Tag Archive for: monitoring

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Online employee monitoring: Should businesses implement it?

Employee monitoring has become a widely debated topic today. With advancements in technology and the increasing reliance on digital communication and work platforms, many employers are choosing to monitor their employees’ activities. This practice has many benefits, but it’s not without drawbacks. Here, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of online employee monitoring to help you decide if it’s right for your business.

Defining online employee monitoring

Online employee monitoring refers to the practice of tracking and analyzing employees’ digital activities in the workplace. This is often performed using specialized employee monitoring software that is installed on employee devices. The software can track various aspects of employee behavior, such as internet usage, email communication, screen activity, and even keystrokes. By leveraging monitoring tools, employers gain insights into how employees interact with digital resources, enabling them to identify patterns, assess productivity levels, and mitigate security risks.

Benefits of online employee monitoring

The adoption of online employee monitoring offers several tangible benefits for organizations:

  • Enhanced productivity – By gaining visibility into employee workflows and identifying bottlenecks, businesses can optimize processes and improve overall productivity. For example, if employees are spending too much time on non-work-related websites, monitoring can help address the issue and boost efficiency. At the same time, simply knowing that their activities are being monitored can motivate employees to stay on task.
  • Data security – Monitoring digital activities allows employers to detect unsafe online behavior and warn employees who violate security protocols before they fall victim to a cyberthreat. For instance, if an employee often visits malicious websites or downloads unsanctioned applications, employers and system administrators can put a stop to these actions to minimize the risk of a data breach.
  • Compliance management – Employee monitoring can aid in compliance management by ensuring that employees follow industry regulations and internal policies. This is especially important when it comes to industry-specific data policies where employees must handle sensitive information with utmost confidentiality and only share data with authorized parties.

Potential drawbacks of online employee monitoring

While online employee monitoring offers various advantages, it also comes with several drawbacks:

  • Privacy concerns – Monitoring employees’ digital activities can raise significant privacy concerns, potentially eroding trust and morale within the workforce. This is particularly problematic if employees are not aware that their actions are being tracked or if monitoring extends to personal devices.
  • Ethical issues – The use of employee monitoring software raises ethical questions about the balance between employer rights and employee privacy. Employers must consider implementing clear policies on how and when monitoring takes place to avoid violating employee trust.
  • Employee resistance – Excessive monitoring may lead to employee resentment and resistance, undermining morale and negatively impacting retention rates. What’s more, anxiety levels toward performance may increase if employees feel that their every move is under scrutiny.
  • Inaccurate assessments – Monitoring alone does not provide a complete picture of an employee’s performance. Some activities, such as brainstorming or working collaboratively with colleagues, may not show up in monitoring data and could lead to inaccurate productivity assessments.

Finding the right balance

To effectively leverage online employee monitoring while mitigating its potential drawbacks, companies must strive to find the right balance. Here are some strategies to achieve this:

  • Transparency and communication – Foster open communication with employees regarding monitoring practices, clarifying the objectives, scope, and implications of monitoring activities.
  • Purposeful monitoring – Focus monitoring efforts on specific areas or activities relevant to business objectives, avoiding unnecessary intrusion into personal or non-work-related communications.
  • Privacy protections – Implement safeguards to protect employee privacy, such as anonymization of data, access controls, and clear policies governing data usage and retention.
  • Employee involvement – Get feedback from employees about the monitoring practices and be open to making changes based on their input. Once you’ve found the right balance, ensure that policies and practices remain consistent, fair, and respectful of each employee’s rights.
  • Regular evaluations – Assess the effectiveness and impact of monitoring on both employees and the organization regularly. If employees report that monitoring is deeply affecting their well-being, privacy, and productivity, you may have to consider adjusting your monitoring policies or even abandoning them altogether.

Keeping your workers safe and productive is a challenge, and online employee monitoring is just one tool in the toolbox. If you need more ideas on how to optimize productivity and address cybersecurity risks, call us today.

If you are looking for an expert to help you find the best solutions for your business talk to GCInfotech about a free technology assessment

Published with consideration from TechAdvisory.org SOURCE

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How to enhance your company’s BYOD security

Bring your own device (BYOD) is a trend that has grown in popularity because of the convenience it offers employees, but it also presents a serious security risk. If an employee’s personal device is not appropriately secured, it can become a potential entry point for attackers to gain access to sensitive corporate information. Therefore, it is imperative to take steps to strengthen BYOD security. Here’s how you can do just that.

Establish a BYOD policy

The first step in securing personal devices used for work is to establish a clear BYOD policy. This policy should include guidelines for acceptable use of personal devices and security protocols such as device encryption, password policies, and data backup requirements. It should also define the types of data that can be accessed on personal devices and the consequences of policy violations.

