As if there weren’t enough issues to put into our employee manuals, the internet and Web 2.0 have made them proliferate.Each time there’s a new technology, lawyers have to evaluate: “Is it covered under our current policies?” And, not being the one to say “sure!”–and be wrong –voila! A new policy is born.
The latest addition that I’ve just come across is the employee WiFi use policy. As noted in Matthew Hegarty’s article in the October 2008 New York Enterprise Report, employers need to be on the lookout for unauthorized access to their networks. Given that so many more employees are working remotely (from a home office or just on the road, on the train while commuting, etc.), there are more places and opportunities for hackers to breach your system.
Here are a couple of items that Hegarty suggested:
- Use complex passwords. These are passwords that have a mix of letters, numbers and cases (UPPER and lower)
- Change passwords every 60-90 days.
- Use a Virtual Private Network. This is a private network that can be accessed online but requires a login sequence to access.
- Ensure encryption of wireless traffic (see Wi-Fi.org)
Speak to your IT professional about your options for wireless network security.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 8:11 am and is filed under Employees, Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.Leave a Reply
