Although BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is a landscape that is constantly in flux, developing a policy for BYOD security is a critical first step in stabilizing this environment.  Businesses and institutions need to understand that there are many things that they can do to create a strong security policy. This can be accomplished by realizing that there are a number of fundamental policy concepts that can provide a framework that will accommodate the changing landscape.

Since employees desire to use all manner of mobile devices in the workplace, security is the primary concern. Consequently, the policy must work hand in hand with the security measures that are enacted by the IT department. Although the goal is to clearly define those devices that can be used and how they can be used in the workplace, IT departments must work in partnership with other major departments and C-suite level players to make these determinations.

Not only should the BYOD policy clearly define accepted devices as well as the resulting security policy for each, they must also describe the security software requirements as one of the security that would be in place. Its best to choose a software solution that can allow remote monitoring, blocking and filtering of the activities on a wide variety of devices as well as respond to Apps, private clouds, Wi-Fi networks and remote desktop services. Continue reading→

Advanced Research of Technologies, Inc. to distribute Pearl Echo in Japan

Exton, PA – November 17, 2016 – Pearl Software, Inc. announced today it has entered into a distribution agreement with Advanced Research of Technologies, Inc. (ART).  ART will distribute Pearl Software’s Internet visualization and filtering products in Japan.  Pearl Software is an industry leader in the cyber security space and holds several patents for its ground breaking real-time, remote Internet monitoring and control technologies.

“Pearl Software is a leader in the US cyber security market and I believe that the products are going to be the industry standard in Japan based on their unique approach to securing user Internet access. We are pleased to provide our partners and the market with comprehensive Internet visualization and filtering solutions with the complete line of Pearl Software’s products,” said Yasunobu Kudo, president and CEO of ART.  Continue reading→

Do you own or run a business, school or government agency which uses Skype or another Instant Messenger program? Wishing there was an easy way to monitor, filter and block what users are doing on Skype? With Pearl IM.Echo you can! At Pearl Software, we specialize in creating programs that help keep people safe and productive while on the clock, ensuring that your business, school or agency is running as smoothly as possible.

While Microsoft Office 365 has some reporting tools for Skype, there is a lot to be desired. Many business owners don’t want to waste they money or time looking through communications online, luckily with IM.Echo you no longer have to. IM.Echo can actually block sensitive files or even data from ever being sent via your network, ensuring that your customers and employees are always safe. IM.Echo also has built-in reporting that can let you know what your users are doing while on the computer and even who they are talking to. Continue reading→

Pearl Echo now includes a built in web crawler for quick and accurate creation of your custom white lists.

To see how to use this new feature, check out the Video tutorial #6 here – www.pearlsoftware.com/products/pearlEcho/quicktour.html

Last year Senator Grassley launched a probe to investigate reports that the National Science Foundation violated federal laws by approving use of taxpayer money for “unallowable expenses,” including alcohol, lobbying and extravagant parties.

A few years prior, the same Senator Grassley had his sights set on the NSF after hearing reports of the inordinate amount of employee time spent on explicit Internet activity.  Reports indicate that one NSF senior official was discovered to have spent 20 percent of his day “viewing sexually explicit images and engaging in sexually explicit online ‘chats’ with various women.”  Another employee was reported as having video chats to enable his on-the-job sexting.  The NSF has since implemented Web Filtering software. Continue reading→

Today, most businesses rely on having fairly unrestricted access to the Internet as a tool in bottom-line productivity. Without balancing that unrestricted access with the use of web monitoring software for employee computer and network users, the bottom line benefits to open access quickly erode. Here are some of the things that can happen without web monitoring and filtering software that lead to costs that outweigh the benefits of open access.

Web monitoring software for your business is actually about safeguarding your network, assets, investment and reputation. One of the chief ways that businesses can get burned without web monitoring software is by having a compromised network where data loss will likely occur.

When employees access compromised sites or download infected files, they can compromise the network and put proprietary data at risk. Even one computer that is infected with malware, toolbars, adware, and other “add-ons” can spread throughout the network and cause system instability. Once inside a network, worms can spread fast, and that one user’s misstep on the web impacts everyone and the daily operations of the business. The cost in time and money to get things back on track is always more than any business wants to expend. Continue reading→

Pearl Echo expands web filter technology to lock-in adult content filters provided by popular web search sites.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 11, 2017

Pearl Software, the inventors of real-time, mobile Internet monitoring and web filtering has released Safe Search enforcement as a component of its web filtering capabilities. Google, Bing and Yahoo Search provide optional search settings to filter out inappropriate and adult-oriented content from their search results. Pearl Software’s latest Echo cybersecurity products ensure Safe Search is enabled and not circumvented by the end user.

“Using their web browsers, end users have the ability to easily disable their search engine’s Safe Search setting,” said Pearl Software CTO, Joe Field. “Because Pearl Echo does its work on the user’s device down at the network layer, Pearl Echo can be configured to override the user’s settings, ensuring that Safe Search remains on.” Safe Search uses the search provider’s proprietary technology to filter a fair amount of inappropriate material and adult content. For this reason, Safe Search enforcement is just one aspect of Pearl Echo’s blended approach to web filtering. Continue reading→

An online scammer recently tried to dupe the daughter of a Pearl Software employee.  The scammer was double-crossed, revealing his true country of origin, source IP and ISP.  The FBI is now involved.

For many small businesses, the lure of selling end-of-the-year inventory on eBay or Craigslist is tempting. The problem is that these sites can be littered with scammers looking for unprotected sellers that are not highly cautious during the holiday season. What follows are a
few of the biggest scams that can cost businesses serious money and aggravation.

A scam that often occurs during the holidays is fake buyers who will complete the purchasing process through PayPal for items from a small business. Once the honest seller sends the item, the scamming buyer files a dispute or chargeback with PayPal saying that he or she never received the merchandise. This is dangerous because, in most instances, PayPal will side with the buyer if the seller has failed to take precautions. Continue reading→

Terminating an employee for poor performance or misconduct is not simple. If inappropriate employee Internet usage supports your decision to remove an individual, it is important that you dot your “I’s” and cross your “T’s”. The more documentation you have supporting Internet usage, the more likely you will be to prevail should an ex-employee file a wrongful termination suit against your company.Continue reading→

Three Part Blog

Part 2: The Internet and Employee Liability

In the previous article, we looked at productivity concerns related to employee use of the Internet. In this article we turn our attention to liabilities managers must consider when employees use company resources to access the Internet. So what new liabilities have you brought upon yourself since your company decided to connect to the ‘Net?

The term “hostile workplace” conjures up images of screaming supervisors publicly berating employees. Now, Sally walks past Fred’s cubicle and Fred has a provocative YouTube clip running on his screen. Then Fred, who has always had a weird sense of humor, email broadcasts an off-color joke that he thinks is a riot. Most of the recipients in the office think Fred’s joke is marginally funny, if that, but Sally, who is miserable to begin with, is now sent over the edge and decides to retire by slapping a hostile workplace lawsuit on you. Sound like an exaggeration? The Internet has broadened the definition of sexual harassment. Edward Jones, one of the world’s biggest brokerage firms, issued a memo demanding its workers disclose if they sent pornography or off-color jokes over the brokerage’s e-mail system. Forty-one employees who confessed were disciplined, but 19 who failed to come forward were fired. Continue reading→