Use mobile device management (MDM) software

MDM software allows companies to manage mobile devices from a centralized console. It provides administrators with control over the configuration, application installation, and security settings of mobile devices. With MDM software, administrators can establish company-wide security policies as well as monitor and wipe data from compromised devices.

Implement two-factor authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication is a security process that requires users to provide two forms of identification to access company data. This typically includes a combination of passwords and one-time verification codes generated by a third-party authenticator app. By implementing 2FA, the security of a device doesn’t solely depend on the strength of its user’s passwords. Hackers will need to gain access to both authentication factors to hack company devices, which can be incredibly difficult.

Conduct regular security training

Educating employees on security best practices is crucial for any organization. Employees need to be aware of the risks associated with using personal devices for work-related tasks. Companies should conduct regular security training sessions to help employees understand their roles and responsibilities in maintaining the security of company data.

Monitor and enforce compliance

It’s essential to monitor the use of personal devices and ensure compliance with the company’s BYOD policy. This can be done through regular audits, periodic security assessments, and the use of security tools to detect unauthorized access attempts.

Establishing a robust security framework for BYOD is essential for any organization. Companies can work with a managed service provider to ensure that their BYOD security measures are up to date and effective. Call us today and let us help you strengthen your BYOD security.

If you are looking for an expert to help you find the best solutions for your business talk to GCInfotech about a free technology assessment

Published with consideration from TechAdvisory.org SOURCE

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How To Avoid Getting Hacked By Cybercriminals And Protect Everything You’ve Worked So Hard To Achieve

Cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to steal data and make a buck at the expense of someone they’ve never met. They don’t care if they ruin someone’s life or destroy a business in the process. This is why it’s so important to stay up-to-date with the latest technology.

Cyber security threats are constantly evolving. If you let your software or hardware – or both – fall behind the times, then you put your business at serious risk. Five years ago, your malware protection might have been the best on the market. If you haven’t updated since then, you need to change that. Here’s what you can do right now to protect everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Stay updated. After a while, developers and manufacturers stop supporting their old hardware and software. Many of them simply don’t have the resources to keep updating older products. They need to make sure their current products are supported and secure. After five years, they may stop sending out security patches for their software. Or they might not offer help-desk support for a seven-year-old router.

If you run into this situation, you may need to invest in new equipment or software. It can be a tough pill to swallow, but it doesn’t compare to the cost of dealing with a hack or data loss. Data loss can be devastating for a business. Some never recover and have to close their doors because the cost is so high – and customers don’t want to give their money to a business that isn’t going to keep their data secure.

At the same time, you need to update your existing equipment and software. Make sure everything has the latest security patches. Most hardware and software come with an option for automatic updates. If you’re concerned that you’ll miss an update, then keep this option on. It is a good idea, however, to check everything periodically to make sure the updates are being applied, just in case.

Say yes to proactive monitoring. Proactive network monitoring can be your best friend in the fight against cyber-attacks. Many IT security firms now offer proactive services. Basically, they watch your network 24/7. If a threat is found, they can stop it before it does any damage. They act immediately to stop those threats.

You can sign up for real-time reports or just get updates once a week to stay informed so you know what’s going on with your network. Proactive monitoring can also make sure your systems are up-to-date (coming back to our first point). If they detect a vulnerability, then they can work to patch it. This means you have so much less to worry about so you can focus on what really matters: growing your business and taking care of customers!

Back up everything. If you don’t have data backups for your business, it’s time to change that. Setting up a data backup system – whether it’s local or cloud-based – can sound like a lot of work. You might have a ton of data, especially if you’ve been in operation for long. But not having a backup system can tear your business apart.

If a piece of hardware fails or a hacker gets into your data, you may have to dig deep into your pocket to recover it or you may just lose it all. There are a lot of scenarios where data can be lost.

Investing in a backup system, like a secure cloud backup, solves this. You can set up a secure system that backs up data daily (or nightly), weekly or whenever you need it. It’s good to keep backups off-site just in case anything happens on-site (electrical surges, flood, fire, theft, etc.). If data is lost or your network falls victim to ransomware, then you can restore your data and continue operations!

These tips can seem like a lot, but when you partner with a dedicated IT services company, you can overcome a lot of hurdles. Working with IT specialists is how to keep your business safe in a world where cybercriminals are actively trying to break in. You want someone with the expertise to secure your network watching over your shoulders.

To learn more about how to safeguard your business, or if you are looking for an expert to help you find the best solutions for your business talk to GCInfotech about a free technology assessment.

Published with consideration from TechAdvisory.org SOURCE

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