The latest threat to data security? Employees’ kids
Filed under: Employee computer use, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Security and law, Uncategorized
When employees take company devices home, it can open the door for security problems. Here’s one way to help keep corporate data secure:
Limit recreational use.
When employees take company-owned laptops and other pieces of equipment home, it’s likely they (or members of their families) will get some personal use out of them.
But that puts the integrity of the company’s data at risk, as the computer could be exposed to viruses or buggy software.
A growing concern for companies that give devices to employees is their children, who are often more tech-savvy than their parents. That means they may know how to work around security controls that IT has set up, or do things like download and install software.
What to do
What’s the best way to handle it? Some companies make employees sign policy that prohibits the device from being used by anyone other than the employee and for any significant non-work purposes. Other employers don’t have a set policy but remind employees that they’re responsible for whatever happens to the device while it’s in their possession.
In many cases, education is the best way to prevent problems. In a recent survey, 31% of employees who work from home said they were unaware of their company’s security policies.
