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I currently block streaming on my firewall. &nbsp;I'm getting pressure from department heads to allow streaming media as a training tool. &nbsp;My objections to allowing streaming media include open ports, bandwidth, abuse by users for personal use on company time (music, ball games, etc...), network security risks, and hardware requirements. &nbsp;Can anyone recommend reliable resources for researching the pros and cons of allowing streaming so I can come up with a well documented policy on the use of streaming media in our company?
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I currently block streaming on my firewall.  I'm getting pressure from department heads to allow streaming media as a training tool.  My objections to allowing streaming media include open ports, bandwidth, abuse by users for personal use on company time (music, ball games, etc...), network security risks, and hardware requirements.  Can anyone recommend reliable resources for researching the pros and cons of allowing streaming so I can come up with a well documented policy on the use of streaming media in our company?

Network security and streaming media

Software firewalls, also known as host-based firewalls, provide a layer of software on one host that controls network traffic in and out of that single machine. Most operating systems now include firewall software, but many available software firewalls include central distribution, antivirus systems and disaster recovery.

Software Firewalls

Cisco PIX is a dedicated hardware firewall appliance; the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) is a firewall and anti-malware security appliance that provides unified threat management and protection the PIX does not. Other Cisco devices and systems include routers, switches, storage networking, wireless and the software and hardware for PIX Firewall Manager (PFM), PIX Device Manager (PDM) and Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM).