The Internet costs employers 9.6 billion GBP a year in lost worker productivity (PricewaterhouseCoopers). And a recent SurfControl/NOP survey found that almost 30% of office workers in the UK admit to sending racist, sexist, pornographic or other discriminatory e-mails while at work. Despite many businesses now laying down strict guidelines on Internet use at work, it would seem many employees still do not take into account the serious repercussions Internet misuse can have to themselves and their company.
With an estimated 15 billion emails now sent worldwide every day, and with most people's inboxes now flooded on a daily basis, inappropriate use of e-mail and the Web is a serious concern for businesses. Companies are increasingly looking to e-mail and Web filtering software as a way of protecting against security breaches, increasing employee productivity, and protecting against legal liability, all of which can be potentially devastating to a company's reputation and resources.
When monitoring software was first introduced there was some concern over employee privacy, but the hype soon died down when people realised that Internet use in the workplace, like any other resource, needs to be managed. Sophisticated filtering software is actually less intrusive than it may initially seem. SurfControl's latest version has a Virtual Learning Agent that intelligently identifies company-specific information, meaning that the level of monitoring can be adjusted to be as high or as low as the company warrants, to protect against loss of confidential information or corporate reputation.
At the end of June 2002 the Information Commission's Employment Practices Data Protection Code is to be republished and revised in favour of greater e-mail privacy. Among the new measures the Code recommends are that e-mail and Web monitoring should not be used across the enterprise, but instead as a 'spot check' measure. It also suggests that businesses ought to implement manual checking of employees' computers.
It seems likely that this will infringe more on workers' privacy, as random spot checks could create an unpleasant Big Brother atmosphere in the office and employees could feel singled out as offenders.
From a security perspective, SurfControl believe that controlling access to the Web is imperative for guarding against excessive Internet misuse, viruses and network crashes, by restricting downloads of potentially damaging files. The cost of clearing up after viruses and/or information leaks can be financially crippling for a business. A recent survey found that 84% of all confidential information loss comes from inside the company, either by damaging emails sent wilfully by an errant employee, or as in the majority of cases, an unfortunate mistake. Either way, companies simply cannot afford the risk.
Under European Union law any content submitted to and sent via e-mail has the same legal status as a letter written on company letterhead paper. Therefore anything inappropriate written in e-mail and sent from a company address can mean the company is held liable. In January last year, The Royal and Sun Alliance in Liverpool sacked 10 members of staff for distributing offensive emails, and there have been countless other damaging examples.
An essential way of informing your workforce on correct use of Internet and e-mail is to draft an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Under the government's Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIP) any company that wants to monitor employee communications must provide staff with a comprehensive document outlining how they are expected to use the Internet in the workplace and explaining what monitoring will take place.
To download SurfControl's free guide entitled 'The guide to developing your company's Internet Acceptable Use Policy' please click on the following link on SurfControl's website. (www.surfcontrol.com/business/resources/)
SurfControl plc
Riverside
Mountbatten Way
Congleton
Cheshire
CW12 1DY
Tel: 01260 296 172
Fax: 01260 296 151
E-mail: surfinfo@surfcontrol.com
Web: www.surfcontrol.com
Ten Alps Communications Ltd t/a Sovereign Publications
Copyright ©
2008 Sovereign Publications
