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Re: Working Remotely (was: White Paper Editing & Standards Setting)
Subject:Re: Working Remotely (was: White Paper Editing & Standards Setting) From:Brian Gordon <elasticsoul2003 -at- yahoo -dot- ca> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Thu, 6 Jul 2006 15:06:59 -0700 (PDT)
I worked as a TW at Amex some years ago; Amex was understandably concerned about the security of customer and proprietary data. Working remotely was not permitted. Had I burned data on a CD to take home (and been caught), I would have been fired and quite possibly charged with theft.
The news is full of companies and government departments leaking personal data. They SAY they care, but the leaks continue, and, unsurprisingly, the penalties are no discouragement - paying for a year's worth of credit monitoring has been the strictest I've heard of. The US government is even passing laws to make leaking data _less_ costly (though not for you and I), by only requiring leakers to report data theft/loss if the organization that lost the data determines that the data may be used criminally, or somesuch. Government = Big Business; what the latter wants, the former serves up on a platter; we are just consumers.
All the best,
Brian
----- Original Message ----
From: Susan W. Gallagher <sgallagher5 -at- cox -dot- net>
To: j-m -at- creativeoptions -dot- com; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 12:48:27 PM
Subject: RE: Working Remotely (was: White Paper Editing & Standards Setting)
IMO, the employees were not appropriately equiped to work remotely, and
that's what caused the problem. I have no idea why the employees were
allowed to bring a CD full of confidential data home with them, but if
they had been supplied with a secure VPN connection to their main
data store, the data compromise would not have happened (unless, of
course, the employee had his password stuck to the laptop, but that's a
different can of worms).
I don't see this affecting my team at all. We all have a secure VPN
connection that's set up and managed by IT, and we don't work with
sensitive personal data -- only source code and software builds.
My two cents. YMMV
-Sue Gallagher
---- j-m -at- creativeoptions -dot- com wrote:
>
> I would be interested in any professional observations regarding all the
> flack about the VA's information being compromised and their stand on
> laptops/remote workers. Has anyone heard of how we might address these
> issues?
>
> I'm guessing that this is going to tighten the screws on those of us who are
> trying to work remotely?
> Is working remotely a dead horse for technical writers?
>
> Joan-Marie Moss
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