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Bloxx Web Filtering Protects Users, Blocks Malware and Increases Productivity at Pall-Ex Holdings

Background

Founded in 1996, Pall-Ex Holdings has grown to become the UK’s no.1 network for distribution of palletised freight and boasts a membership of around 100 of the country’s leading hauliers. Each Pall-Ex member collects freight from customers and delivers it to the hub based near the M1 in Leicestershire, where it is sorted and loaded onto vehicles for delivery.

Through this efficient network, customers are able to send consignments ranging from single pallets to part trailer loads, anywhere within the UK or Europe. By sharing trailers with other freight bound for the same destination, haulage costs are reduced and savings are passed on to the customers.

The company’s strong and vibrant brand is synonymous with quality, reliable service and innovation, and is testament to the company’s capabilities, knowledge and experience in operating pallet networks.

The Challenge

As a freight distributor and with a growing network of member hauliers, the Internet is a key business tool at Pall-Ex. The company didn’t have a solution in place to monitor and manage Web content access and provided a separate network onsite for users to access the Web.

This approach became unwieldy to manage as users needed to have multiple PCs on their desks – one for business applications and the other for Web access. In addition, users were able to access any Website, including potentially inappropriate and productivity-draining content.

Christopher Taylor, Network Administrator at Pall-Ex Holdings explains, “We decided to look for a Web filtering solution to help us better manage Web access at the company, deliver superior online protection for our staff, reduce the number of computers and protect our network from malware.”

In the spring of 2009, the company decided to deploy a Bloxx Web Filter.

The Solution

A Bloxx 250W Web Filter, powered by Bloxx’s patent-pending Tru-View Technology dynamic categorisation engine, is delivering real-time filtering protection for over 150 staff located at the hub in Leicestershire and another facility in Carlisle.

Taylor adds, “The Bloxx Web Filter provides us with comprehensive Web filtering, monitoring and reporting so we can better manage Internet browsing activity at the company. We no longer have to maintain multiple PCs for our users, we have protected our network from becoming infected with malware such as viruses and spyware, and we can be sure our users are safe and productive when online.”

The Results

The company has been using the solution for over two years now.

Taylor explains, “We have a default Acceptable Use Policy at the company that incorporates all departments and outlines what their Web access should be. We also maintain individual policies for various members of staff who require different Internet access in order to do their job. We consult the logs and reports daily to monitor what kinds of sites our users are viewing and whether it is deemed work, personal or inappropriate use. We can then make a decision on whether to restrict these sites to non-working hours or block them completely. This gives us peace of mind that our staff are not accessing potentially dangerous Websites which can harm our network or damage the reputation of the company.”

The company has increased staff productivity and maximised IT resources with Bloxx Web filtering.

“Since we can now proactively manage the Websites staff are allowed to visit and limit access to non-work related sites during working hours, we have definitely seen an improvement in staff productivity. In addition, since we can quickly identify Websites that are using a lot of bandwidth, we can quickly adjust our filtering policies to ensure that business applications are not impacted. We have also saved a significant amount of IT management time by removing the outdated computers and controlling Internet access centrally, as opposed to managing individual desktop machines,” adds Taylor.

Installation of the Bloxx Web Filter was quick and easy.

Taylor notes, “The installation process was fast and without any issues. A Bloxx engineer came on site and knew exactly what needed to be done to ensure that our Bloxx Web Filter was installed and configured and providing the levels of user protection we were looking for. Although we have had a few technical difficulties with the system, Bloxx Support is outstanding and its engineers have quickly resolved them swiftly to a standard we expect.”

Taylor concludes, “With Bloxx Web filtering, we are delivering real-time filtering protection for over 150 staff located in our two sites which gives us peace of mind that our staff are not accessing potentially dangerous Websites which could harm our network, reduce productivity or damage the reputation of the company.”