NetAssure - NetAssure.com.au

Technology, not censorship is the key to helping Australians control what they can access over their Internet connections. The use of private filtering devices backed by a subscription service is vastly more effective and customizable than a one-size-fits-all approach forced onto ISPs.

By removing the onus from the ISPs and placing it back onto the individual consumer, the concerns about censorship and “Big Brother” are neutralized, as well as providing a solution that is vastly more practical. What's more, this sort of approach can bring home and business users great advantages in terms of cost and network functionality.

Netcomm’s NetAssure system works by combining equipment at the user’s location with a remote Network Operations Centre. An all-in-one solution, NetAssure combines firewall, web filtering, email sanitization and reporting features into a single service. This can save home or business users a lot of start-up costs and installation hassles, as well as the ongoing maintenance and configuration burdens of all these separate components. The system settings for Net Assure are configured through a simple interface designed with the non-IT professional in mind.

The content filtering offered by NetAssure leaves the choice of what to block up to the consumer. A list of potentially undesirable content is received and automatically updated from the provider blacklist.com. Websites can then be easily blocked according to a total or selective option based upon categories or keywords. A parent concerned about pornography, for example, could block these types of sites yet still allow access to online gambling for themselves.

Keeping track of the details

The NetAssure system goes beyond the traditional voluntary content control software because of its reporting capabilities. The administrator of the account (be it a parent, IT manager etc.) has the option of viewing reports on web usage as often as they like. This can identify the sites that users are visiting and what bandwidth they are consuming. This is the key to recognizing suspicious Peer-to-Peer (P2P) activity of the sort that caused the University NSW to threaten suspension of its free wireless network recently. Illegal downloading of music or movies via P2P interfaces is difficult for traditional web filters to detect since they tend to be fixated on recognizing objectionable URLs rather than the actual data traffic.

For business users, NetAssure carries the additional benefits of being able to create a secure network whilst still utilizing the reach of the public WWW. This is particularly useful for businesses that need to exchange data between different branch offices without the cost of developing a fully private network.

Netcomm’s General Manager, Danny Morrison, says that the ISP-based solution sought by the Australian government is not ideal for anyone.

“Besides the political controversies you get from this sort of approach, ISP content filtering just isn’t as functional as a user-configured approach,” says Morrison.

“Many of the issues with objectionable content aren’t really solved by blanket bans on websites,” he says. A website doesn’t have to involve pornography to be undesirable or cost businesses money,” says Morrison.

The cost of doing nothing

Filtering and blocking is not only a moral issue. Malware, viruses and the like are often propagated via the same dubious websites that parents and business owners are concerned about for other reasons. Sometimes inexperienced computer users wind up connecting to these sites inadvertently, either through a re-direct or by clicking on a link in an innocent-looking email. Effective and constantly updated filtering lists significantly reduce the chance of this occurring. Furthermore, NetAssure can identify when an individual PC is affected by a problem and isolate it, rather than every machine in the network needing to be shut down.

The cost of ‘cyber slacking’ to workplaces is estimated to be up to $5 billion dollars a year to Australian businesses in lost productivity alone. Studies indicate that employees with Internet access spend an average of two hours a day on non-work related browsing, with about 40% of all their web time being personal. So for an employee on a salary of $50,000, their firm is paying $12 - $20,000 per year just to let them surf the web.

To this must be added the costs of virus clean-ups and spam, as well as the potential legal risks posed by illegal downloads and offensive material distributed via workplace computers. Twenty seven percent of Fortune 500 companies have reportedly been the target of legal action stemming from claims of sexual harassment related to inappropriate e-mail and internet use. More harmful still is the potential damage that can be done to an organisation’s public credibility through the web usage of their employees. In October, a news presenter at Melbourne’s 3AW radio station missed reading a bulletin because she was engrossed in Facebook. Meanwhile Britain’s Virgin Atlantic have just sacked 13 staff for posting unflattering comments about passengers on the same social networking site.

So whilst the politicians and privacy advocates battle it out over what should be allowed through the gate, the fact is that for business users and some families, content filtering is both desirable and common sense. By switching the responsibility for filtering (and the choice) to the end users of the content, the solution becomes more robust, more efficient and more adaptable.

About NetComm

NetComm Limited is a leading developer of data communications products and services. The company offers a diverse broadband product portfolio addressing business, consumer and specialised vertical industies and through its NetAssure platform provides managed network services to customers requiring a centrally controlled VPN networking and management security system.

By using an integrated ICT suite, NetComm continues to provide leading data communication products, mobile broadband solutions and networking services to meet the requirement of Carriers, ISPs and System Integrators throughout the world.

The company has a history of sustained growth and innovation, and is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX: NTC). For more information visit www.netcomm.com.au

Media contact:

Mat Hardy

Public Relations Manager

T: +61 2 9424 2035 M: 0414 416 622 E: matthewh@netcomm.com.au