5 Things You Should Never Do On A Work Computer
Whether you work in an office or remotely, the line between personal and professional tasks can blur when you work on your company computer. If you spend most of your time sitting in front of a computer at work, it is not uncommon for you to be glued to your desktop PC.
Over time, this can lead to you doing personal things on your work computer. At first, it may just be checking private emails during your lunch break. But as the line gets crossed, it can lead to someone using their work computer for private purposes as much as for work tasks.
In a survey of more than 900 workers, it was found that only 30% said they never use their workstation PC for private activities. The other 70% admitted that they use their work computer for various personal reasons.
In a survey of over 900 employees, it was found that said they never used their work PC for personal activities. The other 70% admitted to using their work computer for various personal reasons.
Non-work-related things that employees do on a work computer include:
It is not a good idea to mix work and personal, no matter how much more convenient it is to use your work PC during the day for a personal task. This can get you reprimanded, cause a data breach in your company or possibly lose your job.
Check out tips from ONYX IT what you should never do on your work PC.
Many people manage their passwords by allowing their browser to save and then auto-fill them. This can be convenient, but it’s not very secure should you lose access to that PC.
When the computer you use isn’t yours, it can be taken away at any time for a number of reasons, such as an upgrade, repair, or during an unexpected termination.
If someone else accesses that device and you never signed out of the browser, that means they can leverage your passwords to access your cloud accounts.
Not all older PCs are stored in a storeroom somewhere or destroyed. Some companies will donate them to worthy causes, which could leave your passwords in the hands of a stranger if the PC hasn’t been wiped properly.
Many people manage their passwords by allowing their browser to save them and then automatically fill them in. This can be convenient, but is not very secure if you lose access to it PC.
If the computer you are using is not yours, it can be taken away from you at any time for a variety of reasons, such as an upgrade, repair or unexpected termination.
If someone else is accessing the device and you have never logged out of the browser, they can exploit your passwords to access your cloud accounts.
Not all older PCs are stored in a storeroom somewhere or destroyed. Some companies donate them to charity, which could put your passwords in the hands of a stranger if the PC has not been deleted.
It's easy to get into the habit of storing personal data on your work computer, especially if there's not much storage space available at home PC. However, this is a bad habit and poses a number of problems:
You should assume that any activity you perform on a work device is monitored and accessible to your boss. Companies often have cybersecurity measures in place, such as DNS philters, to protect against phishing websites.
This same type of software can also send an alert when an employee visits a dubious website that's considered a security threat (which many sketchy websites are).
You should never visit a website on your work computer that you wouldn't feel comfortable with your boss looking over your shoulder.
If you work remotely and your work computer is a permanent fixture in your home, it may be tempting to let a friend or family member use it when asked. Work computers are often more powerful than a typical home computer and may even have company-provided software that you wouldn't buy yourself.
However, allowing others to use your work computer could be a violation of the privacy regulations your company must comply with.
The mere fact that someone who's not authorized to do so could access your customers' or other employees' personal information could result in a stiff penalty.
Moreover, a child or friend not well-versed in cybersecurity could end up visiting a phishing site and infecting your work device, which in turn infects your company's cloud storage, leaving you responsible for a breach.
If you're trying to get your work done and a backup kicks in and brings your PC to a halt, it can be tempting to turn off the backup process. However, this can leave the data on your computer unprotected and unrecoverable in the event of a hard drive crash or ransomware infection.
The applications installed by the company are there for a reason, and it's usually cybersecurity and business continuity.
Whether you’re working remotely and worried about causing a data breach or are a business owner with multiple remote team members to secure, device protection is important. Schedule a device security checkup from ONYX IT today.
Article used with permission from The Technology Press.
T: 01603 414142
E: getintouch@onyx-it.co.uk
Onyx IT has been supported by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership through the Growing Business Fund