LateralAccessDevice

Features: LateralDNS

LAD's DNS services include LateralDNS, a tool which gives you the ability to monitor the use of domain names and permit or deny resolution of specific domain names based on the MAC address of the requesting device, providing an elegant way to block the web content and services that you don't want. LateralDNS further incorporates day of week and time of day scheduling, so that domain name resolution may be blocked at one time but allowed at another.

Problems that arise out of domain name services are difficult to detect, but not in the way that you might think. It is a very good idea to monitor the resolution of the DNS requests coming from the computers on your business's network, so you know who is going where and using what internet resources. Most importantly, with LAD's LateralDNS you block domain resolution on demand or on a schedule to increase security in a flexible way that allows your computer users to go where they are permitted (and not go where not) without administering time-consuming or expensive firewall updates. And you can monitor DNS requests if you have any security or privacy concerns. The best part is that LateralDNS works seamlessly with the devices you already have on your network — its operations are invisible to the clients.

In practical terms, this is an effective and convenient way to limit the reach of any computer out into the world wild web to only the websites, web content and web services you deem necessary and safe. For example, you could allow the shipping computer access to UPS, FedEx and USPS (so that it can do its job) and nothing else (so it would be difficult for rogue websites to compromise it). It is as easy as entering the USPS, FedEx or UPS domain names into the LateralDNS domain name settings and selecting which computer the restrictions apply to. Additionally, you could block all domain names after hours, to prevent your shipping computer from moonlighting.

For home users it is even handier. LateralDNS gives parents an easy and practical way to shut down access to all domains after bed time. Or, limit a school computer's use to the specific school and educational domain names needed for schoolwork during school hours. Or, disable social networking except for a few specific hours each day. Even if you choose not to restrict access to domain names, LateralDNS lets you monitor usage, reporting on each computer's website visits, including when and how often (and if a problematic pattern emerges, see above).

LateralDNS's domain resolution controls also provide a way to address the secret spying and web tracking conducted by various websites and ad networks across the Internet. Deny them domain name resolution and their secret spy widgets can't call home with information about where you go on the Internet. You can easily find out which ones to block by checking the DNS logs and putting them on the list. As a result, the websites you want to visit will still work, but without the ads' tracking.

Also, don't forget about malware and viruses. Hacker's have discovered that domain names are handy, too, and frequently use them. But, if your computer cannot resolve the hacker's domain name for the malware requesting it, it throws a monkey wrench in its attempts to call home to the hacker's command-and-control server.

If you would rather be safe than sorry, the simplest approach would be to disable all the domain names all the time, except for the ones that you know you want to visit. It makes for a very convenient way to browse the parts of the Internet you wish to see without the Internet browsing your hard drive.

Read more about LateralDNS technology.

Other LAD Features

• SIP server and VoIP PBX: Fully integrated VoIP calling via SIP protocol, with a number of practical call flow processing features.
• Wi-Fi for 2.4Ghz, 5G and 6G: Full support of the latest Wi-Fi 6E for both 5G and 6G wi-fi networks plus the mainstay 2.4Ghz band lets you connect, protect and manage a wide range of Wi-Fi clients [read more].
• Wireless Router: In addition to all its other features, LAD serves as a great wireless router, able to operate in all three bands, whether as a triband, dual-band or [read more].
• Lateral Firewall: Thousands of sophisticated rules let you control specifically what is allowed and what is not allowed, down to as granular a level as you like, with device-specific, date-specific and time-specific variability [read more].
• Date & Time Scheduling: Want your computer to disconnect at the end of the day, when you do? LAD's scheduling features let you cut off Internet access partially or fully on a schedule of your choosing [read more].
• LateralDNS: Simplify and streamline the blocking of unwanted online content and services using domain names for consistent and reliable results [read more].
• Packet Capture: LAD's packet capture feature lets you capture as much or as little of the Internet and network traffic as you like. This information comes in handy should a network incident require investigation [read more].
• NAT: Network address translation obscures private/internal IP addresses from the public internet, so that only the Internet-facing IP address is used for communications leaving the private/internal network.
• DNS: LAD's DNS services monitor and control domain name resolution with no intermediaries, making you impervious to DNS-based exploits and vulnerabilities [read more].
• Switching & Routing: LAD provides switching and routing services, meaning you can plug all of your devices directly into your LAD without an intervening switch or router.
• Local Access Control: Locally you can limit which devices on the network can talk to each other and with the Internet, as well as specify the types of communications allowed [read more].
• Automatic Activity Report: LAD generates reports every eight hours, giving you an overview of your network traffic, plus individual graphs on bandwidth usage for each device on your network.
• LateralTime: Use LAD's LateralTime feature to sychronize the devices on your network to the same time.
• Network Management & Monitoring: LAD provides a number of tools for network management and troubleshooting, including ping monitors, Wi-Fi monitoring, LAN and WAN activity monitoring, new device detection and individual client management.

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