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Monitoring vs. Privacy

Ignoring the complex issues that pit employees' privacy against employers' right to know how their resources are being used won't make the problems go away. As an employer, you have many good reasons to monitor your employees' Internet and e-mail usage. Keeping company secrets safe; avoiding legal troubles, such as sexual-harassment cases; discouraging staff from spending more time surfing than working; and keeping access costs down are just a few.

But if you don't have a sound monitoring policy, you're at risk for lawsuits. Although no federal laws guarantee the right to workplace privacy, state courts have found for employees whose e-mail was read without warning. Proceed carefully.

Once you decide to monitor, you'll need to find the best products to help you adhere to your monitoring policy. In our tests of content-monitoring tools, we set up four products to combat the six deadly Internet sins: smut, hate, gambling, games, sports and the dreaded shopping. Our winner, eSniff 1100 2.3, is an easily configured, standalone box that monitors the widest range of activity: HTTP, telnet, FTP, POP3, SMTP and Internet chat.

Beyond dealing with employees' privacy concerns, you'll also need to consider your customers' needs. Assuring them their data is safe with you makes good business sense. It's also the best way to comply with a wide range of laws designed to protect the public. Our tutorial "Keeping Data Private" provides tips on how to craft your privacy policy.