The U.S. Department of Justice has been using Cyfin Reporter Internet monitoring software since June 2002 to monitor Web access for their 100,000 users. They recently renewed their product license with Wavecrest Computing once again for the sixth year.
Before initially purchasing Cyfin Reporter in 2002, the DOJ conducted rigorous testing to ensure the product’s scalability, accuracy, and reliability. Cyfin Reporter proved it could easily handle the DOJ’s workload and continues to do so today while providing them with accurate Web-use reports. The fact that the Department of Justice has renewed their Cyfin Reporter software license for the last six years is a testament to the product’s accuracy and reliability.
Wavecrest Computing’s accurate Web-use reports are what distinguish their Internet monitoring and filtering software from the competition. Wavecrest Computing ensures accuracy in reports by differentiating between a user’s specific click actions from automatically downloaded hits (banners, ads, audio, etc.) that can distort measurements of users’ online activity.
Wavecrest’s reports also focus closely on the number of clicks instead of attempting to gauge the amount of time a user actually spent on a Web page. The latter can be very misleading, i.e., the fact that a user downloaded a Web page to a browser doesn't necessarily mean that he or she was actually looking at that page while it was "open." The user could have easily been interrupted or left their browser open while attending a meeting. This makes accurate “time on site” measurements virtually impossible.
“When using employee Web-use reports to make important decisions regarding personnel and Internet policy, organizations want to know that they are using an Internet monitoring solution that provides reliable data in its reports,” states Dennis McCabe, VP of Business Development. “Through accurate reporting, our products help organizations effectively implement and enforce Internet policies, improve workforce productivity and limit potential legal exposure from inappropriate Internet use.”
For 11 years, Wavecrest Computing has been providing Internet filtering and monitoring solutions to business, government, and educational organizations worldwide. Wavecrest's customer base includes well-known names such as the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, Procter and Gamble, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, Miller Brewing Company, London Stock Exchange, Mazda, Bayer, Pepsi Cola, IBM and many others. For government agencies, Wavecrest software can be purchased through GSA as the company is a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contractor (#GS35F0212L).
Wavecrest Computing is offering special pricing for SurfControl customers that are nearing the end of their product license and looking for a new Web filtering solution. SurfControl was recently purchased by Websense, who just announced that it was going to stop supporting SurfControl products in the near future. This means that all SurfControl customers will have to either switch to a Websense product or begin looking for another Web filtering solution.
Dennis McCabe, VP of Business Development at Wavecrest Computing, stated that “Wavecrest understands that it is not always easy researching and looking for a new Web filtering product. That is why we are offering to help SurfControl customers easily transition to a Wavecrest product by offering competitive pricing and free technical support.” In addition, Wavecrest offers a free 30-day trial on all of its software products; this allows prospects to fully evaluate the product before buying.
Wavecrest’s Web filtering solutions include CyBlock ISA and CyBlock Proxy. CyBlock ISA was built specifically for networks that utilize one or more ISA Servers, and it can support any size organization. CyBlock Proxy, on the other hand, is a combination proxy server and Web filter that is ideal for small to medium-size networks. Both products can block over 500 million Web pages that are built into Wavecrest’s 81 content categories, and both are customizable to easily fit any organization’s Web-use policy. Highly affordable, both products feature reliable, easy-to-read reports and automatic abuse detection.
Wavecrest Computing has been providing Internet monitoring and filtering solutions to business, government, and educational organizations worldwide since 1996. Their monitoring, filtering and reporting solutions--known for their accuracy, usability, scalability and cost-effectiveness--are found in more than 3,500 commercial and government organizations of all types and sizes. Wavecrest's customer base includes well-known names such as Procter and Gamble, U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Defense Cyber Crime Unit, BMW, Bayer, Pepsi Cola, London Stock Exchange, Miller Brewing Company, IBM and many others.
SurfControl customers interested in Wavecrest products should contact the Wavecrest sales team by sending an email to sales@wavecrest.net or calling 877-442-9346 toll-free (U.S. and Canada only). If you are outside the U.S. or Canada, you can call Wavecrest directly at 001-321-953-5351, ext. 3.
