DynaComm i:filter

Most organizations want to limit user access to objectionable, inappropriate, or nonproductive Web and FTP sites, and may even be liable to lawsuits if they don’t take active measures to block such behavior. Although ISA Server can grant or block access to specific domain names or URLs, no customer has the time and manpower to maintain up-to-date lists of these sites. To make content filtering feasible, vendors have created content filtering software that categorizes potentially inappropriate material (as, for example, adult, chat, criminal, or gambling), and they either maintain databases of categorized sites or create heuristic models that can dynamically detect such material. Some products work in conjunction with the firewall to block the desired categories, while others work independently.

In Feb. 2006, Microsoft announced the purchase of the DynaComm i:filter product from FutureSoft. The DynaComm i:filter came in two forms: an independent server application and a plug-in to ISA Server. Both can monitor, filter, block, and log Internet access by comparing Internet requests with a Master Destinations Database of more than 9 million categorized Web sites. Prior to the purchase, FutureSoft maintained the Master Destinations Database, which the company continuously updated. Customers received updates from the Master Destinations Database to their Central Destinations Database through the DynaComm i:filter Subscription Service. The deal includes the Master Destinations Database, which Microsoft will maintain in the future. Microsoft has not disclosed whether the subscriptions would be bundled as part of the ISA Server license or be sold separately.