The Dangers of Online Surfing at Work

Technology has become so deeply interwoven into the fabric of our daily lives that many of us can only vaguely remember what it was like before computers, mobile phones, and PDAs. Nowadays, many of us check e-mails and log in to our social networks as a daily habit. We also rely heavily on technology for work. Whether the job is research-based, technical, or creative, almost all professionals need to have a computer with a working Internet connection to be able to work properly and efficiently.

A good number of offices tend to be very lenient when it comes to Internet usage at the office. After all, even if most companies give out special work e-mail accounts as a standard protocol, not all work-related messages are sent exclusively to that account. If we are able to check our personal e-mails at work, we can be sure that we are up to date in whatever is going on in the business. Enabling instant messaging software and widgets and being able to visit social networks such as Facebook and Twitter from time to time also helps in taking away the blandness of an office routine, making work more bearable and fun. Sometimes, though, it provides too much fun.

Being allowed access to your own personal pages during office hours is a double-edged sword, not only in terms of productivity but also in ensuring the security of your company’s local network. Your company depends on a complex, perpetually running and continuously changing network. Despite its large capacity and standard network security functions, office connections are still extremely delicate. One little glitch has the potential to throw off the entire operation. For small businesses that give their workforces unlimited permission to visit personal sites and pages using office network resources, their lenient attitude could open a network up to certain operational and security risks.

The Speed Turns Slow

Video streaming through the Internet takes up a whole lot of bandwidth. Frequently watching videos on YouTube, playing Imeem or downloading and playing online games during office hours can cause a lag in Internet speed and make the local area network act up.

The Guard Goes Down

Every time you visit a website on your office computer, you are giving viruses and other digital threats an opening to infect your network. You also become susceptible to being baited by phishers and online scammers. These risks exist whenever you log on to the Internet, whether at home or from your office desktop. However, offices usually run on a shared network server, meaning if you have unwittingly downloaded a virus from an e-mail, that virus can easily spread and infect the other office computers.

Everyone should be more cautious about what he or she surfs on the Internet while at the office. None of us want to be the cause for the great crash of the company server. The best way to keep IT security high is to make sure that all network security measures are updated and enabled. Having a third party server and desktop management specialist on board can help a business maintain its internal IT’s health.

Take everything in moderation. The rule holds true even in using your office computer for personal use. The reason why we go to the office five days a week is to work, not to surf the Internet at one’s leisure. By taking extra care as we browse through our personal pages during office hours, and by observing proper work conduct, we can consistently release productive output and maintain efficient IT security.

To learn more about securing your IT systems, visit the All Covered website or call 866-446-1133.

Andreas Krebs
Marketing Manager, All Covered, Inc.

Contact All Covered

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