Should IT managers give employees leeway to instal non business related software?

How much leeway should IT managers give employees? In a debate-style Wall Street Journal Online interview with two CIOs, one kept using phrases like ‘controlled’ and ‘tightly managed’. So, is it a good idea to let employees use their own apps and devices, or experiment with new technology on company computers? No way, says Tom Tabor, CIO of Pittsburgh-based health insurer Highmark, Inc. “We do not allow access to any Web-based email, IM or Wi-Fi access. We do not see material impact to our employees by restricting access to these. Additionally, we do not allow noncorporate flash drives, cameras and other personal devices to be accessed via USB ports on PCs.”

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Critical Business Information Goes Unsecured

Critical business information goes unsecured A high percentage of proprietary business communications are being handled nonchalantly through unsecured channels – such as Web email and personal instant messaging (IM) – raising serious concerns about the potential loss of intellectual property, according to new research released at the Microsoft Global Technology Summit in San Jose, Calif. The research discovered that 78 percent of business decision makers and 85 percent of technology decision makers reported they used at least one of a number of insecure public communications tools to collaborate with partners.

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