Subscribe
  • Home
  • /
  • TechForum
  • /
  • Internet misuse: In the current economic climate can companies afford to throw away hard earned revenue?

Internet misuse: In the current economic climate can companies afford to throw away hard earned revenue?


Johannesburg, 11 Apr 2002

Most organisations still don`t understand the issues surrounding business Internet use, and many haven`t set guidelines for staff about business or personal use.

Research has shown that the cost of employees accessing the Internet for personal use during work hours is costing South African organisations in the millions per year in lost productivity.

Brett Myroff, CEO of local WebSpy distributor, NetXactics, says: "That lost productivity isn`t the only risk. There are also the issues of lost business opportunities, communication charges and, most seriously, the risk of litigation with employees downloading inappropriate material such as pornography.

"Downloading files carries the risk of introducing viruses, or just costs the company money in bandwidth," says Myroff. "Businesses will sometimes change ISPs or increase their bandwidth to cope with increased traffic, unaware that the increase is due to employee misuse."

According to some estimates, 60% of all online purchases and 70% of all Internet porn traffic occur during regular business hours. Some 40% of all Internet traffic between 8am and 5pm is believed to be non-business related. "Business managers should have information on how the Internet is being used in their business." Myroff says.

The Internet has certainly changed work habits. Most employees today are used to having Internet access, and to using it for personal activities too, such as banking or shopping online rather than taking a physical lunch break. Instead of taking their resource away and creating resentment among employees, who are undeniably still a company`s greatest asset, Myroff suggests that managers become more involved in planning and controlling Internet use.

"The emphasis should be on taking positive proactive steps to come up with a compromise that suits both employer and employee, and to improve the way the Internet, which has undoubtedly become a vital business resource, is managed," he says. The first step to properly managing Internet use is to establish policies, which encourage positive Web use, while also discouraging inappropriate use. "You can`t sack people for misusing the Internet when the culture of the organisation might encourage that misuse," Myroff says. "Managers must tell every employee that they are being monitored, if that is the case. Specify realistic guidelines for such issues as the hours when the Internet can be used for personal use. Define the boundaries. It is fair to allow some personal use - this becomes an employee benefit and so staff are more likely to be sensible about it."

Internet Acceptable Use (IAU) is an issue which can be addressed by the use of Web management tools, yet not many businesses are making use of them because they do not really appreciate the enormity or implications of the problem. Many organisations, no matter their size, don`t appreciate the possible ramifications of unrestricted Internet use.

Some organisations believe their firewall and or filtering software is sufficient to manage Web access and use. Clearly, they don`t understand the fundamental purpose of their computer security systems and products installed.

Ethical monitoring is of the essence. Companies should develop appropriate Internet use policies and then publish them so employees know what is expected of them and the conditions of their working environment. It is good business practice to monitor Web access but it must be overtly done and in conjunction with an appropriate Internet use policy so everyone understands which is expected of them. After all, how can you place a value on Internet use, be it for business or personal activities, if you can`t monitor that use?

It is the responsibility of management to make sure company resources are used properly but at the same time they need to respect the privacy of their employees.

Managers need to put in place progressive management systems, which ensure compliance with the policy. Then, they need to support these systems with policy-based software that can monitor, analyse and document Web use, providing management with usable, reliable information that helps identify problem areas and determine trends.

Share

WEBSPY

WebSpy is a Perth-based developer of Internet access monitoring and management tools. Founded in 1994, the company now also has offices in Seattle and London and is enjoying international sales success with its WebSpy family of products.

Editorial contacts