Your organization might have already made decisions about allowing or denying Internet traffic by protocol. For example, you might allow Web browsing for your user community but block IM traffic. However, what about blocking content within the overall set of protocols that you plan to allow? For example, you might want to let your employees browse the Web, but you don't want them visiting certain Web sites. You also might want to block certain types of content from any Web site (e.g., downloads of executable programs).
These instances point to the need for content filtering: inspecting content as it comes across your firewall and making a decision about whether it should be denied or allowed. Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server is not only a stateful packet filter (letting you permit or deny entire protocols) but is also a stateful content filter. It lets you open up the content within packets traveling across your network and make decisions about what to do with them. . . .
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