Using The Computer At Your Job
• The computer at your place of employment is not yours, it is the company’s. You are using it as a guest would.
• Everything you do it on it can be (and probably is being) watched (aka “monitored”).
This week (Monday and Tuesday) I have already had to explain this fact to three callers to my Tech Support biz.
They wanted to make changes, and install programs, and were puzzled by the fact the machines were not letting them, or failing to show menus, that their machines at home would let them make.
One wanted to install Hulu’s desktop app.
At work.
I was polite to these people, and explained to them that business machines are often ‘locked down’ by the IT department: that I could not/would not help them. And though it pained me (biting one’s tongue can hurt) I did not say anything other than they needed to ask their boss or IT department. (Which I knew they were not going to do: that’s why they had called me.)
• Every word you type can be read – even the log in to your webmail
Please think about that.
Every chat. Every email. Everything.
If you have checked your personal email while at work, your employers now know how to read your mail. Facebook. Whatever. I suggest that when you get home, you change your passwords, and stop doing personal stuff, and/or “recreational” stuff, when you are at work, getting paid to do the company’s business activities (aka “work”).
If they bother to look, yes, they can tell exactly (to the millisecond) how many minutes a week you play solitaire and Angry Birds. That might be a factor in their thinking when it’s time for the next round of layoffs. (I know it would be if I were boss and had to cut employees..)
Once again, I can’t believe I have to write this stuff…
Hulu? At work?
Today’s “Don’t miss out“: on the chance to enter my latest software license giveaway drawing!
*** Win A Valuable Prize! ***
The folks at Softland have generously donated ten licenses for Backup4all Professional to me, to award to my readers.
“Backup4all is an award-winning data backup software for Windows. This backup utility was designed to protect your valuable data from partial or total loss by automating backup tasks, password protecting and compressing it to save storage space. This backup application is feature rich and offers an intuitive interface making all features easily accessible for both beginners and professionals.“
To enter the drawing, please see: Backup4all License Giveaway Drawing
Today’s quote: “You will never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” ~ P.T. Barnum
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<
• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
-
Say "thank you!" Buy Tech Paul a cup of coffee (and keep T4E ad free).
-
-
McAfee® Cybersafety Resource Portal, an online help center designed to assist victims of computer crime and provide information on how to avoid becoming a victim.
-
Subscribe to Tech--for Everyone by EmailRecent Comments
-
-
-
-
Also:
-
-
Tech - for Everyone 