Caught red-handed

With internet access in office, if you thought you can misuse it for your whims and fancies when no one is watching...
then you are mistaken !

With increasing number of employees misusing thier office internet during office hours for non-official purposes like personal emails, chatting, browsing, and even porn...
Employers are using technology to catch-em.  When some employers use technology like CCTV to keep a watch, there are softwares that help remote monitoring of computers.

What remote monitoring softwares can do...

See the exact screen/screens of remote computers on a network or on internet.  It can record everything the employees do online, including instant messages, chats, emails sent and received, web sites visited, applications launched, network connections established and bandwidth consumed, files downloaded, files copied to removable media, and keystrokes typed (maybe including passwords).  So the next time you think you can get away when no one is watching it would be nothing, but ignorance.

Click to see various remote monitoring softwares 

Why every company do not use remote monitoring ?

Some companies give freedom for employees as long as they do their work...  Some companies just block non-official sites until office time is over... Some companies provide separate space for regular browsing... Some companies just have a hire and fire policy for their employees...

There is also possibility of misuse of personal information of employees by employees monitoring, which could also lead to HR problems and privacy issues. 

Consider a hypothetical example...
Suppose an employee used office internet to access his Bank account and suppose there is a crook among the monitoring employees, then it is anybody's guess as to what he could do with internet account password.  So the employer would need another employee to monitor the employee who is monitoring and so on !!!

HIPAA violation or not ?

Eventhough a software company might find it easy to implement, MT companies may have to think twice before implementing a remote monitoring system.
It is said that HIPAA regulations require softwares to record the history of each file so as to know who all had accessed/viewed the file.  One reason for this  is to catch the source of information leakage at any stage.  However, in the context of remote monitoring it can be argued that there is no record on the matter as to which monitoring personnel has had a look at which file?! HIPAA violation can also take place as monitoring personnels will know all the passwords (keystrokes) and can modify any file without revealing his real identity!

So the ultimate question is should MT companies install remote monitoring softwares ?
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Disclaimer: The above article is the personal opinion of the Editor.  In spite of best efforts, all/any of the above information could incomplete or incorrect.