Of all the things you already have to track, will co-workers’ computer use be next?

Web surveillance at work is increasingly common. In fact, 66% of companies said they monitor usage in a recent American Management Association survey.  They’re primarily interested in inappropriate surfing — visiting porn, gaming and social networking sites.

But companies are also getting much more careful about allowing certain portable devices into the office. Cell phones, portable USBs, even iPods and similar devices can be used to suck information from company computers. That’s bad news in any department, but in Accounting, it can be particularly costly.

Best bet: If your company doesn’t already have a policy, push upper management to put one in place. Even if you lack the resources to check employees’ computer access as thoroughly as you might like, having an enforceable policy will:

1. Force employees to think twice before abusing their privileges, and 
2. Allow you to react appropriately if anyone does misuse company info.

Tags: A/P, Fraud prevention, Managment, Payroll, Security, Technology