Harness the Power of Web-based Applications while Mitigating Risks

Because of the proliferation of web-based applications and mashups, many web sites include a combination of content and features that cannot easily be categorized or managed. IT departments cannot simply block access to them without seeing a significant spike in help desk requests, yet businesses lack an efficient way to precisely control and enforce policy around discrete applications and operations.

To address this challenge, Blue Coat Systems has introduced enhancements to its web security solutions that provide advanced application controls, more granular content ratings and actionable intelligence to deliver detailed visibility into and precise control over web-based applications on the network.

“With the introduction of the Blue Coat Web Application Policy Engine, Blue Coat delivers the advanced web application and operation controls businesses require to effectively manage social media and other web-based applications,” said Cosby Coleman, Systems Engineer and Blue Knight, Milestone Systems. “Blue Coat has also enhanced its Reporter platform to deliver visibility into web application and operation usage through detailed, drilldown reporting that helps IT managers set effective policies with these new controls.”

More Flexible Web Security

With the Blue Coat Web Application Policy Engine, businesses can set and enforce policies by specific application, operation and category for a diverse group of applications. For example, businesses concerned about unintentional data loss could block a user’s ability to post messages on social networking sites while still permitting access to the sites and other operations. With the latest updates to Reporter, businesses now have actionable intelligence about the use of these specific applications and operations, giving IT managers the information they require to more effectively control the traffic on their networks.

“Blue Coat adds new applications and operations to the Web Application Policy Engine on a monthly basis to ensure customers have the relevant controls to manage critical web applications. The Web Application Policy Engine and relevant policies are automatically updated as new applications and operations are added,” said Coleman.

Blue Coat WebFilter enables businesses to manage web content on the network by separating it into 84 categories. To help businesses effectively manage dynamic web content and mitigate new and evolving web-based threats, Blue Coat has added four new categories: Spam, Dynamic DNS Host, Child Pornography and Informational.

“The four new categories more accurately reflect today’s web content and the ways it is being used, enabling IT managers to set and enforce granular policies based upon business requirements,” Coleman said. “For example, Blue Coat Security Labs has increasingly seen malware attacks that utilize dynamic DNS services. Creating a separate category for these types of web sites allows IT managers to easily block potentially risky content. The Informational category allows IT managers to set more flexible policies in line with corporate policies. A company, for example, could allow access to sites that provide lottery results without allowing access to gambling sites.”

Advanced Network Application Visibility and Control

A new version of the operating software for its Blue Coat PacketShaper appliances adds an intelligent structure to auto-discovered applications and web content categories, making it easy to instantly understand application usage. The new software also doubles the capacity for managing remote sites using an existing PacketShaper 12000 appliance. PacketShaper appliances uniquely combine the ability to see and manage web and non-web applications, web content and web threats.

“With the ‘classification by URL category’ functionality, PacketShaper appliances provide instant awareness of web content, including web threats, though integration with the cloud-based Blue Coat WebPulse service,” Coleman said. “Version 8.7 of the PacketShaper operating software adds an automated hierarchical grouping of applications and content to quickly monitor and control social media, business-critical applications, business data, web threats and other groupings. It also includes updated classifications for CIFS, H.323, SSL, Skype and HTTP.”

A new version of the Blue Coat IntelligenceCenter central reporting solution for PacketShaper is also available. The IntelligenceCenter 3.2 release adds greater interactivity to the real-time dashboard; new reports for link and class utilization, network efficiency, VoIP metrics, and trend analysis; and the flexibility to define reports by business hours.

“Application visibility and control is increasingly critical now that typical web usage consumes over 50 percent of a company’s network, and video and aggressive applications can easily incapacitate business-critical applications,” said Steve Daheb, chief marketing officer and senior vice president, Blue Coat Systems. “PacketShaper appliances provide full visibility of applications, web content and web threats, combined with strong bandwidth and application controls to bring network usage in line with business priorities.”

To start you discussion on how Blue Coat Systems can give you more control, contact us at ask@milestonesystems.com or 877-771-9510.

Milestone Systems, Inc. is especially proud of Cosby Coleman:  he was inducted into Blue Coat’s Blue Knights professional engineering group in 2011. This high achievement is reached by only a few people each year. The Blue Knight program recognizes, develops and rewards an elite group of systems engineers among Blue Coat’s resellers who demonstrate technical leadership and a passion for Blue Coat products. Once inducted, a Blue Knight agrees to participate in Blue Knight Round Table forums, share experience and expertise with other members, and contribute to the technical community. Not many network integrators employ such high caliber engineers, and we are honored to have him on our team. CONGRATULATIONS to Cosby!