Internet usage at work

[DapperDan]

Hey all,

I just want to get some views on this. My last place where I worked were somewhat strict with regards internet usage. I know HR officers had a 'Top 100 Internet users' mailbox on their Outlook. And a good few of the IT boys were in that 100 when I had to configure a new laptop for someone in HR .

Where I am now my manager is not bothered as long as it doesn't affect my work, but we both have access to Bluecoat anyways, lol! I'm pretty much only ever on here and the BBC website inside core hours (not constantly mind you....) and nothing else that's non work related.

I just wondered how strict your places are for enforcing the IT policy among its IT staff. I've had to prepare reports for managers looking into someone's internet usage. It's part of my job I suppose, but it's one aspect of my job I don't find fun that's for sure.

P.S. Sorry if this is in the wrong section, but I was a little unsure as to where to put it.

D.

[Josiahb]

Are rules here are very simple: no personal internet usage at your workstation. We provide internet stations for people to use during their lunch hour etc.

In practice however internet usage is basically unmonitored and many of the managers don't see the need for the restriction and therefore fail to enforce it. Which will be fine until someone clicks a link they shouldn't do and I spend the rest of the day putting the network back together....

[j1mgg]

We have the usual sertain sites are completely blocked, but things like social networks sites and others are not. I believe users do get monitored on usuage but dont know what the limit is to be gauged as too much.

Our servicedesk are also getting monitored now in usuage but i believe this to be how can they find time to browse the internet when working.

In desktop(where i am) we dont seem to have been pulled up at all and i can assure you some days it is a very slow day here.

Other halfs work it is a maximum of 70mins a day for some staff.

[Col]

I work in a newsroom so checking the interwebs is pretty much a constant part of the day, so they can't really cap that much. Not sure how closely it's monitored. But it is also a touchy issue with the PTBs. Some justification for prior redundo was the amount of personal internet usage that was being observed, I believe.

[BosonMichael]

I've seen from one extreme to the other - from unmonitored usage to complete lockdown. My last employer was a healthcare company, and in order to maintain compliance, they had to be somewhat strict with Internet usage for some employees. I'm sure that our supervisor at Boson *could* be monitoring us, but we are largely trusted to be responsible with our Internet usage. As long as our work is done well and projects are completed on or ahead of time, then there's no problem.

[Scott77]

It's pretty strict at my place and is heavily monitored, I know people have been disciplined over it in the past and like Col mentioned above it has been used as reasoning during redundancy situations.
To me if it doesn't get in the way of work (and you're not surfing the porn sites ) then i dont see an issue.

[Phoenix]

This is an interesting topic for me, as its a conversation I have with a lot of people (in fact I gave my opinion to our COO who randomly asked the other day over a beer 'were thinking of blocking facebook')

The debate is two fold, business owners see staff using the internet (some of them an awful lot) and attribute any time spend browsing to lost productivity

in reality, human psychology for most people (and Zeb could probably comment more here) does not lead them to work constantly on any one thing for any period of time, attention spans, focus, all varies for different people. so attributing it to lost productivity isn't always a true measurement (the same way the software and music industry attribute all piracy as lost revenue, which assumes everyone stealing there stuff would of paid for it)

From an employee perspective, as work becomes more and more a 24 hour operation, and people do more and more outside the office (answering the phone, emails, etc) the balance goes both ways, performing personal operations on work time balance that out, its called work/life balance for a reasons

some companies throw the 'regulation, security, compliance' around as a defense, but that's really an ROI argument because there is plenty of technology out there to prevent corporate data leaving the network, or even being copied to the clipboard, but why would companies spend tons of money on tech like that if it was just looked at as a way to secure the random internet access? why not just lock down internet access?

There are plenty of those fun boring studies that go both ways, locked down restrictive policies improve productivity, and then there are just as many saying it hurts productivity, the fact is people need a bit of distraction, but some users take the piss.. I'd rather just fire all the useless whelps that do **** all, and provide my good users with some liberties but its easier said than done in some countries!

The social media aspect adds a whole new element to the mix, the lines between corporate/personal are blurring for Gen Y users, how many of the people in my gen have personal and work people on sites like Facebook or LinkedIn? how many follow vendors and bands on Twitter?

