentially hurt as much as it helps. Of course, it does still help, as the Internet is where many of today’s business tools are accessed. How can you ensure that your team is spending their time working, rather than on social media or other distracting websites?

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Here’s How to Make the Internet Far Less Distracting for Your Team

Here’s How to Make the Internet Far Less Distracting for Your Team

The average office worker needs to access the Internet in order to do their job. What they don’t need to access is cat videos, memes, social media, online games, and malware-ridden websites. How can a business owner clamp down on Internet activity in their office? By equipping their network with a content filtering solution, of course.


Having a content filtering solution allows you to block websites and online content visited by users across your network. This can range from staff at their workstations, remote employees on their mobile devices, and even customers taking advantage of your Wi-Fi. By implementing a content filtering solution, you will enhance your business in two key ways: productivity and security.

Regarding employee productivity, it’s likely that your office comes with enough difficult-to-manage distractions as it is, like mindless chitchat, political debates, and Mondays. So why would you want to add virtual distractions of the web to the list? With content filtering, you can rest assured that the time employees spend online is time that will benefit your bottom line.

Regarding security, all it takes is for one user to click on the wrong link and blammo, your network is infected with malware. Seeing as there are a ton of websites designed to be a delivery system for malware, and these sites are spoofed in a variety of ways that can trick even experienced users, you don’t want to leave the safeguarding of your network from these sites to chance. By having a content filtering solution in place, you can prevent users from visiting these dangerous sites, once and for all.

In addition to keeping employees out of sticky online situations, you can apply content filtering to your own computer to help keep yourself on task. Think, for example, of how embarrassing it would be if it were discovered that a website you visited was responsible for a massive, company-wide data breach. That is one apology letter that no business owner should have to write to their clients, and with a content filtering solution in place, you won’t have to.

As a bonus, a content filtering solution like what The Connection, Inc offers is specially designed for enterprises with multiple departments using the Internet for a variety of tasks. This allows you to filter websites on a per-user basis, meaning that you and whoever oversees marketing can access social media to run your company’s accounts, while other workers are blocked from such needless distractions.

As great as content filtering is, it’s only one piece of the network security puzzle. This is why we offer a security solution, like a Unified Threat Management tool, that comes with content filtering, as well as firewall protection, spam prevention, antivirus, and more. To shore up your network’s defenses from the worst of the web, call us today at (732) 291-5938.

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How Much Time Do Your Employees Waste on Social Media?

How Much Time Do Your Employees Waste on Social Media?

Social media is a phenomenon that has invaded the business world in more ways than one. While it might be a great way to endorse your brand and communicate with your local prospects, it can be a huge distraction for your in-house workers. A new study by communications agency, We Are Flint, claims that 84 percent of adults in the UK use social media, and two-thirds of them use it every day--be it at the office or at home.


The provided statistics come from a report that assesses the United Kingdom’s use of social media, though we think it’s safe to say that the rest of the Western world has similar statistics.

  • YouTube is the most commonly used social media site at 85 percent, while Facebook trails it at 78 percent.
  • As for daily uses, people use Facebook (59 percent), WhatsApp (28 percent), and YouTube (27 percent) most commonly.
  • Young people (18-29 years old) still use mostly Facebook and YouTube at 92 percent and 96 percent accordingly.

While this may not seem like such a shock, another survey from People Per Hour has shown that some workers are wasting away their workday on social media sites. Five percent of men and 11 percent of women spend over 45 minutes of every hour using social media sites while in the workplace. In particular, Facebook is a major culprit--54 percent of workers post Facebook updates from the office. Yet, despite the incredulous amount of time wasted on social media, only five percent of workers have ever received warnings regarding their use of social media at work.

So, we’d like to ask the question again. How much time does your business waste on employees using social media? Chances are that it’s a significant amount that needs to be addressed in some way, shape, or form. Ultimately, it depends on what you, as a business owner, deem to be wastes of time. Marketing personnel likely need access to social media in order to do their jobs properly, and not all employees use social media in a wasteful manner. Therefore, it comes down to identifying problematic employees who aren’t getting work done, but have plenty of time to tweet about an adorable cat video they just watched.

