Locked Down
Posted: Thu 4 December, 2008 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Geeky, Security, Work-related |8 Comments »One of the things I’m kind of fascist about in the workplace is locking down workstations when people are away from them. In a big environment, it’s all too easy for someone else to use your computer to do something that they don’t want attributed to them (Such as sending a rude email to the CEO, for example) and if the workstation’s left unlocked then it’s even easier.
In the new place, people just don’t have the mindset to lock down their computers when they leave them. It’s something they should be doing, and it’s part of the IT policy, but they just don’t.
So since I started, I’ve been instigating a guerilla campaign to start making my colleagues lock their workstations down when they leave them. In short, if they don’t lock them down, I play…
(Note : I should point out, if I were to leave my workstation unlocked, I’d fully expect them to do the same to me in return.)
- Stage One : I created emails to CEOs, colleagues etc., but didn’t send them, and just left them on the desktop.
- Stage Two : Close down open applications
- Stage Three : Change the Desktop images
- Stage Four : Change the colour schemes
- Stage Five : Change the password…
So far, we’re just on Stage Three. People are learning slowly but surely, but as they learn, the penalties for mistakes become far steeper…
If you worked in my office, I would hate you.
Absolutely valid point. I’d probably hate me too.
Well, if I left my PC unlocked, anyway.
Ugh.
In my office we have this thing called professionalism. You must work with some horrid people.
Also, this is your job to police, is it? They ain’t keeping you busy enough obviously!!
Ah, this reminds me of the happy day when I set a colleague’s terminal colour scheme to black text on a black background and added some interesting auto-corrections to his Lotus AmiPro dictionary. That wasm’t as a “punishment”, though. It was done – and taken – in good humour.
Gordon, no, it’s not my job to police it – and I don’t do it company-wide, but instead just on the people in the IT department. Who, in theory at least, are the ones who really should know better.
Now, is the comment about professionalism aimed at me or t’others? 🙂
Someone will catch you doing it sometime soon (or another person will put two and two together having seen you at the affected colleague’s desk) and then, well, revenge is sweet, if you get my meaning…
I wouldnt take that in good humour at all.
Typical Lyle, do ya give out the odd wedgie too?