 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
Striking a balance between Christmas spirit and
'Acceptable Use'
‘Tis the season to be jolly and to send seasonal
greetings to friends, family, colleagues and
clients......but what if the emails being sent to
and from your staff are clogging up your server or
even compromising system security? |
|
|
|
|
The
traditional, but environmentally dubious, practice
of sending greetings on brightly coloured pieces of
(recycled) cardboard appears to be giving way to
more high-tech seasonal tidings delivered via email.
Most small businesses allow their staff a certain
degree of freedom when accessing the Internet at
work but firm boundaries also need to be set. At
this time of year, it may be difficult to enforce
the necessary discipline to protect your systems,
whilst trying not to appear too Dickensian, but
there is more than just your reputation at stake.
Emails that contain large attachments and links to
social networking sites consume valuable bandwidth
and storage capacity as well as posing potential
security risks.
There are technical solutions that will restrict the
Internet sites your staff can access and filter the
content they receive. However, these can prove
expensive and inflexible for small business use.
Ultimately, every organisation has to decide its own
position on this subject and convey that standpoint
as clearly as possible to its staff in a written
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).
The Internet can provide various examples of AUP,
which can be tailored to your own specific needs.
Let us know if you require further assistance with
this.
Our
general recommendation is to regularly remind your
staff of the following:
|
|
 |
Company computers are provided for staff
to perform the duties of their work
roles. The company reserves the right to
monitor the computer systems to ensure
they are not being put at risk by
unauthorised activity. |
|
|
|
|
|
Computer users should check that the
anti-virus/anti-malware software on
their computers is up to date. Typically
there will be a status icon by the clock
and by clicking on it the user can check
that it is running and has up-to-date
virus recognition data. |
|
|
|
|
|
Personal emails should be accessed
through a web based system such as
Google Mail or Hotmail, rather than
being sent to your company email
address. Personal data must not be
stored on company systems and the
company takes no responsibility for its
loss or security. |
|
|
|
|
|
Unauthorised programs and attachments
should not be downloaded to company
computers. If your Web Browser displays
a prompt asking for permission to do
something, you should answer “No” or
“Cancel” and NOT “Ok” or “Run”. The fact
that it keeps on asking does not change
the answer. If in doubt, seek further
assistance. |
|
|
Of course, all this may leave your
colleagues unable to view their humorous
Christmas e-cards or enjoy their seasonal
videos from work. If so, these messages
should be forwarded to or accessed from
their home computers.
Delta Comtech
would like to take this opportunity to wish
you a technologically strife-free Christmas
and a prosperous New Year!
|
|
|
Visit our website |
Back to main e-zine |
|
|
|
Delta Comtech Ltd
Artillery House, Heapy Street
Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 7JB |
Tel:
0844 4128102
info@delta-comtech.co.uk |
|
|
|