Web Traffic Control's other features are pretty standard. It offers detailed monitoring, time-based control periods, and the ability to manually define specific sites as either acceptable or unacceptable. The product works as a proxy server, making it easy to roll out to a wide set of users, even those outside of the company network. However, as a proxy server, it monitors traffic less effectively than products based on network-sniffer technology, such as Elron Software Inc.'s CommandView Internet Manager and Kansmen Corp.'s Little Brother, which can monitor all forms of Internet access. Sniffers see all network traffic, including FTP, newsgroups and e-mail.
Proxies monitor only the traffic that goes through a Web browser.
Setting up users on Web Traffic Control is as simple as autoconfiguring their browser settings or chaining the Web Traffic Control proxy to another proxy server. Web Traffic Control uses RuleSpace's Contexion technology to analyze textual material, images and links in a page to size up its content. According to RuleSpace, the product builds a knowledge base over time to refine its analysis capabilities for greater accuracy. Customers cannot customize the product's analysis methods or criteria but can adjust its sensitivity. Assessment of each of the seven factors can be set to maximum, medium or minimum, or be turned off.