 |
 |
|
By Don Reisinger on 2011-12-20
With the holiday season upon us, the amount of stress floating around your office right now is probably at a tipping point. It’s natural throughout the year for employees to engage in personal activities while at work but there’s nothing like the year-end holiday season to ratchet up the distraction level. Whether it’s checking on shipments or shopping online, there are typically far more distractions in the office in December than there are any other times of the year. For you, that means security and productivity issues could become a problem. Some CIOs decide that rather, than deal with those problems, they will block access to shipping services, such as UPS, and the ecommerce sites that use them. But that’s a pretty Grinch-like move. For one thing, workers will likely opt to access those sites from their smartphones or tablets. Even worse, they might try to find their way around the firewall and use your network to access Amazon, eBay, or countless other shopping sites. So, the best thing to do when it comes to holiday shopping activities in the office is to manage it with education. Here’s what you need to tell your employees about shopping online.
|
|
|
- of
Use Only Reputable SitesThe last thing you need is for employees to think they’ve found a great deal on a product featured on an unknown Website, only to discover that their personal information has been stolen and your network breached. Going to reputable sites means the difference between safety and trouble.
The Same Goes For Mobile AppsRemind your smartphone users that they should only download applications they’ve heard of before or that come from a reputable source. Too often, employees get coaxed into downloading a malicious application. Don’t let that happen to you.
Don’t Trust EmailDuring the holiday season, emails promoting too-good-to-be-true deals on hot products are everywhere. Teach your employees to not trust any emails, no matter how appealing their offers might sound.
Social Network PitfallsWith social network use hitting all-time highs, malicious hackers and cybercriminals are taking to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media to target users. It’s difficult to completely block access to social networks, so inform employees that clicking on links in Facebook or Twitter can cause serious trouble for your company and for them.
Productivity Still MattersBe sure to tell your employees that they still have a job to do. So, as much as they might want to do all their holiday shopping at work, they need to first get their jobs done. Only after that should they even consider surfing to shopping Websites.
Remember Use PoliciesGive your employees a refresher course in what your technology use policies are. Explain to them (again) why these must be followed.
Secure Networks Are Just A StartYour employees might think that just because they’re in the office and the network is secure, they don’t need to worry about sharing their credit card information over the Web. That’s a mistake. Secure networks will help out with only half of the connection; the other half relies upon the security of the site the employee is visiting.
We’re Watching YouA little fear isn’t a bad thing. Tell employees what you expect of them, and inform them that you have the ability to see what they’re doing online. If they’re surfing to the wrong sites, or not getting work done because they’re shopping online, let them know there will be consequences.
Do It At HomeIf you really want to play it safe, tell your employees that online shopping is not welcome at work, and attach real consequences if your policy is ignored. The security threats are real. And the last thing you need is a network breach because an employee couldn’t resist that email offering a great deal on an Apple iPad.
|
| FEATURED SPONSORED VIDEOS | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IT Management 
Apple's MacBook Pro: 10 Reasons It Belongs in the Workplace
10 Ways to Develop Your Tech Talent
10 Products Apple Should Launch In the Next Year
With More Budget Comes Greater Responsibility for CIOs
CIOs and Lawyers: A Match Made in Heaven or Hell?
Writing Effective Email: Resist These 10 Cardinal Sins
