One heck of a week for HP

weekly roundup Hewlett-Packard has had one heck of a week, to say the least. After controversy erupted early this month over the company's use of questionable tactics to investigate an insider leak, HP Chairman Patricia Dunn resigned last Friday ahead of her initial plan to stay on the board until January 2007.

A barrage of news headlines duly followed this week, where some questioned the company's corporate governance structure while others highlighted the impact on HP's market standing.

Company officials have openly admitted that what happened in the leak probe was a mistake, describing it as appalling and embarrassing. It's a pity that HP has allowed itself to slip up, especially when the IT giant had seemed ready to leave its troubled past behind and was on its way to a brighter profit-laden future.

But, the fiasco over HP's methods of plugging its insider leak serves as a timely reminder to organizations that have, until now, thought nothing of covertly monitoring their employees' e-mail, Web surfing, and even instant messaging.

While the practice is deemed necessary for businesses to safeguard their corporate data, companies need to be aware of the potential repercussions for doing so. They should also be cautious about not crossing the line, unknowingly or otherwise, as was the case with HP.

In other news this week, Lenovo is the next major vendor to pull the plug on those dreaded Sony batteries while U.K. companies are warned to ensure their customers are told how to pull the RFID plug. Also, two new studies reveal some astonishing findings about SMBs in the region, specifically their take on technology and branded ink cartridges.