Employee Internet Use: Best
Practices Checklist

While the Internet is an effective and efficient business tool, it can also expose your business and its computers to a variety of threats and dangers: viruses, worms, hackers, theft, fraud, and even litigation.

Employees should be instructed on the proper use of the Internet, and must understand that their access to the Web, e-mail, Instant Messaging, etc., must follow business rules, not personal ones.

Usernames And Passwords

• Employees should create strong passwords - with a mixture of 8 or more upper and lower case letters and numbers
• Passwords must never be shared
• Passwords should never be written down
• Passwords should be changed on a regular basis

Anti-Virus Software

• All employee computers should have anti-virus software installed, configured to scan both incoming and outgoing e-mail
• Anti-virus software should be updated on a regular basis (at least weekly)
• Employee must never disable any aspect of anti-virus protection

E-Mail

• Business e-mail accounts should be used only for business e-mail
• Employees should never open unsolicited or unrecognized e-mails
• Employees should never forward or "reply-all" to non-business e-mail
• Employees should never send confidential or sensitive business information by e-mail without permission of their supervisor
• E-mail including subject lines should never include inappropriate language or references
• Employees should include Web links in e-mails only if appropriate to the business message at-hand
• Employees should spell-check and proof-read all business e-mail before sending
• Business e-mail must not be deleted unless a deletion policy has been put in place: certain businesses are required by law to maintain comprehensive records of e-mail and even Instant Messages

Web Browsing

• Employees should visit only those Web sites necessary for their business duties
• Employees must understand that "surfing" the Web on company time is a violation of policy
• Under no circumstances should any employee computer ever be used to visit "adult" or otherwise prohibited sites
• Employees with laptop or notebook computers must understand that these rules apply to remote use as well as in-office Internet use

General Rules

• A formal Internet (and computer) use policy should be drafted and signed by all employees
• Violations of company Internet-use policy should carry penalties determined by the business owner
• Instant Messaging should never be allowed unless necessary for business
• Employees should log-off or shut down computers when leaving their desks (even for a moment!)
• Employees with laptop computers (and any remote-access device) should never leave those devices unattended
• All Internet and e-mail use rules should be applied to any digital device the company provides or that is used for company purposes (phones, personal information devices, etc