In GFI WebMonitor, application control is configured through the unified policy system. You can configure policies specifically for application control, or you can combine application control with other filtering technologies in the same policy.

All you need to do is drag the application container to the policy panel, and the related controls will show up. Through these controls, you can select an application or applications category that the policy will apply to. The rest of the policy configurations allow defining other filtering options, the scope of the policy, the actions, as well as exceptions and notifications - all in a similar drag and drop manner. Once the policy is saved, GFI WebMonitor will start controlling the access of the configured application to the internet.

For example, let’s build a policy that blocks Google Drive: click on New Policy, enter a name and a description and configure the policy to block. Since the policy applies to everybody by default, you do not need to configure a scope unless you want this policy to apply to certain users or IP’s only. Next, drag in Applications and enter Google Drive in the edit box. Click on Add and Save. The policy is up and running.

If you try to access Google Drive, you will be greeted with a Block page from GFI WebMonitor. At the same time, the Google Drive client is now unable to connect to the Internet.