A leading provider of internet and email security is warning businesses and individuals to protect their network stability when the Beijing Olympics starts.

According to the chairman of NetBox Blue, John Fison, businesses have good reason to be concerned.

“I think it’s almost inevitable that when Grant Hackett dives into the pool for the final of the 1500 metres, thousands of Australians will be streaming the event on their computer. The consequences for a business network are massive," he said.

“To make sure that patriotic enthusiasm doesn’t bring down the whole network, we recommend establishing a clear policy and managing internet use during the Olympics, rather than blocking it entirely,” Fison added.

NetBox Blue has seen a surge in category web filtering, live reporting and traffic shaping technology as managers try to protect applications and stop their networks from being overloaded by continuous streaming of Olympics coverage.

“Put a television in the staff room during the Olympics so people can watch some of the Games when they grab a coffee. That way they don’t need to be clogging up the network downloading coverage onto their computer,” said Fison.

His top tips for avoiding an Olympics network meltdown include URL filtering to block certain sites, category web filtering, reporting tools to see which employees are spending time on non-work related websites and traffic shaping to prioritise network traffic.

NetBox Blue provides organisations with the tools to protect their network from internal and external threats, control data leakage and ensure staff use the internet productively.