Business Productivity & Internet Usage

Written by Dan Allen

One of the recurring themes I’ve heard during the economic downturn from business leaders is the desire to maximize the productivity of their resources, whether they be assets, services or employees.    From a technology standpoint, that often means maximizing employee use of computer systems!

The reality is that most every computer found in offices today does not operate in isolation but has a connection to the largest network of computers in the world – the internet.    The benefits that organizations can enjoy from accessing the vast wealth of information and communication channels can be many.  Company research, email communication and marketing are just a few.

Unfortunately, along with the many benefits of the internet, come a host of potential problems associated with that freedom which can jeopardize the productivity and efficiencies that companies are trying so hard to achieve!    Some of the threats to having internet access are obvious, other are less conspicuous.   Let’s review a few of them:

1. Viruses and Trojans - At their mildest level, they can clog up the bandwidth that companies pay for.  At their worst, they can render computers useless or send out confidential company information including bank account login information to criminals across the globe.
2. Unauthorized Web-sites - Unfortunately, for every useful site available on the World Wide Web, there are 2-3 times more sites filled with time-wasting temptations.   Even team members with the best intentions can be vulnerable to the lures made so accessible by their creators – drawing away from time that could otherwise be spent more productively.
3. Peer-to-Peer File Sharing sites - Also a threat to clog valuable bandwidth, music and videos downloaded onto company networks also consume large amounts of network storage space.
4. Chat Rooms and Instant Messaging - Additional notorious time-wasters that even the most loyal employees can be tempted to spend valuable time in.

How can companies protect themselves against these potential disruptions to their business productivity and their technology investments?  Many experts believe a multi-layered approach is the best way.  First and foremost, each company should establish what their policy is about internet usage by its employees and be sure to make that policy clear to everyone from the first day of employment.  Many experts recommend making an Acceptable Internet Usage Policy part of the employee handbook.  Beyond that, bringing in an outside resource to educate team members about the threats and best practices to mitigate them can also be a worthwhile investment.

From a hardware and software perspective, firewalls and antivirus software will surely help minimize the risks posed to having all-day internet access.  At PCS, we often point out that it is often necessary to install a separate anti-spyware program in addition to anti-virus software.  Intrusion detection systems, while a bit more expensive to maintain and monitor, are another good measure to consider.

One unique technology many companies are implementing are devices which monitor and restrict the connections being made between their computers and the internet .  The features available in these devices are quite amazing and usually include the following:

• A baseline list of inappropriate websites which are blocked when company computers try to make connections to them.  This list will be updated as new sites become known and can be customized as necessary by authorized company staff.
• Detailed reporting of what websites have been visited and by which computers.   Many devices can be integrated with Active Directory so that usage can be monitored on a user basis instead.
• The ability to do “traffic shaping” which allows companies to decide how much bandwidth can be allocated to specific types of internet traffic.  One good example of how this comes in handy is companies that upload and/or download files frequently from FTP sites.  FTP is a notorious bandwidth hog.  Without some type of bandwidth control, it will clog up other types of simultaneous internet traffic, including Voice over IP, email and legitimate browsing activity.
• Many of these devices also include perimeter antivirus and anti-spyware software.

A wealth of strategies are available to the Small Business to help ensure that their resources, both human and capital, remain productive.   The productivity gains achieved from connecting a business network to the internet can be rapidly reduced or eliminated if that access is not combined with appropriate precautionary measures.   If you would like to discuss how any of the above strategies could be adopted into your organization, please feel free to contact us!