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TECHNOLOGY RESSOURCES USE POLICY

Policy restricting personal use of employers computers and systems



PURPOSE

To remain competitive, better serve our customers and provide our employees with the best tools to do their jobs, [YOUR COMPANY NAME] (the Company) makes available to our workforce access to one or more forms of electronic media and services, including but not limited to: computers, software, printers, copiers, files, databases, cellular phone, pager, email, telephones, voicemail, fax machines, external electronic bulletin boards, wire services, online services, intranet, Internet and the World Wide Web.

[YOUR COMPANY NAME] encourages the use of these media and associated services because they can make communication more efficient and effective and because they are valuable sources of information about vendors, customers, technology, and new products and services. However, all employees and everyone connected with the organization should remember that electronic media and services provided by the company are company property and their purpose is to facilitate and support company business. All computer users have the responsibility to use these resources in a professional, ethical, and lawful manner.

To ensure that all employees are responsible, the following guidelines have been established for using email and the Internet. No policy can lay down rules to cover every possible situation. Instead, it is designed to express [YOUR COMPANY NAME] philosophy and set forth general principles when using electronic media and services.


AUTHORIZATION
  
Access to the [YOUR COMPANY NAME] technology resources is within the sole discretion of the Company. Generally, employees are given access to the Company's various technologies based on their job functions. Only employees whose job performance will benefit from the use of the Company's technology resources will be given access to the necessary technology.  Additionally, employees must successfully complete company-approved training before being given access to the [YOUR COMPANY NAME] technology resources. 


PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS

Electronic media cannot be used for knowingly copying, transmitting, retrieving, or storing any communication that is:

Discriminatory or harassing;
Derogatory to any individual or group;
Obscene, sexually explicit, pornographic, defamatory or threatening;
In violation of any license governing the use of software;
Engaged in for any purpose that is illegal or contrary to [YOUR COMPANY NAME] policy or in a manner contrary to the best interests of the Company, in any way that discloses confidential or proprietary information of the Company or third parties, or for personal or pecuniary gain; or
Protected by copyrights laws unless the employee has the author's permission or is accessing a single copy only for the employee's reference.

PROFESSIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

It is important to maintain a proper spirit and tone to your communications over the system. The following guidelines are suggested:

Make your communications positive, constructive, complete, factual.
Dont write when angry and edit before sending.
Be careful with humor C they cant see you wink(.
Always avoid sarcastic humor.
Never use all caps C that is perceived as SHOUTING!
Avoid belaboring disagreements in email C there is a time for face-to-face meetings.
Always guide your recipient in responding by stating what you need and by when.
Pay attention to grammar and spelling, both to protect your own reputation and intelligence, and to avoid irritating your recipients who are distracted by careless mistakes.


PERSONAL USE

The computers, electronic media and services provided by [YOUR COMPANY NAME] are primarily for business use to assist employees in the performance of their jobs. As long as personal use does not interfere with the employee's duties, is not done for pecuniary gain, does not conflict with the Company's business, and does not violate any Company policy, occasional, or incidental use of electronic media (sending or receiving) for personal, non-business purposes is understandable and acceptable, and all such use should be done in a manner that does not negatively affect the systems' use for their business purposes. However, employees are expected to demonstrate a sense of responsibility and not abuse this privilege.

The Company assumes no liability for loss, damage, destruction, alteration, disclosure, or misuse of any personal data or communications transmitted over or stored on the Company's technology resources. The Company accepts no responsibility or liability for the loss or nondelivery of any personal electronic mail or voicemail communications or any personal data stored on any Company property. The Company strongly discourages employees from storing any personal data on any of the Company's technology resources.


ACCESS TO EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS

Generally, electronic information created and/or communicated by an employee using email, word processing, utility programs, spreadsheets, voicemail, telephones, Internet and bulletin board system access, and similar electronic media is not reviewed by the company. However, the following conditions should be noted:

[YOUR COMPANY NAME] does routinely gather logs for most electronic activities or monitor employee communications directly, be it: 

Telephone Use and Voicemail:  Records are kept of all calls made from and to a given telephone extension. Although voicemail is password protected, an authorized administrator can reset the password and listen to voicemail messages.

Electronic Mail:  Electronic mail is backedup and archived. Although electronic mail is password protected, an authorized administrator can reset the password and read electronic mail.

Desktop Facsimile Use: Copies of all facsimile transmissions sent and received are maintained in the facsimile server.

Document Use: Each document stored on Company computers has a history, which shows which users have accessed the document for any purpose.

Internet Use:  Internet sites visited, the number of times visited, and the total time connected to each site is recorded and periodically monitored.

[YOUR COMPANY NAME] reserves the right, at its discretion and without notice, to review any employee's electronic files and messages to the extent necessary to ensure electronic media and services are being used in compliance with the law, this policy and other company policies, or to investigate misconduct, to locate information, or for any other business purpose.  

Employees should understand, therefore, that they have no right of privacy with respect to any messages or information created or maintained on the Company's technology resources, including personal information or messages. Accordingly, if they have sensitive information to transmit, they should use other means.

All messages sent and received, including personal messages, and all data and information stored on the Company's electronicmail system, voicemail system, or computer systems are Company property regardless of the content.  As such, the Company reserves the right to access all of its technology resources including its computers, voicemail, and electronicmail systems, at any time, in its sole discretion.

Passwords do not confer any right of privacy upon any employee of the Company. Employees are expected to maintain their passwords as confidential. Employees must not share passwords and must not access coworkers' systems without express authorization.

