All companies should have an Internet and email usage policy which helps them avoid the risks of employees abusing the systems trusted to them to do their jobs. The policy should be restrictive enough to protect your business assets and to maximise productivity, ensuring that companies and staff get the best possible use out of their IT systems.

Your policy should clearly state what is and isn't permitted by staff using the Internet or email. You should ensure that your employees are aware of the policy and the consequences of breaching it.

But even with such a policy in place, do you keep it up to date to include the abuse of new technologies on work machines and social media?

If you haven’t already, here are some new areas that you should think of adding to your Internet and email usage policy.

• Social networking sites are a common time-waster. Some companies ban their use altogether. Other sites can also be offensive and legally problematic (for example, pornographic sites or sites that promote racism).
• Sites that take up a lot of bandwidth can slow down Internet access for other employees. For example, sites that feature videos or music.
• Remove the links to popular websites often available as a default feature on browser software. Such sites can be major time wasters. For example, online shopping, computer games, sports results and gambling.
• Sites that require you to register can cause problems. They may leave cookies on your computer, which can collect information about you, including your contact details, without your knowledge. This may leave you open to receiving junk email (spam), or other unsolicited marketing materials.
• Instant Messaging, Peer-to-Peer, email and other Web-based communications, as well as blogging sites should be monitored. You should decide if you want your employees to be able to read blogs or post to them as part of an overall communications policy.
• ITunes is a memory hog, music files are large, and collections of iTunes songs or video clips can be enormous. This in turn affects the performance of computers, and it can then be assumed that performance of the iTunes-using employee is also affected. Many organizations ban iTunes outright. Marriot for instance doesn't allow iTunes registration on its corporate machines by users.

Whenever there is potential for employees to be seen as company representatives, organisations should have a comprehensive policy that extends to all employees and all use of social media and social networks.

The policy needs to be emphatic about the need for social media users to behave ethically, legally, and in the best interests of the company, its customers, employees, shareholders, and business partners.

Through our consultancy services, Circle IT can advise you on the best way to enforce your Internet usage policy and offers Internet monitoring and website filtering for our clients. Can you leave it to chance that your employees aren’t abusing loop holes in your policy?

Contact Circle IT today on 0870 428 3582