Why MSPs should Implement DNS-layered Web Filtering for their Clients

Posted by C Jones on Fri, Nov 2nd, 2018

How many of your Managed Services clients filter their web traffic?  MSPs that aren’t offering web filtering services to clients are missing out on a viable income stream.  Web filtering is an essential element in a well-constructed multi-layered security strategy.  The following key findings from 2018 Spiceworks’ research highlight this:

• 90 percent of IT departments restrict web access to protect against malware/ransomware infections that threaten the enterprise
• 89 percent of organizations block or limit the use of one or more online sites such as social media, streaming services or online shopping
• 84 percent of organizations use web filtering to prevent users from visiting inappropriate sites
• 66 percent of organizations restrict online sites to avoid legal issues and compliancy violations
• 57 percent implement web filtering sensitive corporate data from being compromised
• 46 percent use web filtering percent to maximize bandwidth and improve network performance

The Benefits of Web Filtering for your Clients

The research clearly shows that larger companies (more than 1,000 users) implement stricter internet usage policies as a greater percentage of them block user access to many categories such as gambling, online dating, instant messaging and streaming.  The end results substantiate this practice as only 28 percent of employees spend more than four hours per week on websites unrelated to their job, compared to 45 percent in mid-size businesses and 51 percent in small businesses.

While managing web activity for users is important to many organizations, security is the paramount concern and the primary reason to implement web filtering.  Spiceworks’ research showed that 38 percent of organizations experienced one or more security incident originating from non-work-related sites over the course of twelve months.  The most common security incidents involved personal webmail services (15 percent) and social media channels (11 percent).  Obviously the lack of some type of web filtering policy increases a company’s vulnerability to cybersecurity threats.

Why a DNS Filter is best for you

Research shows that a web filtering solution pays for itself by preventing devastating cyber threats that constantly probe at your customers’ networks (as well as helping with worker productivity).  So what type of web filtering solution should you choose for your customers?  When it comes to MSP’s, the best choice is a DNS-Layer Filtering solution.

• No Hardware - The last thing you want to involve yourself with is having to deploy and manage a new appliance, whether it be at your data center or at the location of your customers.  A SaaS DNS-Layered cloud based solution such as WebTitan is a perfect choice for MSP’s to deliver web filtering services to their customers as no hardware setup or configuration is required at all.  For those MSPs that prefer on premise solutions, WebTitan can be deployed through an ISO or virtual appliance which again means no hardware.  The VM takes up very little drive space as well.
• Hardware Independent - You have multiple customers, which means multiple types of devices and operating systems that you have to support.  With a SaaS filtering solution such as WebTitan, hardware and OS compatibility is irrelevant.  A simple route is added to you or your customer’s router configuration. This simply forwards all traffic to the cloud based filter.  Because there are no agents or clients to install for on premise machines, installation issues are nonexistent. 
• Many of your clients like to see some type of reporting from you concerning their network.  Reporting allows you to show them how your services contribute to the performance of the organization and the security of its enterprise.  The reporting suite of WebTitan offers total visibility concerning all web traffic for your customers.  This can help you bring added value to your clients by identifying problematic users and trends that may be affecting network performance.

Providing web filtering as a service for clients does not have to be complicated and labor-intensive with minimal net margins for MSPs. It’s now possible to seamlessly incorporate a suitable and cost-effective web content filter for MSPs into existing client packages, as well as to attract new business from companies seeking a fully managed Internet content filtering and Wi-Fi security product.

A cloud based solution takes the filtering processing off site, ensuring that it doesn’t affect non web traffic that hinders performance and generates unnecessary tickets that consume your time troubleshooting.  What’s more, WebTitan was created with the MSP in mind, meeting all requirements for the SMB marketplace that predominantly makes up your business.

WebTitan is a DNS-Layered Web Filtering solution that gives your customers increased security and productivity, along with insightful information that can improve performance.  At the same time, it provides added value for your customers that can serve as a strategic advantage over your competitors and provide additional revenue streams.

Get in touch today to find out more about our MSP Program and how you can benefit from competitive pricing strategies and aligned monthly billing.
More news abour DNS filter