Websense Enterprise^® Bandwidth Optimizer™ enables organizations to reduce and optimize network bandwidth resources by allowing prioritization of network traffic. Bandwidth Optimizer (BWO) automatically manages network traffic in real-time to ensure that business-critical applications are given priority to network resources, including the capability to temporarily disable non-business related traffic as network usage thresholds reach certain levels.

Internet threats pose bandwidth problems

Streaming audio, streaming video and peer-to-peer file sharing are placing increasing demands on network resources.

Alarming bandwidth statistics:

• More than 72% of Internet users do more than just peruse Web content. Popular Internet activities now include bandwidth-intensive music downloads and video clips.
• 44% of corporate employees use streaming media.
• 74% of weekday Internet radio access takes place between 5am and 5pm.

While some network traffic is easy to classify as non-critical to business, much of it, including streaming media, may be either work-related or non-work-related. Therefore, Internet management policies that simply block all bandwidth-intensive applications at the corporate firewall may be counter-productive.

The Bandwidth Optimizer solution

Bandwidth Optimizer provides a sophisticated Internet management system for the allocation of network bandwidth in an enterprise employee computing environment.

BWO enables a network administrator to:

• Set lower network bandwidth thresholds for non-business-related Web sites, such as shopping and entertainment, and higher thresholds for work-related sites.
• Manage network bandwidth allocated to instant messaging sites by setting thresholds that vary by specific users or groups, allowing chatting when ample bandwidth is available.
• Manage network bandwidth allocated to streaming media by blocking bandwidth-intensive streaming media applications when network capacity is limited.

Key features

Flexible filtering options - Set network bandwidth limits by network protocol or Web site category. For example, block new requests for RealPlayer^TM when total network utilization surpasses 75% but continue to allow Windows Media Player^TM for the marketing team at any time. Network bandwidth thresholds can also be set for custom protocols and URLs.

Multiple network bandwidth limit types - Bandwidth Optimizer supports two types of real-time thresholds on protocols and Web page categories:

• Limit-based outbound network traffic - Denies new requests for bandwidth when total outbound traffic exceeds a pre-defined threshold. For example, allow access to shopping-related Web pages until total network utilization reaches 80% or allow streaming media when total traffic is less than 50% of total bandwidth.
• Limit-based per-application bandwidth usage - Deny new requests when the total bandwidth being used by a particular network application exceeds a pre-defined threshold. For example, allow employees to use Microsoft^® Windows Media^® Player until the bandwidth used by Media Player traffic exceeds 20% of the total Internet connection.

When a network bandwidth limit is reached, Websense Enterpriseautomatically disallows only new requests until bandwidth drops below the required threshold level, allowing business-critical Internet applications to run at full speed. Existing network connections are unaffected.

User- and time-based policies - Set different network bandwidth limits by user, group, workstation, network and time of day. For example, during business hours, a company's management team may be given a higher bandwidth threshold than the sales department, however, everyone is allowed full access after 5 pm.

Dynamic policy enforcement - Websense Enterprise automatically monitors network bandwidth levels and dynamically allows and denies network application requests. No administrative intervention is required.

System requirements

• Deployment of the Network Agent in Websense Enterprise

Hardware:

• Pentium III or greater with 512 MB RAM running Microsoft Windows^® 2003, Windows^® 2000, Windows^® NT 4 Server, or Red Hat Linux 8 - 9
• Sun Ultra 10 or greater with 512 MB RAM running Solaris 2.6 - 9