Controlling Internet use

The Internet is invaluable; most users can’t function without it, but business owners need to control Internet usage.

The Internet gives access to recreational sites that can easily distract users from their work. The business will not want to pay staff to surf the web, eBay and social media. Any number of recreational sites can take up many hours of work time. Inappropriate websites are prevalent, and websites with sexual content are widespread and expose the business to legal risks, as well as viruses and malware. Personal email is also a frequent distraction from work.

Staff wasting time on personal web browsing can affect office morale. Other workers seeing colleagues getting away with spending much of their day on private web browsing will cause mistrust, affecting staff morale.

Solutions

There are several approaches to stopping or at least limiting misuse of the Internet.

Some companies trust staff to use the Internet appropriately and have no restrictions or Internet policies.

Increasingly companies are actively restricting access to non-work-related content. Before content is blocked, sites viewed must be monitored and recorded. In the event of misuse or a security problem, the company can refer to these records.

A suitable business-class router can block problem websites with rule-based filtering. Atomik.biz uses advanced router technology to provide this type of control, and different kinds of content are blocked independently.

For example, preventing sexual content, social media, auction sites, job search sites, hate speech, weapons or non-business email. The categories for prohibiting material are very flexible, and we will adjust the rules to any requirement.

Company policy

When monitoring and controlling Internet usage, it is essential to have an Internet usage policy and publish it in the staff handbook.