New versions of CyBlock and Cyfin Internet filtering and monitoring software are now available. Take advantage of the latest features today!
New prospects can download a free 30-day trial of any Wavecrest product. View all products.
Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. Visit Wavecrest's Support Center for access to the most recent upgrades.
Maintenance Releases for CyBlock and Cyfin were recently distributed. CyBlock ISA 5.7.1 and Cyfin Reporter 7.7.1 now support a direct connection to the MSDE database. Additionally, Cyfin Reporter now offers logfile support for CyberGuard Firewall and FortiGate Syslog.
Additional enhancements for all products include:
Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. Visit Wavecrest's Support Center for access to the most recent upgrades.
New versions of Wavecrest Computing's CyBlock and Cyfin monitoring and filtering software have been released. The following new features and enhancements are now available.
Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. Visit Wavecrest's Support Center for access to the most recent upgrades.
Wavecrest Computing has recently released new versions of its CyBlock and Cyfin products. Included in these recent minor releases are new features and enhancements that allow for better data management, group management, and Web-use reporting.
CyBlock 5.6.1 and Cyfin 7.6.1 include:
For the fifth year in a row, the U.S. Department of Justice has chosen Wavecrest’s Cyfin Reporter to monitor Web use for its 100,000 users. The Department of Justice first purchased Cyfin in 2002 through Wavecrest’s GSA (General Services Administration) program and continues to use Cyfin because of its robust performance, accuracy, and scalability.
Internet abuse is convincing many organizations to purchase Web monitoring and/or filtering software to protect themselves from decreases in workforce productivity and legal liability risks. “It is the risk of legal liability that makes choosing accurate, reliable software important,” says Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest’s vice president for business development. “No one knows this better than the U.S. Department of Justice, which is why we are pleased that they continue to use Cyfin.”
Cyfin Reporter provides employers with actionable, manager-ready reports by user, group, or entire enterprise. Cyfin’s features include automatic abuse detection, a report scheduler that runs and distributes reports automatically, and standard and customizable categories that can be rated according to an organization’s acceptable use policy.
Wavecrest is a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contractor. Read more about Wavecrest's government customers.
Wavecrest Computing has two new minor releases and several maintenance updates to its products, Cyfin and CyBlock.
New Features
CyBlock 5.5.3 and Cyfin 7.5.3 include the following new enhancements and features.
Wavecrest Computing, recognizing the ever increasing popularity of MySpace and other social networking sites – Friendster, Flickr, TagWorld and Facebook to name a few – created a "Social Networking" category in their URL database to better identify and highlight these frequented work distractions for their customers.
Underscoring the scope of the social networking phenomenon, Google named MySpace the top gainer for places to visit on the Internet in ’05, only two years after it was founded. It recently topped Yahoo Mail as the most-visited Web site in the U.S. What started as a site for aspiring musicians and bands to share their music and concert locations quickly became the number one spot to connect with others for everything from making new friends, to dating, to professional networking.
If record label companies view MySpace as an indispensable stop for record labels seeking to promote a new band, companies that wish to increase their workforce productivity and better utilize their bandwidth should recognize the need to manage access to Social Networking sites
Many think social networking sites are just a place for teens to hang out. Not true. A larger, growing number of adults frequent MySpace because it is an easy, quick way to keep in touch with current friends and family, find old friends and classmates, and listen to new music on a daily basis.
With 80 million registered users worldwide and the world’s 73rd most-visited web site, many of these visits obviously occur during business hours. Today, an estimated 130,000 new members join the site every day, totaling 3 million new members per month. The recent Nine Inch Nails release alone resulted in a half-million user streams in one week. And judging by the above statistics, a very large portion of these streams had to have occurred at work – a lot, all day long.
Negative banter about companies on MySpace produces postings from employees who slam not only managers and co-workers, but customers. To preclude such negative publicity, Wavecrest encourages companies to clearly define social networking in their employee conduct code as it relates to their company to protect themselves and their intellectual property.
