TOWN OF BARNSTABLE
Policy on the use of Information Technology Resources (ITR)
Date 03/23/2001 Approved
by:__Town Manager
1. Purpose of this Document
2. User Responsibility
3. Acceptable Uses
4. Unacceptable Uses of Companies ITR
5. Data Confidentiality
6. Copyright Protection
7. Computer Viruses
8. Network Security
9. E-Mail
10. No Expectation of Privacy
11. Requests of Information Systems
12. Help Desk Procedures
1.) Purpose of this Policy
This document formalizes the policy for employees and users of all Town of Barnstable’s Information Technology Resources (from here on referred to as
ITR), including computers, printers, and other peripherals, programs, data, local and wide area networks, e-mail and the Internet. Use of Town of
Barnstable’s ITR by any employee or user shall constitute acceptance of the terms of this policy and any such additional policies.
Departments and Divisions are encouraged to replicate this policy, and ensure its visibility to all staff. This document will be handed out by
Information Systems (IS) and Human Resources (HR) to all new employees. A signed copy of this document acknowledging the receipt and understanding of
this policy will be kept on file with HR and IS. This document will be routinely updated and placed on the Town’s R: drive under IS/ISPOL.DOC. An
e-mail will be sent to all employees indicating when there has been a change in the document and it is the responsibility of the employee to review the
revised document located on the R: drive.
The purpose of this policy is to accurately convey the policies of the Town, the Town Manager and the Information Systems Department in the use of the
Town of Barnstable’s ITR. The policies contained within this document reflect a responsible use of the Town’s ITR. The policies will be strongly
enforced and employees and users of the Town of Barnstable’s ITR are expected to follow these policies at all times.
This policy is designed to protect the Town of Barnstable and its employees as well.
Other laws also cover certain subjects covered or touched upon in this policy, and some of the things forbidden here are also serious crimes,
potentially involving substantial fines and jail terms. Nothing in this policy lessons your responsibility under those laws.
2.)
User Responsibility
It is the responsibility of any person using Town of Barnstable’s ITR to read, understand, and follow this policy. In addition, users are expected to
exercise reasonable judgment in interpreting this policy and in making decisions about the use of ITR. Any person with questions regarding the
application or meaning of this policy should seek clarification from the Town of Barnstable’s IS Department or HR Department.
Failure to observe this policy may subject individuals to disciplinary actions, including termination of employment.
3). Acceptable Uses
The Town of Barnstable firmly believes that ITR empower users and makes their jobs more fulfilling by allowing them to deliver better services at lower
costs. As such, employees are encouraged to use ITR to the fullest extent in pursuit of their departmental goals and objectives.
4). Unacceptable Uses of Town of Barnstable’s ITR
It is unacceptable for any person to use Town of Barnstable’s ITR:
· In furtherance of any illegal act, including violation of any criminal or civil laws or regulations, whether local, state or federal;
-
For any political purpose;
-
For any commercial purpose;
-
To send threatening or harassing messages, whether sexual or
otherwise;
-
To access or share sexually explicit, obscene, or otherwise
inappropriate materials;
-
To infringe any intellectual property rights;
-
To gain, or attempt to gain, unauthorized access to any computer or
network;
-
For any use that causes interference with or disruption of network
users and resources, including propagation of computer viruses or
other harmful programs;
-
Downloading and or installation of unauthorized software or files;
-
As the same connectivity for the Town of Barnstable’s internet
access also provides for the Town of Barnstable’s Web page,
bandwidth compromising programs are not allowed. Examples include
but are not limited to, streaming video and audio (watching video or
listening to music), remaining on web cams for more than one minute,
online gaming and the like.
-
To intercept communications intended for other persons;
-
To misrepresent either the Town of Barnstable or a persons role at
the Town of Barnstable;
-
To distribute chain letters;
-
To access on-line gambling sites
-
To libel or otherwise defame any person.
-
Installation of ANY software or hardware not obtained through IS. IS
is responsible to comply with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Chapter 30B Bidding practices with respect to the Town’s purchase of
any and all ITR equipment. ALL software and hardware or related ITR equipment must go
through IS to ensure the Town’s compliance with state laws. IS is also responsible for maintaining accurate asset information regarding all ITR.
