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Discussion on: How do you manage private files on your work computer?

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mazz profile image
Michael • Edited

I don't want to sound glib, but never do private activity on a work computer. This includes surfing the web, downloading etc. You might think "Oh I'll just quickly check reddit" Just don't do it; it will simply never open the possibility of some sort of professional embarrassment.

Buy a cheaper second-hand notebook. I got lucky and found a used 2015 13" MacBook Pro(with 16GB of RAM). If you're buying a PC, a Lenovo T430 is generally good bang for the buck.

Finally, like others have said, when it's time to return the hardware; completely wipe your user workspace before you return it. I don't recommend the "secure erase" feature though because that just takes too long.

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darksmile92 profile image
Robin Kretzschmar

I really appreciate your opinion, that is exactly how we all should handle things.
After switching to a new laptop, I tried to keep it that way and bought a personal laptop for at home also. But with the time it became in handy to browse private stuff on the company laptop on days I was working from home. At some point came the time when the lines blurred...

Trying to fix it and maybe I just need a "new fancy toy" for home use and buy a used MacBook or something to make it more interesting to use.