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Vendor Landscape: Web Content Filters

Protect your network from threats coming in and getting out.

Last Revised: June 20, 2012

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Your Challenge

  • Picking the right Web Content Filter (WCF) for an SME is less about features and more about usability and affordability. These products are mainly commoditized, so the true differentiation between products is how intuitive operating the tool is, and how well it fits into a budget.
  • It is possible to find a WCF solution that is not a tremendous investment and also a strong product. The market is truly competitive in these areas, with some standing out more than others.

Our Advice

Critical Insight
  • WCF has existed since the 1990s. Since then the products have increased the granularity of their controls on new threat areas like social media. These tools now allow administrators to drill down into employee usage of apps on websites such as Facebook, and micro-block content like stopping the use of individual games.
  • Another key growth area in WCF solutions is they acknowledge that employees are becoming more remote than ever, but they still require the same protection. Remote filtering is now an important advanced feature.
Impact and Result
  • While WCF solutions have become similar in their feature sets, enterprises must still consider support options and vendor stability when evaluating these products. It is imperative that the products be updated on a regular basis through support, and with such a commoditized product, enterprises should consider aligning themselves with a more established vendor.
  • Info-Tech’s framework for selecting a delivery method and short-listing vendors will help you save time by ensuring you only evaluate the vendors that fit the organization’s WCF needs.

Get to Action

  1. Understand the WCF market space

    Identify WCF solutions, their capabilities, and cost.

  2. Review WCF solutions

    Build a shortlist of best-fit WCF tools for the enterprise.

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2 Comments

  • Missing_comment
    Andre Bremault | 12-12-2012

    Any chance Palo Alto Networks will be added to this landscape in the near future?

    • 9eb6a2810126f534ebf65557616f34d1_comment
      Info-Tech Research Group | 12-13-2012

      Thanks for your comment. Our Web Content Filtering Vendor Landscape is focused on those solutions that offer dedicated capabilities in this area. Palo Alto Networks PA line of appliances do not fit this definition as they offer a far broader set of capabilities. These devices fall into the category of Next Generation Firewalls or Unified Threat Management devices and have been included in that evaluation.

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Protect your network from threats coming in and getting out.

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Solution Road Map

Other Solution Sets in Data Security

  1. Build a Data Security Strategy
    When locked doors just aren't enough: security measures that protect your data directly.
  2. Vendor Landscape: Web Content Filters
    Protect your network from threats coming in and getting out.
  3. Vendor Landscape: Data Loss Prevention
    Plug the leak and protect your intellectual property with the right DLP solution.
  4. Vendor Landscape: Endpoint Encryption
    Encryption from endpoint to endpoint, mobile and more.
View the full Solution Road Map