Image Blocking iShield® can block any porn image displayed in Internet Explorer with a customized replacement image.

URL Logging iShield® records the URLs of pornographic web pages. The iShield® administrator can view a log of these pages.

Popup Warning iShield® can trigger a warning message when it detects a web page containing pornographic material, and the end-user knows that the incident has been captured.

URL filters only restrict access to known pornographic web sites and are dependent on the list of known web-sites being up to date. This dependency is important since there are about 100,000 new pornographic web-pages being placed on the Internet each day. iShield® does not use any lists of known pornographic websites, it analyses each web page individually, finds pornographic images and then blocks them.

It is unique software capable of monitoring events happening within the browser.

iShield®'s locates areas of interest in each image using colour analysis. Next a series of techniques are applied, namely contrast normalization, skin-colour analysis, texture-analysis, edge-detection, blob-detection, shape analysis, brightness-flow analysis, and face detection. The results of these image processing techniques are fed into a neural network to make a decision on the image. Next the text is recovered from the web-page and analysed. The results of the text-analysis and image-analysis are combined to make an overall decision.

When iShield® detects suspect material being displayed on a browser it automatically records the event in a log file that can be reviewed by the administrator. Next, if the image blocking mode is switched on, then iShield® replaces pornographic images with a non-pornographic one.

iShield® has a control panel accessible through a password. This control panel allows the administrator to

• Turn iShield®'s detection engine on and off
• Select the degree of pornography on which an image will be blocked
• Select which of the three modes of operation, namely: Active Block, Active Warn and Passive Mode is active
• View the report log containing the URLs of pornographic web-pages visited by the end-user
• Change the administrator password.

Note that in the first mode of operation, the Active Block mode, the image is replaced with a non-pornographic image. In the second mode, Active Warn mode, a message box pops-up when pornography is detected to warn the user that they are being monitored. In the third mode, the Passive Mode, the incidences of pornography are recorded but no action is taken to warn the end-user or block any images.

iShield®'s detection engine is designed to reduce the risk of false triggers, but occasionally iShield® may block non-explicit images in part due to the inherent subjectivity of what constitutes pornography. To alleviate this problem the pornographic level can be manually adjusted from iShield®'s control panel.

Firewalls are perfect for stopping external access to your systems but don't and can't control, monitor and report what is being viewed using the web browser.

No, we don't encourage this. Your existing software provides a basic level of protection. Our software adds a much higher degree of monitoring and control within the web-browser.

None noticeable in operation.

URL filters only restrict access to known pornographic web sites. ScreenShield® Enterprise protects users from any image displayed on a computer, regardless of its source. It detects images from all sources such as Internet, CD-ROM, DVD, hard drive, floppy disks, email messages, embedded documents and movies. Although the prime source of illicit materials, the downloading of pictures from the Internet is only one of many ways in which pornography is distributed, displayed and circulated without detection.

ScreenShield® Enterprise's sophisticated, content-based, detection engine scans the computer screen, analyzes displayed images for skin tones, and checks for a range of criteria that are typically associated with pornographic images.

When ScreenShield® Enterprise detects pornographic content displayed on a computer screen, it records the time and date of the event, logs the Web site address, and captures a thumbnail image of the computer screen. This information along with the name of the user's computer is saved to a central log file. This process creates a complete audit trail which the management can use to enforce company policy.

You can customize ScreenShield® Enterprise's monitoring levels to suit your organization's requirements. ScreenShield® Enterprise offers three modes of operation that determine how a client PC is monitored. They are Passive Mode, Active Warn Mode, and Active Lock Mode.

In Passive mode, the system detects and monitors suspected pornographic content silently. In Active Warn mode, the system displays a warning message that advises users that they might be watching pornographic content, which is not allowed in the organization's computer facilities.

The most sensitive mode of operation is Active Lock. Active Lock blocks offending images immediately and locks the PC until a supervisor reactivates the machine. Active Lock mode requires the more management supervision. This extra supervision requires responding to calls for supervisor help to unlock computer screens. These calls often come from users not even remotely involved with surfing porno sites.

The Active Lock mode is therefore not recommended for corporate, government, or large enterprise use. You can manage your enterprise networks effectively by choosing either the Passive mode or the Active Warn mode. Active Lock is ideal in situations where you have young children surfing the Internet and strict supervision is required. In this scenario, teachers or parents are at the ready to unlock machines that could expose children to unwanted words and images.

ScreenShield® Enterprise offers multiple options to prevent pornographic content from being displayed on the PC screen. These options allow you to set the level of protection that is right for you.

For example, Active Lock Mode blocks offending images, locks the machine, and logs the event in a central log file. The locked machine can't be reactivated until a supervisor unlocks it. Active Warn Mode detects offending images and sends a warning message to the user when pornographic material is detected.

