Do You Do That On Your Work Computer?




It’s a good idea to keep in mind that your work computer’s primary function is business, not personal when using it.  Why is this crucial?

 

You might ruin it for everyone.

 

The majority of the time, your home computer or laptop operates alone. It probably doesn’t link to any other computers; instead, it might do so using a printer, camera, or mobile device. Most likely, people won’t be impacted by a problem with your computer. However, business PCs are a component of a broader network. Additionally, a problem with one machine has the ability to impact every other network user. Do you want to be referred to as “the guy who gave everyone a virus”?

 

Where’s my file, dude?

 

Personal firewalls, such as those built into antivirus programs and those found in Windows, typically function without incident because a home computer is unlikely to be sharing significant amounts of resources with other users.  However, firewalls and other non-business-related software might easily interfere with resource sharing and network connectivity on a PC located inside your dealership.  In order for PCs to join and share information over the network without any issues, special care and configuration are needed.

 

Avoid using too much bandwidth.

 

Streaming internet radio competes for bandwidth with your internet-related business operations, even though it may be fun to groove to music from your favorite internet radio station.  Vital operations like part requests, online part catalogs, and part orders will run more slowly and potentially crash if even a small number of people in your dealership stream their preferred station.

 

But you MUST see this cat who can play the piano!

 

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are excellent social media channels for your dealership. They might, however, be detrimental to your dealership. Numerous studies have revealed that social media usage during working hours results in hundreds of hours of lost productivity each year.  Consider creating a social media policy for your staff that outlines expectations for usage. Remember that your staff members might be a fantastic source of content for your social media strategy, so you might not want to entirely lock them down! There is a Content Filtering application for the SonicWALL that can be useful if you discover that the temptation for some employees in your dealership to “browse” the internet is simply too great.

 

The lesson of this tale is to never mix business and pleasure when using your computer. By doing this, you run the danger of losing productivity, increasing your vulnerability to viruses and malware, and lowering the PC’s and maybe the network’s overall performance.  We can assure you that if this occurs, you won’t be winning any popularity contests at work. It’s not personal; it’s simply business.