A continual increase in traffic to social networking sites mandated a separate category in Wavecrest’s URL control list. "These heavily trafficked sites have fast become a major productivity drainer for our customers," said Dennis McCabe of Wavecrest Computing. "Pretty much anyone, any age range, who frequents social networking sites does so from work—unless access is restricted. And the first step to restricting access is identification through proper categorization."
Wavecrest Computing answered the need to monitor and report on employee Internet activity 10 years ago. Pioneers in the field, Wavecrest is now a global industry leader.
A privately owned company, specializing in employee Web use analysis and reporting, Wavecrest was the first in the industry to provide categorized web reports; the first to provide reporting based on visits versus all hits; and the only company to provide automatic abuse threshold reporting. Noted for the industry’s top rated, most accurate web activity reporting with the ability to customize the reports to meet specific needs. That customization and uncomplicated reporting sets Wavecrest apart from all the others. The fundamental purpose is to provide reports that relate to people using the Internet so management, HR and information security personnel as well as IT can translate the critical information into business intelligence. Other companies provide more IT oriented reports.
The Wavecrest product line addresses the needs of any size organization. Cyfin Reporter Logfile analyzer was the most affordable, accurate, powerful reporter in the industry at the start ten years ago and still is today. It is compatible with many different firewall, proxy server or caching appliance on the market and scalable to 100,000+ users. Recognizing the need to filter and block as well as report, CyBlock was developed. The Proxy version meets the concerns of small to mid-size organizations and has real-time capability that displays the User ID, Category and URL.
“To meet the needs of our customers as technology advances, a number of enhancements to current products will be announced shortly,” said Dennis McCabe, vice president at Wavecrest Computing. “We are also developing two new products that will be introduced next year.”
Wavecrest has enjoyed steady growth. Not only did they survive the dot-com bubble collapse, they prospered and continue to enjoy a 97% renewal rate. Wavecrest plans to grow by satisfying the ongoing and evolving needs for effective, efficient and affordable employee Web-use management tools.
Wavecrest Computing released new versions of its products, Cyfin and CyBlock.
New Features
Cyfin 7.3.0 monitoring software and CyBlock 5.3.0 filtering software include a number of identical enhancements and new features. Included are:
Wavecrest Computing released new versions of its employee Web-use management software products today. Wavecrest’s products, Cyfin and CyBlock, help businesses and government agencies around the world control Web usage in the workplace. The new versions offer marked improvements in reporting speed and accuracy. Customers will also experience enhanced product usability and effectiveness.
New Features
Cyfin 7.0 monitoring software and CyBlock 5.0 filtering software include a number of identical enhancements and new features. Included are:
"Wavecrest is making enterprise-level Web-use management accessible to any size organization, from smaller offices with a cable modem to complex corporate networks," says Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president of business development. "The new releases offer significant advantages in speed and accuracy for both small business users and enterprise clients."
Wavecrest's software is priced on a tiered, per-user basis making it the industry's best value in Web-use management software. Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. For data sheets or additional information, visit www.wavecrest.net.
About Wavecrest Computing
Since 1996, Wavecrest has provided its clients with reliable employee Web use management software to help them prevent Web abuse, minimize legal liability risks, optimize bandwidth usage and improve workforce productivity. Wavecrest software is installed in over 3,500 organizations worldwide including the US Department of Justice, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart, Volvo, General Electric, British Telecom, Edward Jones, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and many others. For more information, visit www.wavecrest.net.
For the fourth year, the U.S. Department of Justice has selected Cyfin Reporter Internet monitoring software to help manage employee Web use. The DOJ's subscription, which covers up to 100,000 users, was purchased under the auspices of Wavecrest's ongoing GSA (Government Services Administration) contract in 2002.
Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president for business development said, "Cyfin's accuracy of data and scalability were critical to the DOJ, and we're very pleased they have implemented Cyfin so successfully."
Wavecrest Computing's Internet monitoring software is currently installed in over 3,000 businesses and government organizations worldwide and on every continent — except Antarctica.