5). Data Confidentiality
iality
In the course of performing their jobs, Town of Barnstable employees and users often have access to confidential or proprietary information, such as
personal data about identifiable individuals or commercial information about business organizations. Under no circumstances is it permissible for
employees or users to acquire access to confidential data unless such access is required by their jobs. Under no circumstances may employees or users
disseminate any confidential information that they have rightful access to, unless such dissemination is required by their jobs.
6). Copyright Protection
Computer programs are a valuable, intellectual property. Software publishers can be very aggressive in protecting their property rights from
infringement. In addition to software, legal protections can also exist for any information published on the Internet, such as the text and graphics
on a web site. As such, it is important that users respect the rights of intellectual property owners. Software cannot be copied or installed without
a valid license obtained through IS.
In addition, employees are not allowed to install personally owned hardware and/or software on a Town of Barnstable ITR without express authorization
from the Town of Barnstable’s IS Department. The installation of such software on a Town of Barnstable’s machine may be in violation of licensing
infringements, or may introduce other problems associated with network access, hardware performance, etc.
7). Computer Viruses
Users should exercise reasonable precautions in order to prevent the introduction of a computer virus into the Town of Barnstable’s network. Virus
scanning software should be used to check any software downloaded from the Internet or obtained from any source other than the IS Department. It is a
good practice to scan floppy disks periodically to see if they have been infected. Users should not interfere with virus scanning software that is
installed on their computers and will comply with all updates that are sent out from the IS Department. Copy all “outside” documents to one of your
network drives prior to opening. That process will automatically scan the file and alert you should the file contain a virus.
8). Network Security
Most desktop computers are connected to a local area network, which links computers within the Town of Barnstable and through the wide area network, to
most other computers within the organization. As such, it is critically important that users take particular care to avoid compromising the security
of the network. Most importantly, users should never share their passwords with anyone else, and should promptly notify the Town of Barnstable’s IS
Department if they suspect their passwords have been compromised. In addition, users who will be leaving their PC’s unattended for extended periods,
should log off the network or “lock” their machines during this time. Finally, no user is allowed to access the Internet or other external networks
via modem or other medium, unless they have received specific permission from the Town of Barnstable’s IS Department.
9). E-Mail
When using e-mail, there are several points users should consider. First, because e-mail addresses identify the organization that sent the message
(username@town.barnstable.ma.us), users should consider e-mail messages to be the equivalent of letters sent on official letterhead. For the same
reason, users should ensure that all e-mails are written in a professional and courteous tone. Although many users regard e-mail as being like a
telephone in offering a quick, informal way to communicate, users should remember that e-mails can be stored, copied, printed, or forwarded by
recipients. Therefore, users should not write anything in an e-mail message that they would not feel just as comfortable putting into a memorandum.
Subject to certain exceptions in the law, employees are reminded that e-mail messages are considered public records, copies of which may be requested
by any member of the public. It should be noted that even deleted messages might be subject to disclosure because they still exist on backup tapes.
Furthermore, because of the electronic search and retrieval methodologies available with e-mail, there is a much higher degree of likelihood that a
carelessly composed message containing an unforeseeably relevant key word will turn up in some notorious and embarrassing context. Users must keep
this constantly in mind.
E-mail attachments represent an impact on network capacity and should only be used to communicate official business documents to recipients. The
forwarding of non-business related information is in violation of this policy. Employees who are the recipients of non-business related e-mail with
attachments are required to discard them and should under no circumstances forward them to anyone. E-mail attachments that are received from an
unknown party should be considered “suspicious”, and should not be opened until the senders identity can be confirmed. Many viruses are spread using
e-mail systems in this manner.
The Internet offers a wide variety of electronic mailing lists. These mass-mailing lists come from list servers managed by a wide range of
organizations. To receive the mass-mailings one must subscribe to the list using the Internet e-mail address. Employees are NOT to subscribe to
mailing lists if the content is not directly related to their job function. Recreational examples would include “Joke of the Day”, “Horoscopes”,
“Trivia”, “Daily Word”, etc… Each of these mass-mailings use limit network capacity and storage capacity that should be used for other business
related purposes.
