“In 2013, former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney had a heart implant put in. It was a miracle of modern technology – except for one high-tech feature that was intentionally disabled by his doctor: Wireless functionality.

Cheney’s doctor wisely decided it would be a bad idea to leave the politician’s heart vulnerable to hacking. The story shows just how connected, and vulnerable, we have become in the age of the Internet of Things. It’s especially true of employees working from home and their many Internet-enabled devices, which could wreak havoc should they be connected to work networks.

FBI Warning

In a report last month, the FBI warned that an increasing number of web-connected devices has made businesses more vulnerable to hacking. As more businesses and homeowners use web-connected devices to enhance company efficiency or lifestyle conveniences, their connection to the Internet also increases the target space for malicious cyber actors. — FBI And another study  said that nearly one in four people working from home have connected a device to their enterprise networks. The devices aren’t only sensible ones like printers. Many have connected video gaming consoles, and the other most common devices are routers and video equipment.

Twenty-four percent of them admitted to connecting a personal smart device – other than laptops and cell phones – to a corporate network, and most said they are only “somewhat” concerned with the security of these devices. — Security Week

Employees must be educated about these risks, but sadly, many likely won’t care. That’s where monitoring software comes in. Monitoring software can ensure workers don’t connect unauthorized devices to work networks.

What software is best?

The ideal employee monitoring program should include:

• Data loss prevention
• Keystroke logging
• Email/Webmail monitoring
• Instant messenger monitoring
• Mobile device support

Employee monitoring programs include:

• ActivTrak
• Refog
• Spectorsoft CNE Investigator Edition
• Digital Endpoint

All four are available on PCs. Digital Endpoint also works with Macs, iPhones and Android phones. Does your business have any employees that telecommute? If so, how are you gauging their productivity? Let us know in the comments section below!