Wavecrest is a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contractor. Read more about Wavecrest's government clients, click here.
Going to Tech Ed in Orlando ? We are too.
Visit us in Booth 1045. We’ll be happy to show you our advanced Web-use filtering and reporting products – designed for ISA support.
While you’re there, take part in our drawing and you could win a really neat Microsoft Xbox too.
Wavecrest Computing announces the release of CyBlock 4.2.2, advanced Web filtering software with support for Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server) 2004. CyBlock’s flexible Web-use management features enable customers to effectively control Web access and accurately monitor Web usage on ISA Server-based networks.
“IT administrators are more aware than ever of the risks of unrestricted employee Web access,” said Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development at Wavecrest Computing. “Together with ISA Server 2004, CyBlock offers customers a more comprehensive solution to the problem of Internet access control.”
CyBlock installs in minutes and can be quickly set up to support any size organization’s Acceptable Usage Policy requirements.
“CyBlock has for three years been a vital tool in our efforts to manage some 16,000 users’ behaviour on the Web,” said Jonas Sultan, Corporate Security Manager at AstraZeneca, Lund, Sweden. “Excellent functionality coupled with strong reporting capabilities has made our job much easier.”
Scalable to over 100,000 users, CyBlock features an optional XML database that allows administrators to generate user activity reports on large volumes of ISA Server Web logs in a matter of seconds. CyBlock also supports Microsoft Active Directory and LDAP directories, allowing users to import existing group and ID structures directly into the product.
“Customers are recognizing the value that Web-use management can bring to their overall network security and performance,” said Steve Brown, director of product management for the Security Business and Technology Unit at Microsoft Corp. “CyBlock complements ISA Server 2004 firewall, VPN and Web caching capabilities with Web-access control and improved reporting features in an easy-to-deploy, defense-in-depth solution. This helps ISA Server administrators more effectively and efficiently manage inbound and outbound activity on their networks.”
Get a free, 30-day evaluation of CyBlock for ISA Server.
Wavecrest Computing today released updates to its Cyfin and CyBlock Internet filtering and monitoring solutions, adding spyware blocking capability to its CyBlock Proxy 4.2.2 stand-alone filtering software. This release also includes minor updates to Wavecrest's other products: CyBlock for Microsoft ISA Server 4.2.2, Cyfin Reporter 6.2.2 and Cyfin Proxy 6.2.2.
The new spyware blocking feature in CyBlock Proxy 4.2.2 allows customers to block the types of files most often contain spyware or malicious code.
Spyware — software that tracks Web surfers' activity without their knowledge and sends the information back to a third party Web site — usually exploits vulnerabilities in ActiveX. This new feature allows administrators to better manage ActiveX vulnerabilities by selecting the file types they wish to block — preventing potentially dangerous files from ever reaching the users' computers.
Other types of content can also be filtered, including streaming media and Flash, giving administrators the ability to more effectively control bandwidth usage.
For complete release notes, visit Wavecrest's online forum at http://forum.wavecrest.net/.
The upgrades are free to current Wavecrest customers. To download the latest update for your product, click on the "Support" menu, above.
Wavecrest Computing announces the release of CyBlock 4.2.1 and Cyfin 6.2.1, with new options for administrators and added support for Microsoft ISA 2004. Product updates and technical enhancements include:
CyBlock ISA: Support for ISA 2004
CyBlock ISA 4.2.1 extends support for Microsoft ISA Server 2004. An enhanced filter design improves efficiency and stability for the end user.
CyBlock Proxy: New blocking features, reporting on login names
With the release of CyBlock Proxy 4.2.1, users now have the option to block and report on login names instead of IP Addresses (the default). A new "Blocking by File Extension" feature allows administrators to block potentially malicious content (for example, .vbs files) from reaching users computers.
Cyfin Reporter: Minor updates
Maintenance updates in Cyfin Reporter 6.2.1 improve report scheduling and processing speed.
