Is Social Media affecting your companies productivity?

You are not alone…

We are seeing this more and more. With the proliferation of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube business owners and managers are starting realize they are losing money and productivity.

Many of our customers have approached us for a solution to this problem. Blocking these websites is a pretty straight forward process with the right hardware and software.

There are a few things you need to consider first:

1) Network Use Policy – Before you start blocking or filtering email or internet use, make sure you have a formal Network Use Policy in place. Typically you will have each employee sign the policy stating they understand that your computers are for business use only.

2) Good Communication – It is important that you communicate why you are blocking and filtering Internet use. I have seen many organizations that just turn it off with no warning, which creates HR issues. If you state it is a matter of security policy, and communicate in advance you can head this off before you are dealing with disgruntled employees. You are going to have unhappy folks, but you now have a policy to work with.

Another good solution besides blocking access completely, is to leverage software that allows use during specified times. You can then allow employees to use these sites during the lunch hour or before and after work hours.

If you are considering a filtering solution, let us know how we can help…

internet filtering · IT Support Seattle · social media