Depending on the threshold level you set for the system, ScreenShield® Enterprise will flag images that are not explicit. This is because the ScreenShield® Enterprise's detection engine is designed to identify flesh tones, and as flesh tones can appear in almost any image, the system does its job and flags the image. However, ScreenShield® Enterprise applies advanced algorithms and analytics to reduce this risk, so the incidence of unnecessary flagged images is kept to a minimum. You can adjust the sensitivity threshold on the Image Detection tab of the Profile Properties window to suit your company policy.

Yes, because you can display a ScreenShield® Enterprise icon in the Windows Task Bar of each personal computer. This icon is a visible and permanent reminder to users tempted to view pornographic content.

ScreenShield® Enterprise Remote Administration application allows you to individually scan the hard drive of each client for any videos and images present in the hard disk. Since the scan drive process requires considerable system resources it is recommended that the scan drive function is performed in non-peak hours.

To scan the hard drives of a machine, follow these steps:

1. Open the Remote Administration Console.
2. From the Display Panel, select the client PC you want to scan.
3. Right-click on the highlighted icon. The context-sensitive menu appears.
4. Select "Start Scan Drives" and Click on your desired scanning options.

ScreenShield® Enterprise enables the administrator to ensure users are aware of the computer usage policy that the organization might have in place. This is done by displaying a message when the user logs on to the client PC.

To customize your ScreenShield® acceptable use policy, follow these steps:

1. Open the Remote Administration Console.
2. From the Main Menu, click Tools > ScreenShield® Policy. The ScreenShield® Policy window will appear.
3. Modify the Policy.
4. If you want the policy to be shown upon logon to every machine ScreenShield® client is installed, check "show policy on startup".
5. Click "Save Policy" to save the new policy.
6. Click "Close" to exit the window.

To add a website to blacklist or whitelist, follow these steps:

1. Open the Remote Administration Console.
2. To add a website in Blacklist, from the Main Menu, click Tools > URL Blacklist. The URL Blacklist window will appear.
3. To add a website in Whitelist, from the Main Menu, click Tools > URL Whitelist. The URL Whitelist window will appear.
4. Click "Close" to exit the window.

To check status of offline machines, follow these steps:

1. Open the Remote Administration Console.
2. From the Main Menu, click Tools > Check Offline Machine Status.
3. The window will appear with list of any machines that have illegally terminated, uninstalled ScreenShield® client. Icon at the Display Panel will also show an Alert for those machines.
4. Click "Close" to exit the window.

ScreenShield® Enterprise facilitates the upgrading of ScreenShield® Enterprise clients with the package provided by Guardware or your vendor.

To update the client machines follow these steps:

1. Open the Remote Administration Console.
2. From the Display Panel, select the client PC(s) you want to update.
3. Right-click the highlighted icon(s). The context-sensitive menu appears.
4. Select "Update Client". An update window will appear.

Specify the location of the client executable, which can either be in the form of a file in a shared directory or from a URL. On pressing the Update button ScreenShield® Enterprise will automatically install the new version of the client on the selected client PCs.

To perform a quick scan of internet activity, we recommend that you check the web browser cache area as a first pass. For example, check the Temporary Internet Folders folder.

Firefox removes the filename extension when storing files in cache, thus you will need to use the 'regardless of extension' setting for scanning Firefox caches.

Yes, our image analysis software is very effective but not 100% accurate.

The number of images that are returned as a result of the scan depends on many factors, but we can state that on average FAF will incorrectly identify one image every 100 images scanned. On a PC that has 10,000 images the report may have up to 100 images that are not adult content.

FAF saves the report and each image found to the USB drive. Each PC scan may use anywhere from 1 MB to 10 MB of storage on the USB drive.

You can typically store 20 to 50 reports on the USB drive. Reports can be moved to another storage device or deleted if additional space is required.

Every 5 seconds FAF extracts a video frame from the movie file and analyzes them for adult content.

FAF will analyze all images and text that appear on the web page to determine if a page contains adult content.

You are automatically registered to receive technical support when you purchase iShield® online

Through our website or by phone. Visit the Policy Statement page to read our support policy.

To uninstall iShield® follow these steps:

Windows Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Add / Remove Programs -> iShield®

Windows Start -> Programs -> iShield® -> Uninstall iShield®

iShield® starts automatically whenever the Windows desktop starts.

You can turn off iShield® by selecting the Disable option in the Detection Engine panel within the General tab.

The iShield® license is only valid for one computer. Hence, you will need to purchase an additional license from our online web portals or contact your ISP.

The Guardware Product Update Manager offers you several options for getting periodic software updates. These update options include daily, weekly, or monthly. The Guardware Product Update Manager is free and is installed along with iShield®.

Yes, iShield® works for all computers irrespective of the connection speed or delivery method.

No. iShield® allows you to choose different options for different age groups. For example, Active Block, Active Warn, or Passive all have different levels of protection.

Yes, iShield® filters all the content rendered within a web browser.

iShield® blocks any pornographic content delivered in your Web email files, including attachments.

