Why you need Internet and email policies

The Internet is an essential tool for most businesses. However, allowing your employees unrestricted access to the Internet poses a number of risks including security risks, risks of prosecution as well as internal and external problems caused by abuse of the system. A plain English Internet and communications policy goes a long way when defending legal action and before you get to that stage, it spells out to employees, what is expected of them.

Why you need Internet and email policies

• To ensure that communications resources are managed efficiently and productively
• To help protect the business from potentially damaging material being sent or received via the Internet or email and any possible resulting legal action

The benefits of allowing access to the World Wide Web are clear. However, abuse of the system can be very wasteful and leave your organisation inefficient. More serious risks include:

• Downloading files that contain viruses
• Obtaining copyrighted material such as music or films
• Transmitting valuable or sensitive business information without encryption
• Distributing or relaying offensive or abusive material via email
• Generating junk email, or spam, via mass mailings
• Accepting files from people in online chat rooms which could bypass firewalls or email filters
• Accessing or downloading pornography or other offensive material
• Libelling or defaming colleagues, or even external business contacts, via email
• Using the Internet to commit fraud or other illegal acts

Introducing Internet and email usage policies should help you avoid these risks. It should also ensure that your business and staff get the best possible use out of your IT system, resulting in improved bottom line performance.

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