The first and most important step to take is having an acceptable use policy. The policy should be very detailed about what is allowed and what is not. It should also be enforced at all times and to everyone. This seems obvious, but too many companies don't have any regulations about how their employees are expected to use the Internet, and they are putting themselves at great risk. The policy should include "where employees go (on the Internet) and what they say about the company no confidential or proprietary information, nothing that violates the company harassment policy".
Another suggestion is a pop-up box on computer screens reminding employees of the rules stated in the policy. It could come up before employees can log onto computers or before they can access the Internet.
To take protecting the company a step further, installing a firewall or intelligent router that blocks certain sites such as YouTube or facebook can be helpful. It could be configured to allow employees access to those sites only at certain times of the day, at lunch time, for example.
If still more action is necessary, application systems are available that can monitor all Internet activity, as well as filter content and restrict access to sites. These monitoring systems, such as SurveilStar, can be as affordable as $70, which is so much less than it could cost a company to do nothing. A list of features of SurveilStar can be found here.
Erica Blackwell
Implementing a detailed and thorough policy for employees in the workplace would be an effective way of monitoring the use of the internet for businesses. Employees should limit their use of the internet to avoid the invasion of their privacy while in the workplace. Blocking certain sites in the workplace might be helpful to businesses but could cause employees to slack off or put in less effort when performing their tasks.
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