Internet usage policy

Last week, I profiled a good white paper on "Cyberliability" from Elron Software. This week, I review another good paper from that company.

I very much enjoyed the company's "Guide to Internet Usage and Policy." You will find the download link for it by looking towards the top of the page.

The document includes an overview of the 1999 Corporate Internet Usage Survey commissioned by Elron. The results of this survey are presented neatly with pie graphs; highlights include the following:

• A total of 805 interviews were completed, and 95% confidence limits were around 4% for the estimates provided.
• About one-tenth of the respondents admitted to having received confidential information from an outside company via e-mail. <.li>About two-thirds of the respondents knew of no system tracking their Web surfing on their employer's equipment.
• About three-fifths of the employees said they were not aware of e-mail-tracking systems at work.
• About seven-eighths of the respondents used workplace e-mail for personal messaging.
• About three-fifths of the sample said they had received pornographic ("adult-oriented") e-mails at work.
• About 55% said they had received sexist or racist the e-mails at work.
• About half the employees admitted "frequently" surfing the Web for personal reasons while at work.
• About one-third of the respondents "frequently" download software for personal reasons while at work.

Perhaps the most useful and practical aspect of Elron's white paper is its sample Internet usage policy, which provides several pages of sound advice for managers and then illustrates the principles with a usable, well-written policy template suitable for tailoring to your own organization.

After that, the white paper turns to Elron's products, which are described with clear and unambiguous language.

Congratulations to the people who put such obviously intense thought and care into their marketing materials. This professional effort shows how educational documents prepared by professionals can be among the very best marketing materials for field. I hope other firms will emulate Elron's excellent work.

[For the record, neither the author nor his employer is in any way associated with Elron Software. The opinions expressed in this column are entirely the writer's, and do not constitute an endorsement of Elron Software's products.]