RSM Resources

Chances are your company already has a human resources (HR) policy to cover e-mail, telephone and computer use. But what does that policy say about camera phones, wireless hand held devices, jump drives, peer-to-peer software or any of a multitude of other new high-tech tools that are becoming commonplace?

Some of your employees probably already are bringing these new devices to work, downloading new software onto their office computers and communicating with coworkers and clients in new — and possibly dangerous — ways. While not all new technology is risky, or even bad, this is a case where what you don’t know can hurt you and your business. Companies in regulated industries, especially, must ensure that employees’ unsanctioned or unrestricted technology use doesn’t undermine industry requirements around information gathering, document archiving or the safeguarding of proprietary information.

Each of the following technologies can present a unique risk to your company. Use the information below to educate yourself about these potential risks and to ensure your HR policies are as comprehensive as they need to be to protect yourself and your company in this fast-paced world of new and ever-changing technology.

Camera phones
Camera phones can be a fun, convenient way to take and store photos using a cell phone. They also can be a tool for information theft, privacy invasion or harassment. A study by InfoTrends Research Group found that worldwide camera phone sales reached 150 million in2004, with numbers predicted to rise steadily into the next decade. While government facilities and companies dealing with sensitive data or proprietary designs often opt to ban camera phones altogether, other companies are more conflicted about whether and how to ban these popular, pervasive devices.

USB drives
Also known as "jump drives,""flash drives" or "key chain drives," universal serial bus (USB) drives are tiny, lightweight media storage devices (similar to floppy disks, zip disks or CD-ROMs) that fit easily on the end of a keychain and plugin to the USB port on virtually any computer. They can hold up to 2 gigabytesof data and require no additional software installation or configuration touse. The drives have become hugely popular among business travelers and others who need to quickly and easily transfer files from one computer to another.Increasingly used as giveaways at conferences and conventions, the drives’ convenience and small size also can make them big security risks around sensitive data.

Wireless devices
These tools are another example of how the convenience of technology could create a recipe for risk. Wireless technology's seamlessly embedded in virtually every electronic device these days,including phones, security cameras, personal digital assistants, wireless's, computer mice and keyboards. While such devices may represent a revolution in connectedness, communication and access, they also can jeopardize the security of your company’s assets and data if not implemented with appropriate safeguards.

Instant messaging
Instant messaging (IM) software allows users to communicate with each other in real time, via text messages, using a myriad of devices from computers to the BlackBerry to cell phones to pagers.While many hail the technology as a revolutionary tool for workplace collaboration, IM applications, many of which can be downloaded from theInternet for free, also can expose unwitting employers to a wide variety of risks. In legal matters, instant messages fall into the same category as e-mails with regard to content restrictions, and retention and archiving regulations. However, according to a recent study by Nemertes Research, an information-technology (IT) research firm, employees without the sanction of their IT department initiated up to 74 percent of all corporate IM use.

Additionally, the American Management Associationand the ePolicy Institute found in their 2004 Workplace E-Mail and IM Survey that nearly 80 percent of the companies surveyed had promulgated an e-mail policy, but only about 20 percent had issued a policy addressing the content and use of instant messaging.

Peer-to-peer software
The old Napster probably is the most famous example of peer-to-peer software. Napster allowed music lovers toquickly and easily share digitized music with each other over the Internet.Regulators forced Napster to stop the free exchange of intellectual property,but KaZaA and countless other peer-to-peer sites have emerged to fill the gap.Employees using such a site on their work computer may be sharing more than music; they may be inadvertently sharing sensitive company data as well.

Web mail
Web mail is a class of Web-based applications that allow users to read and write e-mail using a Web browser. Web mail is often offered as a service by Internet companies or by e-mail service providers as an online counterpart to a regular e-mail account. While there’s no denying the convenience of reading or sending e-mails from any Internet-enabled computer, employees who wield such technology in the workplace may pose a risk to their employers.

While many companies have filters, archiving policies and surveillance tools to ensure the safe handling and appropriate content of e-mails sent and received through the company’s system, e-mails exchanged through an employee’s Web mail system at work may bypass those safeguards, increasing overall corporate liability and creating a potentially catastrophic legal situation for your company.

Making policies that stick
In addition to tracking and evaluating new and emerging technologies as they evolve, it’s also important to regularly evaluate your company’s written HR policies to ensure they keep pace with new developments.

While not every technological device warrants itsown HR policy, some clearly do. For the best results, experts advise you to carefully weigh the potential benefits of each new technology against its possible risks. Before you attempt to ban a technology completely, make sureyou weigh the effect such a ban might have on intangibles such as workplace morale, employee-employer relationships or office retention. Once a policy is in place,experts say the best way to make it stick is to communicate it clearly and frequently, and enforce it at all levels of the organization.