Introduction
As a business or organization that requires web access, web filtering is an essential aspect of maintaining secure internet usage. Through web filtering, malicious content is prevented from being accessed by your employees or clients. The question to ask is: what type of web filtering should you utilize? Cloud-based web filtering or traditional web filtering?
Traditional Web Filtering
Traditional web filtering is carried out by web filtering software installed directly on your network. The admin identifies and blocks websites using a predefined set of filters that are programmed into the software. This software can be purchased as stand-alone devices or added to certain network appliances.
Cloud-Based Web Filtering
As the name suggests, cloud-based web filtering is hosted on the cloud, providing you with no need for purchasing or maintenance of servers. A cloud web filtering platform provides a centralized management console through which you can manage your web filtering policies.
Comparison
Here, we compare cloud-based web filtering and traditional web filtering using these key metrics:
Deployment
To set up a traditional web filtering system, an admin must purchase and configure a server for the software. This can be time-consuming and expensive. Cloud-based web filtering only requires setting up individual device clients that can then be registered on the cloud's web filtering platform. This usually takes less than 10 minutes per device, whereas, with traditional web filtering, setting up an entire network can take anywhere from several hours to days.
Cost
Traditional web filtering requires the purchase of a server and software to install and maintain, plus additional expenses such as backup systems and administration management. In contrast, cloud-based web filtering provides a more cost-effective option as the user only pays for the service, not for physical machines or maintenance.
Scalability
Traditional web filtering is limited by the capacity of the on-premise hardware, and scaling requires the purchase of additional resources. Scaling cloud-based web filtering is done instantaneously as it only involves subscribing to more resources without the need for any hardware upgrades.
Filtering Accuracy
Cloud-based web filtering utilizes machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms to detect and prevent malicious traffic. This provides a higher filtering accuracy and reduces the risk of false positives. On the other hand, traditional web filtering is usually based on predefined rules, making it less accurate and prone to blocking legitimate traffic.
Conclusion
It is crucial to understand that both traditional and cloud-based web filtering have their benefits and drawbacks, and it's up to you to choose the web filtering system that fits your organization's needs. Cloud-based web filtering offers a more flexible and cost-effective option that provides better scalability and filtering accuracy. Traditional web filtering has its advantages, such as providing better on-premise control and possibly better performance for large enterprises.
References
- "Web Filtering: Traditional Vs. Cloud-Based - Atomicorp." Atomicorp, 4 Dec. 2019, https://atomicorp.com/blog/cloud-vs-traditional-web-filtering-which-is-better/.
- "Cloud-Based Web Filtering vs. Traditional On-Site Solutions." DNSFilter, 20 Feb. 2019, https://www.dnsfilter.com/blog/cloud-based-web-filtering-vs-traditional-on-site-solutions.