Catherine Hernandez
Software Assessment Unit 4, Week 7 
Q766 Technology Leadership
10/10/05, Anita Phipps

Filtering Software Evaluation
Compare and Contrast Filtering Programs

Company Name: Content Watch
Filter Software: Content Protect
Version: 2.0
Requirements: PC 133mzh, Win2000 or XP, 128mb RAM, 25mb HD space  

Surf Control: Testers found that surf filtering was highly effective
Comments: Over-blocking and under-blocking were minimal with the most trouble being in foreign language sites.

Customization: Good customization features
Comments: Specific sites can be blocked
	
Chatguard/IM/Email: Fair communications filtering and monitoring.
Comments: Content Protect offers chat monitoring and IM, email and news blocking. These should be sufficient tools to customize instant communications.
		
Time limit: Good support
Comments: Time limits can be set in individual profiles.

Other Features:
Content Protect had two innovative features: 1) Remote reporting and configuration, 2) Can issue warnings as well as blocks. This was the only application I located that could issue a warning as well as a block.

Company Name: Solid Oak
Filter Software: Cyber Sitter
Version: 9.0
Requirements: any Windows, 2mb HD space  

Surf Control: Good
Comments: Surf settings are broad and affective. Activity is emailed in the form of logs and alerts.
			
Customization: Excellent 
Comments: Allow blocking of specific sites as well as TCP/IP addresses.
	
Chatguard/IM/Email: Excellent
Comments: Chat, IM, Email, News can all be blocked.
			
Time limit: Good
Comments: Time limit usage can be set according to individual profiles.

Other Features:
When a site is blocked is can be presented as a blank window. More work is needed to make the blocked site known to the user in an appropriate way.

Comparison and Recommendation:

Cyber Sitter and Content Protect were both evaluated by ZDNet and that was the primary source of information used for this report. These applications ranked at the top of the list for ZDNet. http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/  Both of these are highly effective tools to control exposure to inappropriate internet materials for children. The biggest differences in these applications is that Content Protect has less robust “communications” filtering for email and other online communication methods while Cyber Sitter is weaker with its reporting tools Also according to the ZDNet review, Cyber Sitter needs to improve its “block notification” method.

Taken altogether, I feel that the reporting features in Cyber Sitter are adequate, and the “blank page” when a site is blocked are acceptable shortcomings. Given growing concerns about email, chat and instant message applications being used by predators, I feel that the weaker control on those services by Content Protect is unacceptable. 

I give my recommendation to Cyber Sitter by Solid Oak.