How to Monitor Your Staff's Internet Usage

Monitoring your staff's Internet usage can improve productivity.

Are you concerned about how your staff is using the Internet while on the job? According to recent studies, about a quarter of a company's employees spend time on the Internet that is not business related. They may be doing personal email, online shopping, research or much worse. While they may not realize it or think about it, they are misusing a company resource, reducing the overall productivity of the company and exposing the company's network to potential security threats. There are several things that you as a manager or business owner can do to monitor and minimize personal Internet use by your staff.

Instructions

1. Roam the halls, and spend time with your employees in their offices or cubicles. If your staff knows that you may be walking around the area at random times, they are less likely to be engaging in prohibited activity, just from the fear of being caught. You may be surprised how many people seem to change the screen abruptly when they realize you are nearby. This will give you an idea of whether you need to adopt further measures immediately, or if you have time to make gradual changes.

2. Implement a written Internet use policy and educate your staff on its purpose, its contents, and its penalties for violation. Also, let them know you will be monitoring Internet activity. This is a critical step to take before monitoring, finding you have a problem, and trying to take action. Firing someone for Internet abuse without a written policy in place could make it easy for a terminated employee to file a suit for wrongful termination.

3. Implement a firewall on your Internet connection. This will allow you to block the kind of traffic that tempts an employee to waste time, such as video and music traffic. A firewall examines and optionally blocks outgoing and incoming traffic, allowing you to protect your internal network from outside attacks, and also preventing your staff from putting your network in jeopardy by visiting dangerous websites.

4. Implement a content filter on your local area network. Content filters allow you to block access to categories of content, such as sports sites, shopping sites, and pornography sites. Simply not allowing your staff to go there goes a long way toward preventing misuse of your Internet connection. These filters also provide logs for your review, so that you can see which sites your staff members are attempting to access. Review these on a regular basis, weekly or monthly, and investigate and take appropriate action when there is a violation.

References

• Buzzle: The Internet Abuse
• Connections-USA: Employee Internet Use
• Microsoft: Why you need a company policy on Internet use
• Netaddiction: Employee Internet Abuse -- Risk Management Strategies and Their Effectiveness

Resources

• Computer Security-Principles and Practice; William Stallings; 2008
• Network Security Risk Assessment; Chris McNab; 2004