News
WinProxy Delivers on Promises
Polka your way around the Internet.
Here’s the problem: you need to get on to the Internet to buy tickets
to next Saturday’s Polka Fest. Unfortunately, Susie, your beloved, is
hours deep into an online Scrabble game and she can’t just quit so you
can do the Chicken Dance. If only you had WinProxy, all would be bliss.
Here’s how I’ve configured networks connecting to the Internet via cable
modems, ISDN and DSL with WinProxy. I’ll select one PC to act as the WinProxy
box. This PC can continue to do other work on the network; it is, however,
the LAN’s access point to the Internet, so it must remain powered-up any
time a connection’s needed. In this PC there are two network cards: NIC
A is attached to the Internet, NIC B is attached to the LAN. During the
install, you’ll tell WinProxy which card is which. The install process
will also allow you to set any ports you may want to open, types of Web
content you want to filter out, and confirm your IP settings.
Once WinProxy is installed, you can tweak as many settings you’d like.
For example, you can determine when certain users or groups can use the
Internet connection and what they can access. You can also filter out
activities like chat or e-mail.
WinProxy includes a six-month subscription to Trend Micro’s anti-virus
service. This centralized anti-virus approach ensures that all incoming
data is scanned before any viruses get onto your LAN. Be aware, however,
that after six months of the anti-virus service you have to start paying
for a subscription to continue using it. Fees for the anti- virus service
range from $29.99 for one year for a three-user connection to $7,200 for
two years with 250 users.
WinProxy also installs a trial version of Secure Computing’s Smart Filter
Basic service. This service provides filters to block objectionable content.
Again, after six months you have to pay a fee to continue using this service.
These fees range from $29.99 for three users for one year, to $3,800 for
250 users for two years for a more sophisticated filtering service.
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| WinProxy lets you configure filtering on an application-by-application
basis. (Click image to view larger version.) |
WinProxy licensing is available for three, five, 10, 25 and unlimited
connections and ranges from $59.95 for three connections to $799 for the
unlimited version. If you want to try before you buy, you can download
a trial version of WinProxy from www.winproxy.com.
Do I recommend WinProxy? Absolutely. Not only because I use it in my
home and have installed it for several clients, but also because it delivers
on its promises. See you at the Polka Fest.
About the Author
Joseph Phillips, MCSE, MCT, CTT enjoys Windows 2000, Windows NT, and old-fashioned subnetting. Joseph serves as a consultant and trainer. He is an author of several books covering topics ranging from Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure, Windows 2000 Security, and the A+ Certification Exam.