Helping your Users with Policies

I used to work in a laboratory, testing various materials including the tap water used by the facility.

This was the responsibility of one of the technicians, and one day we discovered something unusual.

A drawer full of water samples.

4 months worth of them.

He had been stockpiling them and not completing the testing.

When questioned, he pointed out in his defence that the operating procedure said that a daily sample must be ‘taken’ daily, not necessarily ‘tested’ daily.

He could be criticised for sticking too closely to what was specifically said in the procedure, rather than what was intended, but it is an example of how important it can be to have policies and procedures guiding staff on their activities within your organisation.

An Acceptable Usage Policy is an important computer security document to have, as it outlines how users can use company assets, such as internet access, and the boundaries for what they can and cannot do with them.

By informing users of the rules upfront, it gives them the necessary guidance to do their jobs and helps them understand the constraints or conditions of the organisation.

And by getting users to sign off on the AUP before they use or get access to company assets, it can limit the company’s liability is an issue does arise.

Take the time to consider what conditions you need to set for either employees or users of your service, and set it out in writing for them.

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If you’d like to see an example of an Acceptable Usage Policy you can use, comment ‘policy’ below or drop me a DM and I’ll send it on to you.