How to Practice Safe Computing in the Workplace

When it comes to computer safety, most of us think of viruses, hackers, worms, and ad/spy ware. What most of us tend to take for granted, especially at work, are simple things like leaving our workstations to take breaks with our computer screens in plain view to any passersby. If you have your own office with a lock and key, this may not be a huge issue, but in this day and age of pods, cubicles, and other open workspaces, there are risks. In this article, I discuss simple, common sense computer safety tips in the workplace.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Discipline

1. If you use a screensaver at work, and you have administrative rights to your computer, set up the screensaver so that you are prompted to enter your password the next time you start using it.
2. When taking bathroom breaks, snacks, lunches away from your desk, or get called into the boss' office, lock your computer workstation. Use the good old three finger salute CTRL+ALT+DEL and press Lock Computer! This guarantees that no one can gain access to your workstation while you are away from your desk.
3. Most company computer policies require users to change passwords every so many days. When changing your passwords, do not write new passwords down on post it notes and then stick them on your workstation wall or top of your computer monitor.
4. Lastly, never leave for the day without at least logging off from your workstation.