Data security has become a far more talked about topic since the introduction of GDPR and updated UK Data Protection Act. Since these policies have been introduced, any international companies, particularly those that have a website, need to be concerned. This is not only regarding data protection of their own countries, but also the data protection acts of where their customers or even website visitors live.

Some penalties for data breaches can be 20 million Euros or more, especially those involved personal data. They can be much higher than that figure, depending on the revenue of the company involved in the data breach. This has brought about a big change in how data is handled, and protection measure to keep it secure.

How to Keep Data Secure Using Computer and Email Monitoring

Setting policies and systems will help to some degree, but only if staff learns the new rules fully and implement them. The problem is, most won’t remember, and some are almost sure to try and take some shortcuts or avoid the extra work that might be involved. This is where employee monitoring software can really help.

Monitoring software not only allows a company to see what is happening via emails and communications, but to actually track and record almost every movement on a monitored device. This gives companies better control over how their data is used by employees.

Of course, there is also a legal side to this. In many jurisdictions, employees need to be notified of what is being monitored. Whether required or not, it is always better to have informed employees that agree, than to have shocked and unhappy employees later.

A simple way to do this is to have an Employee handbook. This could be a handbook for the company and all policies, or focus specifically on the computer and email monitoring side of things. Either way, it is an effective method of informing employees about what is monitored, why it is monitored, and their responsibilities towards data security. The monitoring agreement can also be added into employment contracts or set in a written agreement.

Advantages to Using Employee Monitoring Software

There are numerous advantages, not only on the security side. However, here are a few of the main benefits.

1. Insider Threat Detection - As the software monitors employees, it builds up a profile of normal behaviour. When it detects an abnormal activity, or one that is likely to cause a data breach, it can alert management about the issue.

2. Restrict Sites, Apps, or Malicious file types - By blocking these, a company can greatly enhance their chances of preventing accidental data breaches

3. Offline and Online - Some employees may think that they can’t be monitored when offline, but good employee monitoring software will continue to work, even when there is no internet connection.

4. Live Notifications - Anything dangerous or suspicious can be notified to management.

5. Data Leak Alers - Get notified no matter how an employee tries to transmit data in a way that they shouldn’t. Even if they are being clever and doing it while offline and at home, a good monitoring system will catch it.

6. Increased Productivity - Monitors computers result in higher levels of activity from staff, as they know their activities are being recorded.

7. Employee Reprimands - Sometimes it is hard to know exactly why or how something happened. However, with fully recorded activities, it is easy to proceed with reprimanding the negligent or malicious employees.

Does Computer and Email Monitoring Work?

In short, the answer is YES, but it is a bit more complicated. As with any company policies, some of the rules and legislation involved might be challenging to understand. Not only is some of it tricky to understand, but it is also hard to remember.

In order to make sure that staff remember the correct ways of handling data and their computer systems, they will need training. It is good to focus on the positive of these systems, as people will often pay more attention and remember more details if the information makes them happy and they get some benefits from it.

Computer monitoring doesn’t just need to be about data protection and punishment of employees. Instead, it can also be used as a way to reward the most productive employees, or those who perfectly follow all data protection policies. Combining monitoring with rewards is a great way to mention the staff.

However, staff cannot be expected to remember and retain all the information given during training. This is even more so when it is maybe 6 months later and a new task is required of them. By this time, they have likely forgotten the policy for that task, if not a large amount of the policies. This is why it is vital to have an easy to use employee handbook.