IS Network Administrator

jbnunzio

We currently have a network administrator in house that has access to all files on our system. I am wondering how other companies go about handling the access to confidential files (particularly in HR). Do you use a confidentiality sign off or do you not allow access to some files?

Paul

There must be a certain amount of trust placed in your top IS staff. They hold the keys to all of your electronic "secrets". However, with that being said, there are some steps that you should take to protect sensitive information (i.e. results of internal investigations, wage survey information, etc.).

As long as you are working in MS Office products (i.e. Word or Excel) you can password protect your documents. There are however, cracking programs on the net that will allow someone to break your password given enough time and access. Another alternative is to store the file on a removable disk (i.e. floppy, super disk, etc.), and to keep this information locked up. However, if the information is transmitted within the company via e-mail, there are always traces of it that can be resurected if one is diligent enough. The final alternative is to have a "stand alone" computer that you use for sensitive storage. Properly equipped with a "boot password" program, this is about as safe as you can get, short of doing the work only at home.

Hope this helps.