While urging me to call the city's personnel director for "the real story," Mayor William Stortz nonetheless told me quite a bit today about the reason for the crackdown on internet use by city workers.
"Simply put, there's a legitimate use of the internet," the mayor said, but there's also a misuse of the web.
Stortz said there's "a subtle impact" on the entire municipal network when employees are using the web to check on purely personal matters, shoving up the volume of overall use and forcing the city to pay for extra bandwith.
He said that workers have used the web in recent months to access such sites as eBay, PayPal, and Stop and Shop.
Stortz said that in the days leading up to the Sept. 11 primary between two Democratic mayoral contenders, the city's system registered 450 "hits" from municipal computers to this very blog.
The problem is that "a huge amount of activity" that's not necessary to do the public's work slows the system down and pushes up costs, the mayor said.
More than that, though, is that it's not reasonable to expect supervisors alone to control the problem, Stortz said.
In public works, for example, should Director Walter Veselka "walk around checking the screens" of the people who work for him?, the mayor asked.
"People should not have to be able to look over shoulders" to ensure that city employees are doing city business, Stortz said.
So blocking sites that don't appear to have any legitimate governmental use makes the process simpler.
Even on this blog, the mayor said, "not too often does the news change during the day" so workers who check it out often aren't seeing new posts, they're just reading comments left by others. Is that critical? Stortz asked.
"An occasional deviation can be tolerated," the mayor said, but when the problem gets huge, there's a real impact.
He said the computer department is unblocking sites for workers who have a need to see them, Stortz said. For instance, he said, it turned out the police need to see the NADA used car site for their work so it's been unblocked.
I think the mayor can read my blog from City Hall, so I guess it's important for at least him.
Anyway, the personnel director is in meetings all afternoon so we'll have to wait for Friday to find out what she can add to this whole story. Stay tuned -- unless you work for the city.
More information, from the mayor (who, by the way, said he doesn't read this blog at work):
Yes, the city does have an Internet policy, and no, it hadn't been enforced. The logistics of enforcement are difficult: prevention is easier with the same or better result.
My computer is no different than any other, and I do not use it for personal use or "surfing the web".
There is a policy that all employees are required to sign.
After the barrage of accesses to the web blog during the primary, the policy was again forwarded to department heads for distribution.
Subsequent analysis indicated that blocking of inappropriate sites would be more effective. A follow up memo was sent out, indicating that blocking would take place, BUT, if use of any site was justified, calling Personnel or IS would probably result in unblocking, if only for that computer or department.
So far the response has been good. Additional review will take place and I hope that this approach continues in place. Like me or not, this is just good business practise, and the taxpayers deserve no less.
William T. Stortz
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
14 comments:
In one of those odd pieces of timing, we got a memo from higher-ups at the Press today warning us that employees who are streaming audio and video are hogging so much bandwith that it's slowing down the key programs used to put out the newspaper.
That's a no-no, of course.
So it isn't just city workers who need to pay attention to the problem.
This isn't anything new. It isn't so much a "wasting company time" issue as it is a security issue.
The State has a very strict policy that is heavily enforced. So do many other companies.
Removing access to "entertainment" sites isn't a bad thing.
Steve,
For whatever it is worth, I do not use the city computer, or computer system for any personal use.
Any accessing of your Blog, or any other site is done from home.
Bill Stortz
I stand corrected.
I agree with the Mayor and from an Ethical standpoint this is how it should be. I support blocking the sites from City Hall computers. If those folks want to read or check something, they can do it from home. It's none of our business what they donon their own time from their own homes. But don't do it on our time ! Stortz is doing the right thing (for once). Our City really needs a new set of Ethics rules and regulations. Especially in the area of "conflict of interest".
There are so many conflicts, apparent conflicts and perceived conflicts that it's not even funny anymore. The rules should make it that even an appearance of a conflict of interest would be prohibited. Its only right and it should be expected by all taxpayers, yet we never seem to address it or change it. Thus the good ole boy network continues on.
Again, I chime in to set the record straight.
Yes, the city does have an Inernet policy, and no, it hadn't been enforced. The logistics of enforcement are difficult: prevention is easier with the same or better result.
My computer is no different than any other, and I do not use it for personal use or "surfing the web".
There is a policy that all employees are required to sign.
After the barrage of accesses to the web blog during the primary, the policy was again forwarded to department heads for distribution.
Subsequent analysis indicated that blocking of inappropriate sites would be more effective,
A follow up memo was sent out, indicating that blocking would take place, BUT, if use of any site was justified, calling Personnel or IS would probably result in unblocking, if only for that computere or department.
So far the response has been good.
Additional review will take place and I hope that this approach continues in place.
Like me or not, this is just good business practise, and the taxpayers deserve no less.
William T. Stortz
Bravo Mayor. City employees should be working during the day not on the internet!
New Britain Hospital (The Hospital of Central Connecticut) doesn't allow personal use of the hospital computers, but in their coffee cafe they have a series of computers that can be used for personal use by employees or visitors at the hospital.
This is for safety of patient information as well as other sensitive hospital records. It's also to discourage people from doing personal stuff during work hours.
It's a good policy that the majority of businesses are implementing everywhere.
"An occasional deviation can be tolerated," the mayor said, but when the problem gets huge, there's a real impact.
Well, the deviation in the mayor's office turned into more than an occasional problem, so it's good that we get to say bye, bye, Billy, you got too huge. We will not miss ye.
Steve,
Pretty sad that a big newspaper company's computer system can't handle audio and video streams without getting crippled, especially when the paper is supposed to be a presence on the internet, too. Isn't checking out news and information part of a journalist's job? You mean to tell us that they're not equipped to let you do your job?
(450) exculusive vists to this blog from the environs of City Hall.
Steve, your the Star of the gossip mongers!
A grateful public thanks you for opening a backdoor channel into the Hall of Darkness so others have been allowed a view of the pits...
(at least for a while)
What a trip it has been !
Stortz your all done on Monday..Thank God
I saw people in City Hall doing flips down the hallway!
STORTZ IS GONE!!
And if they fall and get hurt they will apply for workers comp.
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