If my boss is reading - I don't know what they're talking about and I just liked the pictures, I didn't read the article.

In between typing up reports and poring over spreadsheets, we use our office PCs to keep up with our lives. We do birthday shopping, check out funny clips on YouTube and catch up with friends by email or instant message. And often it's just easier to accomplish certain tasks using consumer technology than using the sometimes clunky office technology our company gives us -- compare Gmail with a corporate email account.

Here's only one problem with what we're doing: Our employers sometimes don't like it.

To find out whether it's possible to get around the IT departments, we asked Web experts for some advice. Specifically, we asked them to find the top 10 secrets our IT departments don't want us to know. How to surf to blocked sites without leaving any traces, for instance, or carry on instant-message chats without having to download software. But, to keep everybody honest, we also turned to security pros to learn just what chances we take by doing an end run around the IT department.

Here, then, are the 10 secrets your IT department doesn't want you to know, the risks you'll face if you use them -- and tips about how to keep yourself (and your job) safe while you're at it.

Ten things your IT department won't tell you. [WSJ]