We always love reading reports like this. ScanSafe is a reputable and legitimate manufacturer of internet software solutions for companies large and small. Basically, if you don't want your business network used as the next great torrent tracker or employees surfing for porn, these are the people to chat with. So it's no surprise that, perhaps out of their own best interests, the latest news from ScanSafe found a 55% increase in MP3 and software downloading in the workplace.

It's really no big secret that many individuals use their business network (or workplace computers) to engage in file-sharing. Business networks are often faster than home networks, and besides, it passes the buck to someone else. This has been happening for years, with countless surveys and studies demonstrating its popularity. Yet after all these years, and perhaps the most surprising from the study, is that so few companies take a proactive approach to protect their networks.

Business IT administrators don't necessarily need to take a political approach to file-sharing control - whether you believe its good or not really doesn't matter. What matters is that copyright holders have been aggressive in pursuing alleged P2P and file-sharing pirates. The recent cases in the United States and elsewhere around the world have shown just how costly such litigation can be.

While private individuals typically bear the brunt of copyright litigation, we've never seen a case where an employee and their employer were facing P2P or file-sharing complaints. It happens on the university level, but when was the last time a Fortune 500 company was sued for copyright infringement? We're betting it's never happened, and probably never will. But while companies probably don't have to worry much about the copyright police, their employees may be the one who have to pay the price.

Date: 2010-01-20 Source: http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=1899