Proxy Servers

Use proxy servers to secure and improve your network performance.
By Felicia R. Blue Are you concerned about making your network secure? Are you concerned about improving your network speed? Consider installing proxy servers in your workplace. Proxy servers offer two advantages. You can set up your proxy server as a firewall, thus blocking you from connecting to the Internet. In addition, think of proxy servers as storing and forwarding information; you set up your web browser to use the proxy, but it never connects to the website address. The browser instead connects to the proxy server and the proxy server obtains the URL you want.

Proxy servers also allow you to block or filter content that you don’t want your employees to see. For example, many schools and libraries use this technology in order to prevent students from looking at certain websites. You can use hardware as proxy servers, but many are software-based. Online proxy servers can:

1. Improve your network performance

2. Use an anonymous proxy server to secure your network

3. Provide reliability

Set up web proxy servers

Use web proxy servers as a web cache to block content coming in from websites that you don't want your employees to see. Do you use mobile devices, like cell phones or PDAs (personal digital assistants)? A web proxy server can rearrange your web pages so that they work for these devices. It also improves your network performance because it stores all of your results from requests for a period of time. The proxy server does not forward the requests to the web server. When the web server wants the request, the proxy server will send it to that server. Since the proxy server resides on the same network as that of the web server, it improves your network.
Try:  Use SafeSquid, a web proxy software. Use this proxy server software to authenticate your users, connect to third-party software, set up caches, and create tailored reports.

Use an anonymous proxy server to surf the Internet anonymously

You can install an anonymous proxy server or web server to record web surfing. These web-based proxy servers hide your IP address when you are on the Internet. Using an anonymous server conceals your digital ID. Instead, you're using the server's address. Logging into one of these proxy sites prevents websites from acquiring or collecting personal information about your unique address. You can manage cookies to block others from monitoring your network traffic.
Try:  Check out following proxy sites: WebWarper provides antivirus protection in addition to surfing the Internet anonymously. It also can speed up your Internet access. You can also check out Guardster, another Internet proxy software. This Internet proxy server software allows you to disable cookies, scripts, and images.

Install your web proxy server as a firewall

Protect your network from hackers by installing a business proxy server as a firewall. The proxy server intercepts the traffic coming from the Internet. It then takes the traffic and routes it to the correct user. You'll need plenty of RAM and hard drive space for caching.
Try:  Check out Microsoft’s Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server). ISA is both a firewall and security product that protects web servers. ISA works on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2.

• Take advantage of free web-based proxy servers. If you want to surf the Internet anonymously, check out Anonymouse or FilterSneak. FilterSneak enables you to manage scripts and cookies, evading web filters.