What is K9 Web Protection?

K9 Web Protection was a software product developed by Blue Coat, Inc. to filter and restrict Internet access. The software was adopted by businesses to restrict employees from wasting time on unproductive websites and to prevent users from accessing malware.

What is Happening to K9 Web Protection?

K9 was sold in 2016 to Symantec and is now being subjected to “end-of-life” status, meaning that updates and support will no longer be available. The “end-of-life” status will commence on June 30th, 2019.

The official “end-of-life” statement from Symantec is as follows:

“We’re immensely grateful for the loyalty of our K9 Web Protection customers. For years, many of you have been using the award-winning K9 application to protect your computers, children, and organizations from spyware, malware, adult content and other threats and risky interactions. We’ve worked together to make the Internet a much safer place for our families and communities.

On August 1, 2016, Blue Coat, Inc. (K9’s parent company) was acquired by cybersecurity leader Symantec™.  As can be imagined Blue Coat and Symantec had a handful of similar products and unfortunately, it didn’t make sense to maintain two competing products. it was decided to “end-of-life” K9 Web Protection and focus corporate and customer attention on Symantec’s line of Norton™ products.

Effective immediately, K9 Web Protection is no longer available for purchase or download.  Technical Support for K9 will end on June 30, 2019.  Until then, support for K9 can reached via email at DL-ECS-K9TechnicalSupport@symantec.com.  We’ve also created an uninstall tool should you need help removing the application from your computer.

The key takeaways from this statement include:

“K9 Web Protection is no longer available for purchase or download.”

This statement is clear that the product is no longer available.

“Technical support for K9 will end on June 30, 2019.”

This statement is particularly alarming for users that have implemented K9 into their network as they will no longer receive support if they run into any bugs or issues. Customer support is critical for any software product as bugs need to be resolved and customers often need a hand in configuring the software settings.

“We’ve also created an uninstall tool should you need help removing the application from your computer.”

It is clear from this statement that K9 will shortly become obsolete as web browsers and filtering technologies continue to advance.

How to uninstall K9: Follow the step by step instructions on this page:
https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-uninstall-K9-Web-Protection

What is the best alternative to K9 Web Protection?

The best alternative to K9 Web Protection is CurrentWare’s BrowseControl Web Filter.

CurrentWare BrowseControl is an easy to use Internet control software that restricts Internet access and enforces web usage policies on your network. It has been primarily used by businesses and organizations that are aiming to increase workplace productivity and prevent damage to valuable computers.