Information Systems

General Policies

Hardware, software, Internet access, etc. are to be used for agency business only. Incidental personal use is permissible only if the use:

• Does not interfere with productivity; and
• Does not preempt any Dawn Farm activity.

All information, including email, created or stored on agency equipment or using agency accounts, is the property of Dawn Farm. While it is not routine practice, email accounts and other computer files may be accessed at any time by your supervisor or computer support staff. Supervisors will have access to the files of staff they supervise. No individual should have any expectation of privacy.

• You must have authorization prior to using your own hardware or software at Dawn Farm; generally, this is discouraged.
• Dawn Farm is not responsible for hardware or software brought from home, including damage, theft, viruses, data loss, and equipment failure.
• All media (disks, CDs, USB memory devices, external hard drives, etc.) brought from an outside source must be scanned for viruses.
• Hardware and software allocations and access rights are determined by computer support staff based on the agency business to be performed by that person or at that workstation. Rights and allocations may be changed at any time.
• Hardware and software that are donated to the agency become the sole property of Dawn Farm and may be allocated according to agency needs (e.g., given to another user, sold, stripped for parts).
• Attempts should not be made to bypass, or render ineffective, security facilities provided by the company.
• Changes or modifications to the hardware configuration of computer equipment should never be made by individual users. Requests for such changes should be directed to computer support staff using a Computer Services Request Form.
• Additions to or modifications of the standard software configuration provided on Dawn Farm’s PCs should never be attempted by individual users (e.g., autoexec.bat and config.sys files). Requests for such changes should be directed to computer support staff.
• Dawn Farm’s systems must not be used to create or transmit material that is derogatory, defamatory, obscene or offensive, such as slurs, epithets or anything that might be construed as harassment or disparagement based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, or religious or political beliefs. Similarly, Dawn Farm’s systems must not be used to solicit or proselytize others for commercial purposes, causes, outside organizations, chain messages or other non-job-related purposes.
• Email communications with external people and organizations should maintain the same level of professionalism that Dawn Farm expects in other written communication. Grammar and spelling should be reviewed for before any emails are sent.
• When using email, employees should keep in mind that the message can very easily be forwarded to anyone. If there reason to believe that a message might be distributed beyond the intended recipient, consider using the telephone.

Staffing Issues

If a position requires computer skills, the supervisor should screen for those skills during the interview process.

Staff are expected to monitor the security software (antivirus software, spyware software and Windows Updates) on the computers they use. If there is a problem, staff should inform their Program Coordinator. If staff need training in monitoring their computer’s security software they can request training.

When email or user accounts are needed for a new hire or a new position, the Program Coordinator will inform Project Manager who will create necessary accounts.

When a staff person leaves a position, Program Coordinators should inform Project Manager as soon as possible to deactivate accounts that are no longer needed. Project Manager will close the user account(s) immediately to prevent further access to agency information. Any files not specifically designated by supervisor to be retained will be deleted.

Passwords

Staff are responsible for protecting confidentiality of agency information by following all given guidelines including

• Using strong passwords
  • A strong password is defined as at least 8 characters long, and must contain characters from at least 3 of the following 4 classes: upper case letters, lower case letters, numerals, and special characters (except for the apostrophe ').
• Keeping passwords confidential and changing them when directed
• Share passwords only with supervisors or computer support staff (Never share CRCT passwords)
• If a password is suspected to have been compromised, report the incident to computer support staff and change all passwords.
• Do not use the "Remember Password" feature of applications (e.g., Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox).
• Do not write passwords down and store them anywhere in your office.

Confidentiality

Staff are responsible for protecting confidentiality of agency information by following all given guidelines including

• Logging out of workstation and/or remote connection when not in use
• Not allowing any other staff or resident access to your workstation while you are logged in
• Locking offices when not present
• Reporting lost or stolen keys
• Not copying agency information onto other media without authorization
• Having confidentiality agreements signed when any agency information is shared via disk, modem or other media
• Please refer to Dawn Farm’s Policy on Client Confidentiality for agency expectations on protecting client confidentiality on information systems

Furthermore, staff are required to respect confidentiality of any data not meant for their review. This includes documents left in printers and fax machines, files open on or accessible through a computer, and similar situations. Staff are prohibited from accessing another user’s files without specific authorization.

Resident Use

• Residents are not to use staff computers. They should only use computers designated for resident use
• Staff supervising resident use of computer equipment are responsible for reporting damage, viruses, data loss, and equipment failure in writing to computer support staff using a Computer Services Request Form.
• If problem is the result of resident negligence or deliberate damage, staff is responsible for assigning appropriate consequences and/or training.
• Designated staff are responsible for training residents in appropriate use of computer equipment and software and for monitoring their use.

Working at home

• Staff using remote access to connect to Dawn Farm networks must protect confidentiality of connection information and all Dawn Farm data
• Any software provided for staff to use at home is the property of Dawn Farm and may not be copied or used for non-agency business.
• Agency equipment that is loaned to a staff is for business use only.
• The borrower is responsible for maintaining the equipment in good working order, and notifying computer support staff of any problems using a Computer Services Request Form.
• No other software may be installed, downloaded or otherwise transferred to agency computers

Internet

At this time, desktop access to the Internet is provided to employees when there is a necessity and the access has been specifically approved. Dawn Farm has provided access to the Internet for authorized users to support its mission. No use of the Internet should conflict with the primary purpose of Dawn Farm, its ethical responsibilities or with applicable laws and regulations. Each user is personally responsible to ensure that these guidelines are followed.

Dawn Farm may monitor usage of the Internet by employees, including reviewing a list of sites accessed by an individual. No individual should have any expectation of privacy in terms of their usage of the Internet. In addition, Dawn Farm may restrict access to certain sites that it deems are not necessary for business purposes.

Dawn Farm’s connection to the Internet may not be used for any of the following activities:

• Staff should not download files without authorization of supervisor and IS department
• Email attachments from unknown senders should be deleted without opening. Viruses are often spread by enclosing them in email attachments that look legitimate.
• Links in emails from unknown senders should not be clicked. Spyware, malware and viruses are often spread by getting users to visit websites through email. This includes emails from the “Dawn Farm Team”. Legitimate emails from Dawn Farm will identify the sender by name.
• Email attachments from known senders should be scanned for viruses.
• The Internet must not be used to access, create, transmit, print or download material that is derogatory, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or offensive, such as slurs, epithets, or anything that may be construed as harassment or disparagement based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, or religious or political beliefs.
• Downloading or disseminating of copyrighted material that is available on the Internet is an infringement of copyright law. Permission to copy the material must be obtained from the publisher and the source should be cited.
• The Internet should not be used to solicit or proselytize others for commercial purposes, causes, outside organizations, chain messages or other non-job related purposes.

Software Installation

Dawn Farm staff should not install any software (this includes screensavers, desktop themes and toolbars) on Dawn Farm computers without permission from computer support staff. This is to ensure that Dawn Farm computers operate efficiently, do not become infected with viruses, spyware or malware, and have only properly licensed software installed.

If you discover that unapproved software has been installed on your computer, report this to your Program Coordinator immediately.

If you would like to install software not included in this list, please ask your Program Coordinator.

Dawn Farm has decided upon the following software applications for agency computers:

Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows
• Productivity

Microsoft Office

• Google Apps
• Internet

Internet Explorer

• Google Chrome

Accessories

• Adobe Reader