Managing IT Abuse – By Robert May, Managing Director, ramsac

Have you ever seen someone reading a pornographic magazine in public?

It’s a serious question. Adult magazines are widely available yet few people brazenly read them in a public space. A combination of embarrassment, shame and consideration for others all conspire to keep the ‘enjoyment’ of adult literature by and large a private pastime.

The same can’t be said however for unsuitable content available on the Internet and over e-mail.

IT misuse and abuse is a growing problem for UK business. Research by the Department of Trade and Industry reveals that Internet abuse is costing UK companies £1.5bn a year while the average SME is losing more than one working day a week to IT misuse. Worse still, company directors could face a prison sentence if they fail to prevent employees from storing illegal images on office systems.

While the definition of ‘unsuitable content’ changes from office to office, the bottom line is that even low-level abuse of IT systems leads to lost productivity, increased security vulnerabilities (viruses, Trojans, spyware), the threat of legal implications and damage to employee relations.

So how do companies stop IT abuse from occurring? The answer is a mixture of software, systems and policies. Monitoring, blocking and filtering software offer technological remedies but these are redundant unless staff know that abuse of IT systems will not be tolerated. There’s little point in wasting valuable time and money on deploying these technologies if staff continue to act inappropriately either through ignorance or belied that they wont get caught.

Strict IT usage policies are also important if disciplinary action needs to be taken against a member of staff. There have been cases recently where employees have pleaded ignorance when accused of looking at illegal and unsuitable content on their office PC. Companies should create an ‘acceptable systems usage’ policy and make sure it is a fundamental part of every employee’s contract. It should also be displayed in a prominent place in the office.
Of course, it’s all too easy to get carried away with the seedier aspects of IT abuse. Pornographic and illegal images are indeed a problem but they are far from being the only area of concern for companies.

For example, what is your company’s policy on employees looking at recreational webpages on the Internet? How about on-line gambling? What about images of people in undress without nudity? Rude jokes over e-mail?

As you can see, the scope for potential Internet abuse is wide. Companies need to decide what is allowable, what’s not, what will happen if abuse happens and what they can do to limit the opportunities for staff to abuse.
This isn’t about bosses being killjoys, it is about companies acting responsibly, protecting the interests of employees, customers, investors and shareholders.

ramsac is offering UK companies advice on how to restrict the impact of IT abuse in the office by implementing software and policies that monitor and manage IT usage. Companies that would like more information regarding these issues should call ramsac on 0870 756 9001 or email us.