While the holiday season can be hectic for consumers, the season also presents unique challenges for the nation’s business owners, many of whom are unsure of where to draw the line between being understanding of their workers’ stress and adhering to company policies that could protect the business from external threats.
Though some dedicated workers keep their online shopping confined to lunch breaks, a new survey indicates that a majority of employees may be spending as long as two hours making purchasing decisions on the Web. However, a new study, which was conducted by Ipswitch Inc., compiled records from companies that monitor their employees’ browsing history to find out just how long employees spend on these transactions at work.
In total, 42 percent of workers were found to spend more than their average lunch break holiday shopping. However, there are added dangers to condoning this behavior in an office setting, even excluding the lost business productivity many owners are likely experiencing.
“In addition to lost productivity, online shopping can put additional strain on business-critical network infrastructure, so it is imperative that network administrators are aware of what traffic is flowing around the network,” said Ennio Carboni, the president of the company’s network management division.
As a result, it can be important for businesses to invest in data networking services such as firewall installation, security audits, WAN networking and encryption, as in severe instances, such as when a hacker accesses company data, disaster recovery services may be needed. But, by working with an IT and VoIP telephony services provider that offers these solutions and support services, companies may be gaining the tools to safeguard their locations around the country.
Even if business owners make it through the season without any issues, they may still face problems in the years ahead, as online shopping is only expected to grow in popularity.
While the holiday season can be hectic for consumers, the season also presents unique challenges for the nation’s business owners, many of whom are unsure of where to draw the line between being understanding of their workers’ stress and adhering to company policies that could protect the business from external threats.