Deleting or erasing information, documents, or messages maintained on the Company's technology resources is, in most cases, ineffective.  All employees should understand that any information kept on the Company's technology resources may be electronically recalled or recreated regardless of whether it may have been "deleted" or "erased" by an employee.  Because the Company periodically backsup all files and messages, and because of the way in which computers reuse file storage space, files and messages may exist that are thought to have been deleted or erased. Therefore, employees who delete or erase information or messages should not assume that such information or messages are confidential.


THE INTERNET AND ONLINE SERVICES
  
The Company provides authorized employees access to online services such as the Internet.  The Company expects that employees will use these services in a responsible way and for businessrelated purposes only.  Under no circumstances are employees permitted to use the Company's Technology Resources to access, download, or contribute to the following:

gross, indecent, or sexuallyoriented materials;
sports sites;
jobsearch sites;
entertainment sites;
gambling sites;
games, humor;
illegal drugoriented sites;
personal pages of individuals; and
politicallyoriented sites or sites devoted to influencing the course of legislation or public policy.

Additionally, employees must not sign "guest books" at Websites or post messages to Internet news groups or discussion groups at Websites.  These actions will generate junk electronic mail and may expose the Company to liability or unwanted attention because of comments that employees may make.  The Company strongly encourages employees who wish to access the Internet for nonworkrelated activities to get their own personal Internet access accounts.


PARTICIPATION IN ONLINE FORUMS

Employees should remember that any messages or information sent on company-provided facilities to one or more individuals via an electronic network C for example, Internet mailing lists, bulletin boards, and online services C are statements identifiable and attributable to [YOUR COMPANY NAME].

[YOUR COMPANY NAME] recognizes that participation in some forums might be important to the performance of an employee's job. For instance, an employee might find the answer to a technical problem by consulting members of a news group devoted to the technical area.


SOFTWARE

To prevent computer viruses from being transmitted through the company's computer system, unauthorized downloading of any unauthorized software is strictly prohibited. Only software registered through [YOUR COMPANY NAME] may be downloaded. No employee may load any software on the Company's computers, by any means of transmission, unless authorized in advance by [YOUR COMPANY NAME]s system administrator.


SECURITY/APPROPRIATE USE

Employees must respect the confidentiality of other individuals' electronic communications. Except in cases in which explicit authorization has been granted by company management, employees are prohibited from engaging in, or attempting to engage in:

Monitoring or intercepting the files or electronic communications of other employees or third parties;
Hacking or obtaining access to systems or accounts they are not authorized to use;

Using other people's log-ins or passwords; and

Breaching, testing, or monitoring computer or network security measures.

No email or other electronic communications can be sent that attempt to hide the identity of the sender or represent the sender as someone else.

Electronic media and services should not be used in a manner that is likely to cause network congestion or significantly hamper the ability of other people to access and use the system.

Anyone obtaining electronic assess to other companies' or individuals' materials must respect all copyrights and cannot copy, retrieve, modify or forward copyrighted materials except as permitted by the copyright owner.

The Company has installed a variety of programs and devices to ensure the safety and security of the Company's technology resources.  Any employee found tampering or disabling any of the Company's security devices will be subject to discipline up to and including termination.


ENCRYPTION

Employees can use encryption software supplied to them by the systems administrator for purposes of safeguarding sensitive or confidential business information. Employees who use encryption on files stored on a company computer must provide their supervisor with a sealed hard copy record (to be retained in a secure location) of all of the passwords and/or encryption keys necessary to access the files.


CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
  
The Company is very sensitive to the issue of protection of trade secrets and other confidential and proprietary information of both the Company and third parties ("Confidential Information").  Therefore, employees are expected to use good judgment and to adhere to the highest ethical standards when using or transmitting Confidential Information on the Company's technology resources.

Confidential Information should not be accessed through the Company's technology resources in the presence of unauthorized individuals. Similarly, Confidential Information should not be left visible or unattended. Moreover, any Confidential Information transmitted via technology resources should be marked with the following confidentiality legend:

"This message contains confidential information. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not copy, use, or distribute this information. If you have received this message in error, please advise [EMPLOYEE'S NAME] immediately at [EMPLOYEE'S TELEPHONE NUMBER] or return it promptly by mail."


VIOLATIONS

Any employee who abuses the privilege of their access to email or the Internet in violation of this policy will be subject to corrective action, including possible termination of employment, legal action, and criminal liability.


PROCEDURES

Procedures for accessing the Voicemail, Email and Internet system, as well as the guidelines for how to properly send and retain information, may be obtained by contacting [NAME OF THE SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR].

The Voicemail/Email/Internet policies and procedures should be reviewed by each employee on a semi-annual basis.

Questions concerning the use of the Voicemail/Email/Internet system should be directed to the systems administrator. Questions concerning the improper use of the system should be directed to the employees immediate supervisor, and if not satisfied with the response, to the systems administrator.




EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT ON USE OF EMAIL AND THE INTERNET

I have read, understand, and agree to comply with the foregoing policies, rules, and conditions governing the use of the Company's computer and telecommunications equipment and services. I understand that I have no expectation of privacy when I use any of the telecommunication equipment or services. I am aware that violations of this guideline on appropriate use of the email and Internet systems may subject me to disciplinary action, including termination from employment, legal action and criminal liability. I further understand that my use of the email and Internet may reflect on the image of [YOUR COMPANY NAME] to our customers, competitors and suppliers and that I have responsibility to maintain a positive representation of the company. Furthermore, I understand that this policy can be amended at any time.


DATED:         



EMPLOYEE            COMPANY



                          
Authorized Signature  Authorized Signature

                          
Print Name and Title          Print Name and Title




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