I've worked places where the majority of blogs are blocked, do you know how hard it is to troubleshoot problems without access to half of googles results? :P

It's an interesting debate, and one that will continue to rage for quite some time. ultimately I think net access will become more and more open, as the technology to enforce and protect corporate assets becomes more readily available, and more companies shift to results orientated working environments

[JonnyMX]

How's an IT department supposed to function without Google?

[wizard]

Originally Posted by JonnyMX

How's an IT department supposed to function without Google?

Play with washing up liquid bottles, sitcky backed plastic and double sided sticky tape instead

[AndyVee]

based on the simple fact i dont work in IT i have pretty much no internet access apart from web-based applications i have to use for work (carrier systems for delivery teams) and the m&s website lol

[westernkings]

Originally Posted by wizard

Play with washing up liquid bottles, sitcky backed plastic and double sided sticky tape instead

Productive day in Wizards life there

We have unfiltered access in the IT department, as the 2 senior IT people we go direct to the gateway so no proxy or filter or monitoring.

All other staff go through TMG and SmoothWall which is pretty locked down, facebook and stuff is blocked as is most time wasting sites.

My days are quiet so the entire day is spent online, it is getting a bit old really.

[metalhead66]

Well being as i do not work in it i must say that our so called logistics manager and his deputy manager (best friends from school) spends more time on the aston villa website/youtube than any one else and then has the bo***cks to moan when other people are deemed to be not working hard enough. Although he does seem to be able to make a good cuppa for his closest friends (a very well paid tea boy) Complete and utter p1ss take

[DapperDan]

Originally Posted by westernkings

Productive day in Wizards life there

We have unfiltered access in the IT department, as the 2 senior IT people we go direct to the gateway so no proxy or filter or monitoring.

All other staff go through TMG and SmoothWall which is pretty locked down, facebook and stuff is blocked as is most time wasting sites.

My days are quiet so the entire day is spent online, it is getting a bit old really.

We're the same here in terms of us going out to the gateway rather than through Bluecoat like everyone else . Good times!

Facebook and every other social networking sites are blocked. Gambling and porn websites are a no-no, and web-based email has been recently blocked (which wasn't popular and load of users to kicked off about this,lol). Ebay and internet banking is allowed between the hours of 12-2pm. Game websites such as Gamespot, IGN etc for those gamer heads (I am a PS3 gamer I admit) is not blocked at all.

When walking around the building though, most people have the BBC website open all day long on their PCs/Laptops. But because it was a whitelist website (used to be differing levels of internet access for users before I started here. Done through AD) nobody's bothered. But checking on Bluecoat, there's tons of hits for the BBC website. So what I think is that the page refreshes every few minutes and it counts as one hit each time. Might check this out and see if it is true or not.

[steve_f]

We use Websense content filter here. It blocks common categories like porn, gambling, offensive, tasteless but we allow Facebook, Linkedin, forums and webmail.

The proxy on-off tick box in IE is disabled for all users.

We have the capability to generate reports on user activity but never bother. Not really needed since most stuff is blocked.

We have about 5 PCs dotted around the office that are off the corporate network, and have unrestricted internet access. They are in public places so if people want to look at porn they are going to get funny looks!

At my desk I have my corporate network PC and another PC that is off the network with direct internet access. I generally use that PC for surfing personal stuff.

[danielno8]

Originally Posted by steve_f

We use Websense content filter here. It blocks common categories like porn, gambling, offensive, tasteless but we allow Facebook, Linkedin, forums and webmail.

The proxy on-off tick box in IE is disabled for all users.

We have the capability to generate reports on user activity but never bother. Not really needed since most stuff is blocked.

We have about 5 PCs dotted around the office that are off the corporate network, and have unrestricted internet access. They are in public places so if people want to look at porn they are going to get funny looks!

At my desk I have my corporate network PC and another PC that is off the network with direct internet access. I generally use that PC for surfing personal stuff.

I hope you have removed access to regedit to......i helped my mate get around that at his work using regedit

Is that bad?