According to this BBC article, someone picked up some networking gear that still had proper access to the "home office" environment. Wow, this should be a clear reminder to wipe all gear before being sold to the public. Of course, this does bring up the possible scenario that the user selling the gear was an ex-employee which opens up a plethora of problems.
As we've discovered at a number of client sites, there are often few or undocumented employee procedures, such as hiring or dismissal. This can be a huge problem. If an employee has gear at home as is often the case, the dismissal process needs to include obtaining that hardware before severing ties.
This can be quite difficult, however, as asking the employee to bring all company owned gear into the office often leads to problems. It can also put IT in the middle of something it has no business dealing with, the firing of an employee.
Careful coordination, however should be in place. IT can disable user accounts and such while the person is being let go, only if IT is properly informed. Without proper notification, IT will have to run around after the fact disabling accounts before the ex and potential malicious former employee can get to those accounts.
If your company does not have an employee process that includes hiring and dismissal sub processes, work with HR to get some in place. They make IT's like MUCH easier and the overall impression on a new hire will be much better.
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