10). No Expectation of Privacy
Town of Barnstable’s ITR are the property of the Town of Barnstable and are to be used in conformance with this Policy. The Town of Barnstable retains
the authority to inspect any users computer, and data contained in it, and data sent or received by that computer. Users should be aware that network
administrators, in order to ensure proper network operations, monitor all network traffic. Use of Town of Barnstable’s ITR constitutes express consent
for the Town of Barnstable to monitor and/or inspect any data that users create or receive and any messages they send or receive, and any web sites
they access browsing the Internet. Department Heads can request detailed reports indicating e-mail and internet usage for those employees they
supervise.
11). Requests of IS
Requests of IS for new hardware, software, and applications development MUST come through the Information Systems Manager or Assistant Information
Systems Manager. Staff has been instructed to forward ALL requests for said services through these contacts. Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
requests MUST be made through the GIS Coordinator. Do not request these services from any other IS staff members. Requests will be handled on a
priority basis. In the future, IS will be requesting an Information Systems Steering Committee be formed comprised of Senior Managers to aid in the
setting of priorities.
12). Help Desk Procedures
Employees/Users requiring assistance with software, hardware, applications or any issues related to ITR are required to call 862-4635 (4635) to
initially establish the help desk call. Help desk calls will be recorded and if need be, a work order will be generated and forwarded to the
appropriate technical staff to handle. Please DO NOT call IS staff direct on their lines. This not only circumvents IS’s ability to track the needs
of its users, but interrupts IS staff performing important functions. ALL questions regarding software, hardware and applications MUST go through the
Help Desk.
TOWN OF BARNSTABLE
Policy on the use of
Information Technology Resources
(Human Resources Department)
I have read and understand the Town of Barnstable’s Information Technology Resources (ITR) policies regarding:
1. Purpose of this Document
2. User Responsibility
3. Acceptable Uses
4. Unacceptable Uses of Town of Barnstable’s ITR
5. Data Confidentiality
6. Copyright Protection
7. Computer Viruses
8. Network Security
9. E-Mail
10. No Expectation of Privacy
11. Requests of Information Systems
12. Help Desk Procedures
Date:_______________________________________
Department:_________________________________
Print Name:_________________________________
Signature:___________________________________
Please return this signed acknowledgement to the Information Systems Department, acknowledging that you have read and understand the policies put forth
in this document. Until this acknowledgement is returned, your e-mail and Internet access may be restricted. After your access has been granted this
signed acknowledgement will be forwarded to the Human Resources Department to become part of your personnel file and a copy will be kept on file in the
IS Department.
Failure to observe this policy may subject individuals to disciplinary actions, including termination of employment.
TOWN OF BARNSTABLE
Policy on the use of
Information Technology Resources (ITR)
(Information Systems Department)
I have read and understand the Town of Barnstable’s Information Systems Department, Information Technology Resources (ITR) policies regarding:
1. Purpose of this Document
2. User Responsibility
3. Acceptable Uses
4. Unacceptable Uses of Town of Barnstable’s ITR
5. Data Confidentiality
tiality
6. Copyright Protection
7. Computer Viruses
8. Network Security
9. E-Mail
10. No Expectation of Privacy
11. Requests of Information Systems
12. Help Desk Procedures
Date:_______________________________________
Department:_________________________________
Print Name:_________________________________
Signature:___________________________________
Please return this signed acknowledgement to the Information Systems Department, acknowledging that you have read and understand the policies put forth
in this document. Until this acknowledgement is returned, your e-mail and Internet access will be restricted. After your access has been granted this
signed acknowledgement will be forwarded to the Human Resources Department to become part of your personnel file and a copy will be kept on file in the
IS Department.
Failure to observe this policy may subject individuals to disciplinary actions, including termination of employment.
Town of Barnstable
Information Systems Department
367 Main Street
Hyannis MA 02601
508-862-4624
isd@town.barnstable.ma.us
