Hotelier aids compliance with internet monitoring

The Tifco Hotel group is using new security access management software to comply with internet regulations and monitor internet access of its employees at all the hotels it manages under licence.

Operating four hotels in Ireland that include the Crowne Plaza and Express by Holiday Inn brands, as well as new hotel under construction, Tifco wanted to protect employees from illegal use of the internet and comply with related legal regulations.

It also wanted a system that would allow the hotel management to establish different levels of restriction, adapted to different user groups according to levels of authority, seniority and use.

Tifco is now deploying Webwasher internet security software from vendor Secure Computing. Distributed by Commtech in Ireland, the technology is being installed at a central location by Globalnet Solutions, which is also contracted to manage device access for the Crowne Plaza group Ireland for the next three years.

"Downloading illegal material from the Internet is a hot topic for IT managers and it is becoming a very important issue," said George O'Dowd, managing director of Globalnet Solutions.

"It allows the group to protect themselves from employees using the net for illegal purposes, but also gives them the ability to restrict certain sites to avoid time wasting amongst the staff."

The system is currently in place to meet regulations related to employer's liability for staff's internet use in the workplace but, if required by law, could also be rolled out to monitor guests' internet access at the group's premises.

Miya Knights

A 25-year veteran enterprise technology expert, Miya Knights applies her deep understanding of technology gained through her journalism career to both her role as a consultant and as director at Retail Technology Magazine, which she helped shape over the past 17 years. Miya was educated at Oxford University, earning a master’s degree in English.

Her role as a journalist has seen her write for many of the leading technology publishers in the UK such as ITPro, TechWeekEurope, CIO UK, Computer Weekly, and also a number of national newspapers including The Times, Independent, and Financial Times.