Imagine you are a network administrator who needs to monitor and control the network activity of hundreds or thousands of users in your organization. You want to ensure that your network is secure, compliant, and efficient, but you also want to respect the privacy and preferences of your users. How can you achieve this balance without spending hours on tedious manual tasks or compromising performance and reliability?
Here is where User-Based filtering and reporting come into play, a powerful feature of Zenarmor. In this blog, let’s understand how you can empower your network security with User-Based reporting. Whether you are a network administrator, a security analyst, or a business owner, User-Based reporting can help you achieve a higher level of security, compliance, and efficiency for your network.
Understanding User-Based Filtering
User-based filtering is a feature that allows you to create and enforce security policies based on the identity and role of each user in your network rather than just their IP address or device. User-based filtering is essential for network security. Because it enables you to:
- Block and control unauthorized or misbehaving applications and websites that may threaten your network or violate your organizational standards.
- Prevent data leakage and malware infections by restricting access to sensitive or malicious content based on the user’s clearance level and need-to-know basis.
- Optimize bandwidth usage and network performance by prioritizing or limiting the traffic of specific users, groups, or departments according to your business objectives and network capacity.
- Comply with regulatory and organizational standards by applying consistent and auditable security policies across your network, regardless of the user’s location, device, or connection type.
How does User-Based Filtering work?
Zenarmor's user-based filter elevates network security with precision and transparency. User-based filtering integrates with popular user directory databases such as Microsoft Active Directory (MS AD). These databases store information about the users in your organization, such as their name, email, password, group membership, and role. Zenarmor can synchronize with these databases and use them as the source of truth for user authentication and authorization. Zenarmor can also integrate with OPNsense Captive Portal, a feature that lets you capture users' credentials who connect to your network through a web browser. This way, you can identify and apply security policies to users not registered in your user directory database, such as guests or contractors.
Figure 1: Policy configuration for user-based filtering on Zenarmor
Benefits of Premium User-Based Filtering
You might be wondering what benefits you can get from upgrading to the premium version of Zenarmor. Premium user-based filtering offers you several advantages that can enhance your network security and efficiency. Here are some of the benefits offered to maximize the efficiency of your control over your network security:
- Unlimited filtering capabilities: With Premium, you can create as many user-based security policies as you need without any limitations on the number of rules, criteria, or actions. You may also change the level of importance and sequence of the regulations depending on your unique requirements and preferences.
- Enhanced reporting features: With premium user-based filtering, you can access more advanced and detailed reports and dashboards showing the network activity and security events of each user, group, or department in your organization. You can also schedule automatic reports and alerts for your email or other channels.
- Improved network security: You can leverage the AI-based cloud threat intelligence of Zenarmor to protect your network from advanced zero-day attack campaigns that use encryption or other techniques to evade detection.
- Better content control: You can block and control unauthorized or misbehaving applications and websites that may threaten your network or violate your organizational standards. You can also use application control and policy-based web filtering to manage the access and usage of various applications and websites.
- Time-saving and efficiency: With Premium, you can save time and resources by automating and simplifying your network security management. You can easily integrate Zenarmor with your existing user directory database, such as MS AD, and use it as the source of truth for user authentication and authorization. You can also use the OPNsense Captive Portal to capture the credentials of users who connect to your network through a web browser.
It is vital that we equip ourselves with the latest network security measures to protect our digital environment from rapidly evolving threats. Premium user-based filtering can help you take your network security to the next level with granular control and visibility.
Exclusive Integration with MS AD and OPNsense
Zenarmor’s exclusive integration with MS AD and OPNsense is a game-changer for network security. It allows you to:
- Identify and authenticate users across your network with ease and accuracy. You can use MS AD as the source of truth for user identity and role, and OPNsense Captive Portal to capture the credentials of web-based users.
- Enforce consistent and auditable security policies across your network with flexibility and efficiency. You can create and apply user-based policies based on various criteria and actions and customize the priority and order of the policies.
- Monitor and analyze each user's network activity and security events with clarity and detail. You can generate user-based reports and dashboards that show you the data in various formats and schedule automatic reports and alerts.
This integration gives you a complete and comprehensive solution for user-based filtering and reporting that can enhance your network security and efficiency.
How to Get Started with User Based Filtering
To get started with user-based filtering, you need to upgrade to the premium version of Zenarmor.
Here are the steps to do that:
- Choose the plan that best fits your needs and expenditure after comparing the features and plans. Three plans are available: Home, SOHO, and Business. You must select Business for MS Active Directory or Captive Portal integration to get the benefits of user-based filtering.
Figure 2: Zenarmor Plans Page
- Under the plan you would like to invest in, click the Buy Now option. Once you submit the necessary billing information and payment approach, you will be taken to a safe checkout page.
- Activate your license key by entering it in Zenarmor’s web interface. You will see a confirmation message that your license is valid and activated.
- Also, you can upgrade your existing subscription via Zenconsole.
- Enjoy the Business features of user-based filtering and reporting. You can access the user-based filter settings from the Policy Configuration menu in Zenarmor’s web interface.
Zenarmor - Network Security with Precision and Control
Zenarmor's User-Based filtering and reporting offer an effective solution for network administrators and business owners seeking enhanced security, compliance, and efficiency. With its seamless integration with Microsoft Active Directory and OPNsense, as well as the option to upgrade to the premium version for advanced features, it empowers users to achieve granular control and comprehensive visibility over their network. This robust tool equips them with the tools necessary to tackle evolving cybersecurity challenges.
