Why all IT Departments should monitor internet usage
Security Conscious – Monitored Internet Usage in Business
Using a software system to monitor internet usage was once seen as the reserve of large Companies and not much of a concern to smaller Companies. But, this is no longer the case with the increase in usage of social websites, not forgetting the associated risks.
A reduction in productivity and time wasted on non-work related activities such as video streaming is just one of the reasons why more and more companies are driving the implementation of monitoring and filtering of their internet usage.
A decision driven by a need to reduce any non-productive time within the office.
Social Media
Many of us are familiar with walking into an office and seeing members of staff quickly minimising their internet browser because they were on: –
- eBay
- checking their personal email accounts.
We all know that people conduct a large part of their social, financial and personal lives via such sites so it understandable that unrestricted access at work will tempt people to access such sites.
There are people that aim to exploit “back doors” within computer networks. This is why viruses and malware exist that target FaceBook apps and web-based email accounts. Companies invest large amounts of time and money in protecting their core systems. Viruses can often enter their networks due to Users opening unsafe attachments from personal email accounts or visiting compromised websites.
Solution
To implement internet monitoring software that will help protect from threats via scanning for malicious websites and preventing access to anything that will compromise the network.
Prevent members of staff wasting their time browsing non-work related sites. Widespread browsing within a Company is a drain on Company bandwidth, especially when accessing content rich sites such as FaceBook and YouTube, which can lead to other issues.
Monitoring
Providing a sensible level of personal use effective solutions allow settings to be configured. Downloading large quantities of data is then restricted by time periods.
Some organisations may see the monitoring of internet usage as being intrusive; however, there are valid legal, productivity and security reasons as to why it should take place. Properly managed and configured monitoring solutions will help maintain a good balance between the needs of the Company and its members of staff taking a short break to check their emails or updating their social network status.