(MSPAlliance) - Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - Desktop search tools provide a single interface for users to navigate e-mail, contacts, documents, multimedia files and document files, aiding in productivity. However, these programs are showing up across corporate networks and raising concerns about IT security.
Programs such as Google Desktop could expose information on shared drives that had not been properly restricted or deleted, conflict with homegrown IT network applications or destroy PCs. A new consumer version of Google Desktop has a feature allowing users to search for items across multiple network computers, indexing network information on its remote servers.
These tools are causing headaches for IT departments, which are forced to spend time on removing applications, defaulting settings or repairing damage to operating systems from malfunctioning, unapproved software.
Companies should make employees aware of the IT security risks associated with desktop search tools and encourage employees to remove such tools until IT can implement a security policy. Google, MSN, and Yahoo all offer enterprise versions of these desktop search tools that include support services. Desktop search tools unquestionably increase employee productivity, but this should not come at the expense of IT security.
