Before the advancement of technology, like the introduction of smartphones and their digital features, it was easy to write and enforce an acceptable use policy. But technological advancement has made it more complicated as people can work and access the internet anywhere.
The online cybersecurity degree offers education conditions for employees or students to sign a UAP before accessing a network ID. For your acceptable use policy to be acceptable, there are factors you must consider. They are the key elements ensuring that the policy you created has the legal clout to reduce liability.
Ensure Its All Legal
For the AUP to be acceptable, it needs to comply with the legal requirements to provide a legal ground for you in case of any violation. The relevant laws will help you enforce penalties as per the policy outline. When drafting the AUP, you must consider factors such as state data security laws and confirm if your AUP complies. Also, focus on the laws regulating online behavior, given that all internet users must comply with state and federal regulations.
The Policy Should Promote Data Security Practices.
One of the major concerns of any organization is cybersecurity. To improve data security, your organization must outline expected user behaviors. At the same time, you have to identify penalties for any users performing risky actions, for instance, downloading suspicious files.
There are various ways through which your acceptable use policy can handle the issues concerning data protection. For instance, coming up with an outline of network users’ responsibilities and updating passwords regularly. Coming up with ways to use the network and how not to use it. Lastly, through creating restrictions to accessing some websites.
Addressing Cyber Liability in Your Policy
Your accessible use policy can help your organization limit liability in case of a data breach, hacking, or cybercrime. Minimizing the cyber liability will require you to include disclaimers that eliminate an organization’s responsibility for data breaches in your acceptable use policy by the people logged into your network.
What To Mention in Your Acceptable Use Policy
The following are some elements and things you must mention in your acceptable use policy. First, they include a purpose that states the reason for putting the policy in place based on the business perspective. Next is the expectations which include the targets you have for the employees to meet the conditions and terms followed as they use the internet at work.
Acceptable use explains how the employees are supposed to use the internet, and unacceptable use includes the ban on specific sites and prohibited online behaviors. For instance, illegal downloading of files. Others include confidentiality and disclosure, the use of networks, and enforcement.
Some practices must be followed for the acceptable use policy to be acceptable, which provides guidelines to the employees and users of the network. The employees and the network users must follow the company’s legal terms of cyber regulations as stated by federal and state laws. The policy must promote data security practices and be able to address cyber liability within the policy.