You can retrieve your password by answering the personal question which you supplied the system with when you registered your software. If you answer the question correctly, the system emails you your password.

If this occurs regularly with a particular site that you know to be acceptable, you can add that Web site address to the White List.

If this occurs sporadically across a number of sites, you can try decreasing the image analyzer stringency criteria by moving the slider to a lower setting; e.g., from Safest to Safer.

If this occurs regularly with a particular site, add that Web site address to the Black List.

If this occurs sporadically across a number of sites, you can try increasing the image analyzer stringency criteria by moving the slider to a higher setting; e.g., from Safer to Safest.

You can turn off iShield Plus® by selecting the Disable option in the Detection Engine panel within the General tab.

The iShield Plus® license is only valid for one computer. Hence, you will need to purchase an additional license from our online web portals or contact your ISP.

iShield Plus® may occasionally classify an acceptable image as being pornographic. If the blocking of acceptable images occurs within a supported browser when viewing a particular website that you know to be non-pornographic, then you can add that website address to the White List.

If the blocking takes place outside a supported browser, in other words the whole screen gets blocked, then you can reduce the sensitivity of iShield Plus® by changing the detection settings.

If the above does not help and you are running iShield Plus® in Active Mode, you may need to switch to Passive Mode in which iShield Plus® just logs suspected incidences of pornography without blocking anything.

If no pornographic pictures at all are being blocked by iShield Plus® then please check that the iShield Plus® is Enabled and that you are running iShield Plus® in Active Mode.

For most users, the default iShield Plus® settings should be sufficient to provide the protection against pornographic content whilst minimizing the number of false triggers. However, if you need a greater protection again pornography then you may need to tailor the detection settings to match your individual requirements.

If iShield Plus® is causing your PC to run at a noticeably slower speed then it is possible that the processor is spending too much time monitoring the PC for pornographic content. To reduce the time the processor spends monitoring the PC decrease the Priority Boost setting.

The messages "Logged Screen" and "Locked Screen" in the Report Log relate to incidences of suspected pornographic content. If no thumbnail image is displayed then either the thumbnails have been removed manually or iShield Plus® was unable to save the thumbnail to the hard disk. If you suspect it is the latter, then try freeing some space on your hard disk or clear the Report Log if you have a large number of incidences in the log.

It is recommended that you check the Report Log once a week to monitor iShield Plus® activity. In Passive Mode the PC is not locked upon detection of a suspect image and so your only method for finding out whether users have been viewing pornographic images is to regularly check the Report Log for triggers. Even in Active Mode the Report Log should be regularly checked to ensure that a user has not attempted to access the iShield Plus® control panel by guessing your password (Incorrect PC password error).

You are automatically registered to receive technical support when you purchase

ScreenShield® Enterprise through our Web site or by phone.

For technical assistance, please contact our technical team at: support@guardware.co.uk

ScreenShield® Enterprise does not activate until you enter your Activation Key on the Registration page. Select the Click the Register button on the Control Panel start up screen to bring up the registration page.

You will receive a 32 digit numeric license key when you purchase your ScreenShield® Enterprise application from Guardware or your software vendor.

The ScreenShield® Enterprise ID is the 32 digit numeric license key and the user name associated with it.

A Profile is a setting that you can apply to a single client PC, a group of client PCs, or an entire department. It allows you to set the detection engine sensitivity, mode of operation, and customized messages. Profiles determine how the ScreenShield® Enterprise Client application operates. You can configure different profiles for different group of users. ScreenShield® Enterprise allows you to create an unlimited number of Profiles.

Trigger level is the sensitivity level you set in the Image Detection panel of the Profile Properties window. You set the trigger level by adjusting the Image Detection regulator to a high or a low level of sensitivity. The sensitivity level controls the Detection Engine on the client PCs you have profiled. The Detection Engine analyzes images displayed in the browser and determines whether the image is pornographic or not based on the sensitivity level you have set. When the level you set is exceeded, the system triggers a response, such as recording the incident in a log and warning the user with an on-screen message.

To prevent accidental or malicious removal of the ScreenShield® Enterprise Detection Engine, the ScreenShield® Enterprise Client is not included in the 'Add/Remove Programs' list. Thus the normal method of uninstalling the application, using the Add/Remove Programs application will not work. You need to use the ScreenShield® Enterprise Remote Administration Console to uninstall the ScreenShield® Enterprise Server.

The ScreenShield® Enterprise Detection Engine starts up when you install the Client application. However after installing the Client, a dialogue appears asking you to restart the system to complete the installation.

The ScreenShield® Redirection utility is used to move or redirect a client from one server to another. This ability is very important in a segmented network where the clients must be explicitly told the server's IP as the client is unable to receive the broadcast messages from a server residing on a different network segment.

You can navigate to the Guardware Product Update Manager by choosing Start > Programs > Guardware. You can set the update frequency to immediate, daily, weekly, or monthly.