Firms ‘should establish definite internet policies’

Companies should establish "very definite" policies regarding the issue of what staff are and are not allowed to do on the internet.

This is the opinion of Ben Camm-Jones, news editor of Web-User magazine, who said that such stringency would ensure there was a clear set of guidelines should a dispute occur.

Additionally, clear policies can allay IT managers’ concerns over employees wasting time or risking company security through malware, he continued.

Mr Camm-Jones said: "If there is ever any doubt then you can refer back to [the guide] and see for sure what it is and [it can help] a lot of IT managers [who] are very concerned about the sites that people visit."

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According to figures produced by F-Secure in June 2008, 900,000 detections of malware occurred towards the end of the 30-day period, compared to 500,000 at the end of 2007.