Which websites do Czech companies block most often?

71% of companies monitor reports on their users' web activities

 PRAGUE, November 14, 2017 – According to a survey by GFI Software, a provider of enterprise network security solutions, Czech SMB companies most often block their employees' access to social networks and gaming websites when it comes to corporate internet access. They are concerned about private activities during working hours mainly due to lost productivity, the potential infection of the corporate network with malicious software, or web connection congestion.

The local survey, conducted in September 2017, showed that only a small proportion of small and medium-sized companies do not restrict their employees' access to the corporate web in any way and tolerate their private activities during working hours. More than two-thirds of businesses generate statistical reports on users' web activities within the corporate network. They are driven to do so primarily by the current situation involving ransomware attacks and, increasingly, by the approaching effective date of the GDPR personal data protection regulation.

Key survey findings:

• Czech SMB companies primarily block employee access to social networks (68%), gaming websites (54%), websites with adult content (46%), and streams (43%).
• They most commonly use statistical reports on user activities (71%), bandwidth usage (32%), and categories of visited websites (26%).
• Respondents see the main motivation for securing their networks against web threats in protection from ransomware (57%) and ensuring compliance with the GDPR regulation (43%).
• In terms of solutions for protection against web threats, they are most interested in ensuring network integrity (53%) and website filtering (33%).

“The October ransomware attack showed how easy it is for data across an entire computer network to be encrypted because of one careless user clicking on an infected website containing a supposed update,” said Zdeněk Bínek, responsible for sales of GFI Software solutions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. “It is certainly reasonable to allow employees some private distraction during working hours, but SMB companies should retain control over productivity and security, whether through time limits or restrictions on access to certain websites. From May 2018, the costs of remedying the damage caused by a web attack may also include a fine for violating the GDPR regulation.”

In this area, GFI Software offers SMB companies the GFI WebMonitor solution for managing web access and bandwidth, and the Kerio Control solution for unified security of corporate networks, including a network firewall and website content filtering.