Surfing Gets Fired Employee Promoted

Lisa is a receptionist at a large company. The company has a strict policy on using the Internet for personal use. Lisa has access to the Internet. She understands the companys policy and adheres to it. It was a great company and she enjoyed her work very much. It was a place where she could earn a good living and make new connections at the same time.

One day her supervisor called her into the office and informed her that she was being terminated for in appropriate use of the Internet. She was shocked. She explained that she knew the policy and always made sure her Internet use was appropriate. She wondered how they could come up with such a thing.

She decided to contact the company vice president with whom she was good friends. He could not believe it and want to help Lisa. He ordered a full investigation by security. A computer security analyst from the company went over the computer logs. He noticed that every inappropriate Internet visit was at a time when Lisa was away from her station.

He reported his findings to the vice president who called Lisa and the supervisor into his office. He said based on the evidence Lisa would not be fired. In fact he offered her a new position in the company where she was exempt form such scrutiny. The supervisor received a verbal reprimand for taking inappropriate actions towards an employee without full confirmation.

The Vice President wanted to solve the Internet mystery. They decided that Lisa would temporarily remain in her current job. They would use her as a decoy, in order to catch the perpetrator. They eventually learned that it was a teenage son of one of the employees. He made himself at home when Lisa was away from her station. The kid would surf all the prohibited sites on the Internet. Everyone knew him, so no one bothered to ask him what he was doing. They just figured he was waiting on his parent.

Kimberly has settled into her new position. It has new educational and company and career advancement opportunities. At her recommendation, the company has since implemented new computer logon procedures. She assists in new computer security policies and well on her way to rising to the top echelon of the company.

It is important to know what is going on at your workstation even when you are not there. The responsibility for protecting the resources under your control always remains. While most employees respect company policy, some may not be so loyal. An open computer system or a workstation presents some obvious vulnerability.

It is up to you to make sure you understand these weaknesses and seek to eliminate them. Protect passwords to sensitive computer terminals and client information. Do not assume that because you know someone, that they will respect your rules. In this age of budgeting, company resources are valuable.

Many companys have instituted extravagant security measures to ensure their employees and visitors remain honest. These measures are not always foolproof. Sometimes a simple mistake is all it takes to open you up to a world of security breeches. You should take measures to ensure security integrity in your office area.

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