:sarcasm: How dare they accuse our loyal, hardworking public services of shirking their worker bee grind.... :sarcasm:
HR&SD Canada to block internet video for duration of Olympic Games
By Vito Pilieci, The Ottawa Citizen July 20, 2012
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OTTAWA — A week before the Olympics are set to officially open, the federal government is putting a damper on the ensuing events by warning public servants that websites showing video from the various competitions will be blocked by government servers.
The news was delivered to employees at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), one of the largest departments within the federal government, July 20 in a morning email from Charles Nixon, chief information officer of HRSDC’s Innovation, Information and Technology Branch.
In order to protect HRSDC computer networks and preserve their performance, all videos from online websites featuring Olympic events will be blocked from July 23 until August 20.
Nixon told HRSDC’s approximately 24000 employees that video streams from the Olympics put huge demand on government computer servers, slowing government networks for all employees and hindering productivity. He said that during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010, government systems were reduced to a crawl thanks to employees tuning in to watch their favourite events over the internet.
“Our experience during the 2010 Vancouver Games revealed that the department’s electronic network suffered significant congestion throughout the games due to employees watching Olympic-related videos over the internet,” states Nixon’s memo to staff. “This congestion must be avoided to ensure ongoing network integrity, and to support the operations of the Department and service to Canadians. In order to protect the HRSDC electronic network, videos on Olympic broadcast sites will be blocked. There will be no impact on business-related video requirements. Thank you in advance for your understanding.”
Alyson Queen, a spokeswoman for the department confirmed the memo Friday and urged employees to stay focused on their work.
“High volumes of video streaming use significant bandwidth which cause network congestion and can in turn, impact services to Canadians,” she said in a statement. “We encourage all employees to support our Canadian athletes during the Olympics, but while at work, it is expected that they perform their jobs on behalf of taxpayers.”
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HR&SD Canada to block internet video for duration of Olympic Games
By Vito Pilieci, The Ottawa Citizen July 20, 2012
Article Link
OTTAWA — A week before the Olympics are set to officially open, the federal government is putting a damper on the ensuing events by warning public servants that websites showing video from the various competitions will be blocked by government servers.
The news was delivered to employees at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), one of the largest departments within the federal government, July 20 in a morning email from Charles Nixon, chief information officer of HRSDC’s Innovation, Information and Technology Branch.
In order to protect HRSDC computer networks and preserve their performance, all videos from online websites featuring Olympic events will be blocked from July 23 until August 20.
Nixon told HRSDC’s approximately 24000 employees that video streams from the Olympics put huge demand on government computer servers, slowing government networks for all employees and hindering productivity. He said that during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010, government systems were reduced to a crawl thanks to employees tuning in to watch their favourite events over the internet.
“Our experience during the 2010 Vancouver Games revealed that the department’s electronic network suffered significant congestion throughout the games due to employees watching Olympic-related videos over the internet,” states Nixon’s memo to staff. “This congestion must be avoided to ensure ongoing network integrity, and to support the operations of the Department and service to Canadians. In order to protect the HRSDC electronic network, videos on Olympic broadcast sites will be blocked. There will be no impact on business-related video requirements. Thank you in advance for your understanding.”
Alyson Queen, a spokeswoman for the department confirmed the memo Friday and urged employees to stay focused on their work.
“High volumes of video streaming use significant bandwidth which cause network congestion and can in turn, impact services to Canadians,” she said in a statement. “We encourage all employees to support our Canadian athletes during the Olympics, but while at work, it is expected that they perform their jobs on behalf of taxpayers.”
More on link