Cyfin Proxy: Reporting on login names
With the release of Cyfin Proxy 6.2.1, users now have the option to report on login names instead of IP Addresses (the default). In addition, connections to most servers are now keep-alive enabled, allowing for faster proxying of connections.
For complete release notes, visit Wavecrest's online forum at http://forum.wavecrest.net/.
The upgrades are free to current Wavecrest customers. To download your update, click on the "Support" menu, above.
Cyfin 6.2.0 and CyBlock 4.2.0 are now available, featuring improved performance, security and usability - particularly for enterprise customers.
Speed
Browser interface speed has been increased by 25%, giving users faster page loads at every level of the product. In addition, Cyfin and CyBlock will support a high volume of simultaneous logins with no conflict between multiple connections.
Security
Cyfin 6.2.0 and CyBlock 4.2.0 are Wavecrest's most secure releases ever. At each installation, passwords are encrypted with a 56-bit encryption key for added security. If the application is left idle for more than 20 minutes, users will be logged out automatically to prevent unauthorized access.
Usability
New administrative features make it easier to create and run reports. Cyfin and CyBlock now remember report settings, retrieving previous settings the next time the user visits a report screen. "Select All / Deselect All" buttons have been added to all category selection pages, streamlining setup. In addition, administrators can now cancel any report in the job queue at any time.
For complete release notes, visit Wavecrest's online forum at http://forum.wavecrest.net/.
The upgrades are free to current Wavecrest customers. To download your update, click on the "Support" menu, above.
When the network administrator of one U.S. company ran a routine Web activity report on the firm's 250-plus users, he noticed employees logging thousands of hits a day to the same IP address - a Web site with no connection to the company's business.
A closer look found the trouble wasn't cyberslacking employees - it was spyware, software that tracks Web surfers' activity without their knowledge and sends the information back to a third party Web site automatically. Spyware can compromise security, consume bandwidth and slow networks to a crawl.
Spyware is a growing concern for network administrators mainly because it's so easy to get. Most casual at-work surfers never realize that simply by clicking on a Web site or downloading a free screen saver they could also be installing spyware on their office computer.
Software programs are available that sniff out spyware once it's been installed, but according to Dennis McCabe, vice president of business development at Wavecrest Computing, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
"There's no such thing as safe surfing anymore," McCabe warns. "It's important to protect your network against spyware before it becomes a problem. The best way to do that is by monitoring user Web activity in the workplace and if possible, blocking access to high-risk spyware sites, especially those offering free games or utilities."
Wavecrest's Cyfin monitoring software helped the company above spot unusual activity on their network early and address the problem before it got worse. Wavecrest's CyBlock filtering software goes even further by actually preventing users from accessing risky Web sites in the first place.
McCabe points out that while spyware is a front-page news today, unchecked surfing poses other serious risks as well.
"Misuse of the Internet can be very costly," McCabe says. "Companies can face lawsuits if employees access pornography in the workplace or download copyrighted material illegally on corporate networks. And then there's lost productivity - it's harder to quantify, but it is a significant drain on corporate resources."
Wavecrest Computing is setting the standard in Web use management software with the release this week of CyBlock 4.0 and Cyfin 6.0. Major advances include XML-enabled data processing, auto-administration tools and flexible network integration options.
Both products are now available in SA (stand-alone) editions designed to integrate easily in any network environment — even those without a proxy, firewall or caching appliance.
"Cyfin Proxy and CyBlock Proxy make enterprise-level Web-use management accessible to any size organization, from smaller offices with a cable modem to complex corporate networks," says Dennis McCabe, Wavecrest's vice president of business development. "The new releases offer big advantages in speed and performance for both small business users and enterprise clients."
CyBlock and Cyfin's XML option allows administrators to run detailed user activity reports on huge volumes of data in seconds — the fastest, most scalable Internet reporting tool in the industry.
New administrative tools — like the Logfile Manager, Job Queue and Groups and IDs Import features — manage many routine functions automatically.
