Whether it is employer-approved or not, most employees who have Internet access at work will use it for non-work-related purposes at some time. According to various media research companies such as Nielson, Burst Media, and eMarketer, employee non-work-related Internet usage ranges widely from such things as online shopping and banking to instant messaging, playing games, viewing pornographic material, and gambling.
Aside from the obvious – waste of company time – there are many potential dangers for the employer if employee Internet usage is not monitored. Listed below are some of these potential problems.
- Spyware that can monitor and steal personal or business information for the purpose of identity theft or used to create pop-up advertisements (Spam).
- Employee viewing of websites that are offensive to other employees.
- Instant messaging that distracts employees from their work.
- Unintentional leaking of sensitive data to outside sources.
- Phishing exploits that can steal log-in identity passwords, credit card information, or bank account numbers.
- Malware (Malicious Software), automatically installed without the user’s knowledge, that can damage the entire system.
- P2P (Peer to Peer) applications used to share copyrighted data like music and video.
Solutions may be found through use of Internet Surveillance and/or Desktop Surveillance tools. Internet Surveillance actively monitors employees’ online activity, while Desktop Surveillance physically monitors a specific computer and every action taken by its user, even offline.
CCS can help you with questions you may have about safeguarding your business with the use of employee monitoring. Call us at 800-672-4806 or email us for more details.