Netskope Global Technical Success (GTS)

YouTube - Enabling Access Outside Office Hours

Netskope Cloud Version - 126

Objective

Allow access to streaming services eg Youtube after office hours

Prerequisite

Netskope SWG or Next-Gen SWG license

Context

Several organisations enforce strict policies around access to streaming services during the office hours due to various reasons.This policy is designed to balance productivity, security, and user needs by allowing controlled access to YouTube after office hours. It ensures that employees can utilize YouTube for personal or professional development outside of work hours while maintaining focus and bandwidth efficiency during critical operational periods. Additionally, the policy strengthens organizational security by minimizing the risks of unauthorized access, malware, and bandwidth overload during peak hours, fostering a secure and productive work environment.

Do You Know?

• Netskope acknowledges Youtube as a Cloud Application and provides a pre-defined cloud app connector.
• As of June 02, 2025 with Netskope’s Youtube predefined connector, customers can exercise control over the following activities:

Configuration

Note : To allow access to Youtube after office hours customers can make modifications in their existing policies. The policy in this document is for intention of demonstration only.

To create a policy to allow access to Youtube after office hours, please use the steps below -

• Realtime protection policy

Path: Netskope Tenant UI >>> Policies >>> Real-time Protection >>> New Policy

• To configure the time interval, click the “+” icon as seen below:

• Set the time period of your Organization’s working hours and hit “Save”

• Your final policy will look like this -

Verification

When employees try to access Youtube during work hours, they will receive the following notification and their access will be blocked

Note - User Notification format used above Link

Author Notes

• Always test the above policy on a subset of users before rolling out in production.

Terms and Conditions

• All documented information undergoes testing and verification to ensure accuracy.
• In the future, it is possible that the application's functionality may be altered by the vendor. If any such changes are brought to our attention, we will promptly update the documentation to reflect them.

Notes

• This article is authored by Netskope Global Technical Success (GTS).
• For any further inquiries related to this article, please contact Netskope GTS by submitting a support case with 'Case Type – How To Questions'.