Together, the new capabilities in CyBlock 4.0 and Cyfin 6.0 represent some of the most significant advances in Web-use monitoring software since Wavecrest introduced the industry's first categorized employee Internet reporter in 1996.
Upgrades are available at no cost to current Wavecrest customers. For more information, click on the Support menu above.
State and local governments can now save money, time and effort by purchasing Internet monitoring software through Wavecrest Computing's General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule contract.
The "cooperative purchasing" arrangement extends to state and local government agencies the same benefits federal agencies receive from IT contract holders approved by the GSA. These benefits include federal government discounts, pre-negotiated contract terms and conditions and the assurance that GSA-approved vendors are fully qualified. Participation in cooperative purchasing is voluntary for state and local governments.
Currently, Wavecrest is the only developer of Internet monitoring software that holds a GSA schedule contract (
GSA Contract #GS-35F-0212L).
Windows & .NET Magazine recognized Wavecrest's Cyfin Reporter and CyBlock Web Filter in its Summer 2003 "Get More from Windows" Annual Issue.
The article, "Extending ISA Server," highlighted third-party solutions that "enhance performance, ease monitoring and administration, and improve or add security features" to Microsoft's ISA Server.
Wavecrest's CyBlock works with ISA Server and MS Proxy Server, optimizing Web use management by allowing administrators to block employee access to unacceptable Web sites as well as monitor and report on Internet activity. Cyfin Reporter works with ISA and MS Proxy as well as with nearly all popular proxies and firewalls to accurately monitor Web activity and generate clear, categorized reports quickly and easily.
For more on Cyfin and CyBlock, click here.
Visitors to Wavecrest Computing's Web site (www.wavecrest.net) will notice a fresh look for the home page, expanded IT content and new "digital dashboard" product pages for Cyfin® Reporter and CyBlock™ Web Filter.
"The digital dashboard allows visitors to quickly access an enormous amount of product information from one screen," says Dennis McCabe, vice president of Business Development at Wavecrest. "Visitors will find downloads, product updates, FAQs, technical data and much more — without having to click through layers of Web pages."
Wavecrest's redesigned Web site went live May 14, and is updated regularly with company and industry news, product release notes and technical information.
A follow-up study to the American Management Association’s annual survey on monitoring and surveillance reported that fears of legal liability related to “hostile workplace environment” concerns is the #1 reason companies track employee emails, computer files and Internet use. The study, conducted jointly with US News & World Report, revealed that 15% of the companies surveyed have already “been involved in some kind of legal action concerning employee use of e-mail and/or Internet connections.”
Significantly, the study reported that if a company is accused of wrongdoing, federal sentencing guidelines establish that fines can be reduced by as much as 95% if the company “has concrete internal programs to detect and prevent illegal acts” – such as an Internet-use policy and Web use management software. The report continued, “If these capabilities are not present, fines and penalties can be increased by up to 400%.” (Source: Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Ithaca, Oct/Nov 2001)
Wavecrest Computing's Web use management software helps mitigate legal liability with flexible policy-support features that provide customized reports designed to automatically identify areas of non-compliance. For more on Cyfin® Reporter and CyBlock™ Web Filter, click here.
Wavecrest Computing has introduced a new browser interface for its Web use management software that allows secure access to Web activity reports more quickly and efficiently.
The browser interface makes it easier for authorized managers and HR representatives to request and receive secure, categorized reports on employee Internet use directly from their desktops — rather than from busy corporate IT departments.
The browser interface is included in both Cyfin Reporter v5.1.0 and CyBlock Web Filter v3.0.1, Wavecrest's combined Web filtering and reporting tool. Wavecrest's Web use management software captures and categorizes Internet, intranet and extranet activity, allowing managers to implement acceptable use policies (AUPs) that protect organizations from legal liability, preserve network bandwidth and improve workforce productivity.
"With the new browser interface, authorized personnel have fast, easy access to the reports they need," said Dennis McCabe, vice president of Business Development at Wavecrest. "Because they can request reports directly from Cyfin, IT departments no longer need to juggle multiple requests and generate reports on demand."
For details and upgrade information, click here.