Does Websense Make Sense? Leah M. Otto Final Project Presentation MBC Program University of St. Thomas
Since 2004 l l l New software on the market called Websense. Immediately hailed as important for business. Solved problem of Internet abuse in the workplace.
Pre-2004 Internet Access at Work l l Internet abuse in workplace. Employers struggling with how to monitor. Legal, HR, IS, Security concerned. Affected productivity and work environment.
How Websense Works l l Reads key words. Blocks access. Bad content gone from workplace. Employers safe.
The Down Side l l l Websense reads words, not context. English words prone to double meanings. Work related content sometimes blocked.
Websense: The Problem l Websense confused by double meanings. – – – Breast cancer = pornography Ads on Lottery site = gambling Pop music lyrics = violence
Could Websense Affect You? l l l Nurses can’t find medical research. Most literature focuses on the employers’ point of view. Workers need representation.
The vice president of Best Buy advertising noticed staff said unable to access work related Web sites.
How do we know it’s Websense? User receives message from Websense.
Necessary Research Blocked Types of Internet research l Ad concepts l Celebrities l Internet ad analysis
Workers Frustrated, but, l l l IS: Websense prevents hacking. HR: Websense ensures politically correct environment. Legal: Company at risk for lawsuits w/o Websense.
What We Needed to Know l l How many people affected? How often? To what extent is work impacted? Would data support a business case for change?
Research Question Does lack of access to Internet sites from the offices of Best Buy impact the work of its internal advertising department?
So I decided to… l l l Field study of 26 questions sent to 200 Advertising employees. E-mail/Internet based survey. Conducted April 2006.
Response l 97 respondents (48%) of the 200 workers on the distribution list.
Are you able to access the Web sites you’re looking for?
How does Websense impact your work?
Internet Research Conducted by Employees
Results l l l 25% able to access needed sites only half the time. 55% say blocks add time to projects. Over 63% say their Internet research has to do with getting information about competitor Web use.
Outcomes: l l May be only 25% of staff, but, the issues are high priority for the company. Time added to projects is expensive.
Best Buy Outcomes l l l Two Websense-free work stations installed in February 2007. (About one year after the study. ) Usage monitored by IS. Advertising managers review usage reports each month.
The Answer Does lack of access to Internet sites from the offices of Best Buy impact the work of its internal advertising department? Yes. ` - Not a majority, but, there is impact. The impact is on high priority work.
Q&A
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