There is no cause for clandestine operation here. In fact, the mere knowledge by an employee that keystrokes, clickstreams, and e-mail content are subject to scrutiny may often be deterrent enough to thwart illicit behavior. Continually educate your employees on the importance of security and the reasons why activities are monitored. Be sure to include bandwidth management and anti-virus measures in addition to legal issues. Take the steps necessary to ensure awareness of your Internet usage policy with frequent reminders in newsletters and in communications, and expressly outline the disciplinary actions in the event policy is violated.
Forthrightness can help lead to acceptance and help defuse employee hostility.
If you have any questions or concerns on outlining your usage and privacy policies, you'll find a good start with the Electronic Messaging Association. It's certainly not the last we've heard on the issue of right to privacy in the workplace, but by actively involving your employees through awareness, you can hope to strike a decent middle ground between tolerance and support while still ensuring protection through policy. InfoWorld Test Center Managing Analyst James R. Borck covers e-business solutions for enterprise computing. Click to Download. Harness the power of your network.