Spyware, the sneaky, unwanted bits of junk that lurk in the corners of your hard drive observing your behaviors and slowing down system performance, has become a serious problem in modern computing. A study by prominent security firm Webroot found that 80 percent of business computers are infected with pieces of spyware. It is not uncommon for techs to find dozens of types of spyware on a single system! Some infections become so numerous and severe that the only remedy is a costly system wipe or even complete replacement. What’s worse, most spyware generates bothersome pop-up ads while using the web and more malevolent varieties can even result in identity theft.

For the most part, this pain and expense is unnecessary. While over 80% of businesses install antivirus protection on their systems, only 43% have implemented a credible form of spyware production. Most spyware sneaks onto systems through spam e-mail and questionable websites with flashy banner ads (we’ve all seen “you’re our 1 millionth visitor! Click here to claim your prize!”). After a few years of observing such sneaky tricks, most internet users are too savvy to fall into the traps, but it still happens—mostly during employees’ personal use of internet resources.

If employers want to substantially reduce the impact of spyware on their companies, in addition to blocking spam, they should publish and enforce an acceptable use policy for employee internet access. Two-thirds of large companies actively monitor email and Internet use by their employees, but not many small businesses do. If you find your systems weighed down with the burden of spyware, network security and monitoring packages like those available through Responza can diagnose and cleanse your resources and make sure they stay spy free.