Not Just Words: Enforce Your Email and Web Acceptable Usage Policies

> Not Just Words: Enforce Your Email and Web Acceptable Usage Policies
>Authored by Nancy FlynnExecutive Director, The ePolicy InstituteAuthor, The e-Policy Handbook, E-Mail Rules, Instant Messaging Rules, Blog Rules, Writing Effective E-Mail, and E-Mail Management> PrefaceThe ePolicy InstituteT, www.epolicyinstitute.com, and Symantec Hosted Services, www.mes-sagelabs.com, have created this business guide to provide Best-Practices Guidelines for Managing Workplace Email and Web Use to Minimize Risks and Maximize Compliance. Through the imple-mentation of strategic Email and Web Acceptable Usage Policies and Procedures, incorporating clearly written rules, formal employee education, and proven technology solutions, U.S. employ-ers can enhance productivity, cut costs, reduce (and in some cases eliminate) the likelihood of email- and web- related litigation, regulatory investigations, security breaches, and other elec-tronic disasters.Not Just Words: Enforce Your Email and Web Acceptable Usage Policies is produced as a general best-practices guidebook with the understanding that neither the author, ePolicy Insti-tute Executive Director Nancy Flynn, nor the publisher, Symantec Hosted Services, is engaged in rendering advice on legal, regulatory, or other issues. Before acting on any rule, policy, or proce-dure addressed in Not Just Words: Enforce Your Email and Web Acceptable Usage Policies, you should consult with legal counsel or other professionals competent to review the relevant issue.The ePolicy Institute is a leading source of speaking, training, and consulting services related to workplace email and Internet policies, communication, and management. The ePolicy Institute is dedicated to helping employers limit email and web risks, including litigation and regulatory investigations, while enhancing employees' electronic communication skills. Visit www.epolicyin-stitute.com to learn more.Symantec Hosted Services is a leading provider of integrated messaging and web security servic-es, with over 18,000 clients ranging from small business to the Fortune 500 located in more than 86 countries. Symantec Hosted Services provides a range of managed security services to protect, control, encrypt and archive communications across Email, Web and Instant Messaging. These ser-vices are delivered by Symantec Hosted Services globally distributed infrastructure and supported 24/7 by security experts. This provides a convenient and cost-effective solution for managing and reducing risk and providing certainty in the exchange of business information. © 2008 Nancy Flynn, The ePolicy Institute.T All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Au-thor and Executive Director Nancy Flynn, The ePolicy Institute, www.epolicyinstitute.com, 2300 Walhaven Ct., Columbus, OH, 43220. Phone 614/451-3200. Email: nancy@epolicyinstitute.com.> Worldwide worries
> Email & Web Rule #1: Litigation and Regulations, Productivity and Security Create the Need for Strategic Email and Web ManagementEmployee use of the company computer system can open any organization to potentially costly and protracted risks including litigation, regulatory investigations, security breaches, malicious intruder attacks, lost productivity, business interruptions, and public embarrassment should a workplace lawsuit be filed or the media get wind of a particularly salacious electronic disaster story.You cannot be present in every office on every floor of every facility every hour of every day. You cannot rely on managers and staff to exercise sound judgment and good taste 100% of the time. And you should not discount the damage external intruders and internal saboteurs pose to your organization.. Should a female employee walk into the office of a male associate who, at that moment, is viewing pornography on his laptop, you, the employer, could wind up on the wrong side of a sexual harassment or hostile work environment claim.. If a former employee subpoenas company email and other electronically stored information in the course of a workplace lawsuit, your organization could face a lengthy and expensive search for messages, attachments, and other data.. Were a disgruntled employee of your publicly traded company to jump the gun and forward confidential finan... [download for more]