How to set up a proxy for MySpace for your business

When people hear the term proxy in connection with MySpace they usually think about the websites that will unblock MySpace so that you can access it from work. While this is true the reasons proxies were created was to actually help business by reducing the amount of network traffic on the businesses intranet and to increase the security of the company by blocking access to certain websites and filtering content online.

Depending on what you want your proxy to do, decides what type of proxy you are going to want to set up. Setting up a basic proxy does not take much time or know how, but the more complicated proxies require some time and a good understanding of proxy servers. For the more complicated proxies you are probably going to want to hire a person to install the proxy on your network or have your IT department do it. The basic proxy set up is something that you can do yourself with a little help from some knowledgeable internet sites.

The first thing you need to do is to purchase the software. There is a huge variety of proxy software so what you as a business owner or manager need to do first is to research the types of software so you can make an educated decision on what will work best for your company.

Once you decide on which software you want to run you need to install that software onto your network server. This ensures that the proxy will run on every computer in your business. If you simply install the software on one computer it will only run on that computer, leaving the other computers unprotected.

Next you need to set up the proxy to work with your web browser. Depending on which browser you use will determine what you need to access to set up your proxy. Most people happen to use Windows Internet Explorer to access the internet so here are the steps to set up your proxy with Internet Explorer.

Step one:
Make sure you are connected to the internet and start Windows Internet Explorer.

Step two:
Click on "Tools" and choose "Internet Options". Once the "Internet Options" box appears click on "Connections" tab.

Step three:
This step depends on if you connect to the internet through a dial-up connection or a local area network, DSL, Cable or any other type of connection besides dial-up. If you are using dial-up make sure that your Internet service provider is selected and click on "settings", under the "dial-up settings" section. If you are using DSL, Cable, or any other type of connection click "LAN settings", under the "LAN settings" section.

Step four:
Once the "Internet Service Provider Settings" or "Local Area Network (LAN) Settings", depending on the type of connection you have, box opens ensure no boxes are checked. If "Use automatic configuration script" is checked you need to contact your system administrator before going on. If "Automatically detect settings" is checked simply uncheck it. If "Use a proxy server" is already checked you are probably already using a proxy server. Otherwise you need to check "Use a proxy server".

Step five:
Click on "Advanced". This will open up the "Proxy Settings" box.

Step six:
If there are already entries in these boxes then you are already running on a proxy server, so you do not want to go any further. Simply cancel out of all the windows and contact the software company. If there are no entries then you want to be sure that the "Use the same proxy server for all protocols" is not checked. If it is you need to uncheck it.

Step seven:
Enter in the HTTP address that you are given with the software and the Port number that you are given as well. These can vary depending on the software being used.

Step eight:
Once you have completed all of the above steps you need to click "ok" in the proxy settings box, the settings form box, and in the internet options box. And you are done.

When you are setting up a proxy for your business you are helping to protect your business because your IP address will not be broadcast to everybody. By setting up a proxy you can also restrict access to MySpace and other sites you do not want your employees to use.

Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)

---

Categories: Technology Management,

Help others find this article:
Socializer, Digg, del.icio.us, reddit, StumbleUpon

Favorites: Add to favorites
Tags: setting_up_a_proxy businesses_and_MySpace business_proxies installing_proxies