Comments on: Walking the Fine Line between Network Monitoring and Freedom

By: BigDaddy DLC

BigDaddy DLC — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:44:47 +0000

The problem with using your own personal devices at work is that you are still AT WORK….to use those devices, more than likely you are using the company’s wireless or wired connectivity and are still vulnerable to attacks…even if its attacks on your own devices, you could blame the company….so they must protect themselves.

By: Anita Bergsen

Anita Bergsen — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:44:15 +0000

If it is agreed not to use Facebook, Twitter and the like for business, I don’t see a problem here – use your own personal devices to do your own personal job on Facebook. If the use of personal devices were blocked, then this would be an issue. Where’s the problem?

By: Thomas Edgar

Thomas Edgar — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:28:20 +0000

Monitoring Internet access does not necessarily mean that the company does not trust its employees. I’ve been managing a group of people for almost 10 years now and this is one of the most sensitive issues I’ve dealt with.

All managers should explain to all their employees firsthand that limiting or controlling the Internet is a must for the organization. I for myself have formulated several win-win solutions in order for this system to work. One instance has something to do with Facebook. Four years ago the said social media was not yet dubbed as a “productivity killer”. In fact,most of us here in the office have used it as an email alternative. But at present, Facebook is on top of my “block access” list.

By: Neil

Neil — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:13:27 +0000

Absolutely agree with you column. Well done a good balance from both the employer and employee viewpoint.

By: Girl_IT189

Girl_IT189 — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 02:02:06 +0000

At present, freedom has a different meaning than what it used to have. It’s not Long Live the Free World anymore. For this reason, it’s not subjective to put into context the current meaning of freedom to network monitoring or limiting access to the Internet. We have to lose some to get some.

By: Billy Dudley

Billy Dudley — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:23:11 +0000

This is definitely a hard balance to strike, particularly in larger corporations. While companies certainly have a right to monitor internet usage (and there are plenty of valuable security-related reasons to do so) I think many employees would be less likely to attempt to visit social networks if they knew they were being watched. Not for any other reason than that people have already heard all the stories of getting terminated over things on their blog, facebook, or twitter, and I know a lot of people personally who try and keep their personal lives and their work lives as divided from each other as possible. There’s no catch-all solution to this problem, you just have to find what works the best for your management, your workforce, and your business size. A custom-fit resolution will seem the most liberal and considerate most times.