A content filtering solution is ideal for this purpose for multiple reasons. For one, it allows you to block access to social media on a per user basis. This means that you can designate who can access sites like Facebook and YouTube, allowing your employees to do their jobs while keeping problem employees in check. Furthermore, a content filtering solution can keep your employees from visiting dangerous websites that may try to steal sensitive information. It’s a win-win, bolstering productivity and security in one fell thrust.

To learn more about content filtering, reach out to us at (732) 291-5938.

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4 Ways a Unified Threat Management Can Help Your Business

4 Ways a Unified Threat Management Can Help Your Business

The online business environment is a dangerous place, especially with threats such as viruses, malware, and worse, all hiding in plain sight. Organizations need to take advantage of comprehensive security solutions that can cover all modes of attack, but finding an affordable enterprise-level solution can be challenging for SMBs. Thankfully, a Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution provides comprehensive coverage that today’s businesses need.


To help you out, we’ll discuss the four key UTM features in detail, including how each part contributes to your overall network security.

Firewalls
You can think of a firewall like a bouncer for your network. A firewall is essential for every user to have, especially those handling corporate data. Firewalls analyze the data flowing into and out of a network. This helps to ensure that only data that’s safe enters your organization’s IT infrastructure, while keeping threats locked out and promptly eliminated so as not to spread across your network.

Antivirus
In comparison to the firewall, antivirus solutions focus on eliminating threats that have already made their way into your network infrastructure. With the proper threat definitions, antivirus can detect and eliminate most known variants of threats, such as viruses, malware, spyware, and more.

Content Filtering
Content filtering is another preventative measure that focuses on keeping threats from entering your infrastructure. Content filtering looks at which sites your employees are accessing in order to determine whether or not dangerous content is being accessed. This includes sites that host malware or other malicious code on their web pages. Furthermore, content filtering can be used to limit user access to specific sites, which is exceptionally useful for problem employees who can’t stop browsing social media or watching pornography in the workplace.

Spam Blocking
Again, this is another preventative measure that keeps threats out of your email inboxes. For hackers, email is the preferred mode for a variety of attacks. Malware and viruses, and in particular ransomware, are all spread via infected email attachments or malicious links found within the body of the message. Spam blocking solutions keep these messages from hitting your inbox in the first place, practically eliminating the risk of user error.

Considering how a UTM takes advantage of these four solutions by consolidating them into one convenient package, it is without a doubt the best way to protect your organization from the threats found on the Internet. The end result for businesses is a much more secure network that’s suitable for getting work done.

Of course, due to the fact that no one solution can fully cover the security needs of every organization, you’ll first want to have IT professionals assess your network’s needs before implementing a solution like UTM. The Connection, Inc can do this for you and equip your network with the right-sized UTM model, or even point you toward a different security solution altogether. For help selecting and implementing a security solution that hits the mark, contact The Connection, Inc today at (732) 291-5938.

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The Cause of Social Media Addiction and How to Stop It

b2ap3_thumbnail_social_media_blocking_400.jpgSocial media addiction is a problem that plagues most modern businesses. Even though it’s a best practice to leverage social media to your business’s advantage, it’s a well-known fact that social media addiction can lead to wasted time and distractions in the office. In order to beat social media addiction in the office, it’s best to understand how it comes about, and what you can do to help your workers leave it alone, rather than locking everything down completely.

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Clever Kids and Employees Know How to Bypass Content Filters

b2ap3_thumbnail_use_the_content_filter_400.jpgWith so much nasty content just begging to get viewed on the Internet, it’s understandable why a content filter needs to be integrated into your company’s web viewing protocol. Still, it should be understood that your content filter isn’t going to keep all questionable content away from prying eyes. Therefore, the only way you can really know with certainty that your Internet users aren’t doing anything sketchy is to actively monitor their activity, and check for any suspicious websites.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Ways to Make Sure Your Employees aren’t Wasting Time on the Internet

b2ap3_thumbnail_filter_content_400.jpgBy now, you’re well aware of the Internet’s Catch 22 nature. Your business needs it so that employees can be equipped to do their jobs, but it can also be a major distraction and kill productivity. For this week’s tip, here are three ways that you can cut back on Internet distractions and maximize productivity.

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The Connection, Inc. Celebrates 32 Years as a Trusted Technology Provider!   Since our founding in 1992, technology and the way we operate and do business has changed a lot. Companies that have adapted and aligned themselves with ...

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The Connection, Inc
51 Village CT
Hazlet, New Jersey 07730