Most organizations that provide Internet access to their employees have put in place an Internet Acceptable Use Policy. Some of these policies have been in place, unchanged, for several years. With the major expansion of Internet capabilities and usage, enterprises should review their policies to ensure that they reflect today's challenges and organizational expectations.

Older Guidelines Are Still Valid

Most of the issues that older Internet Acceptable Use Policies addressed are still important. These include:

• Enterprise rights to control use. Establish that the Internet service provided to employees is an enterprise tool. The enterprise has the right to control usage, including filtering access to Web sites and to review usage patterns and e-mails.
• Appropriate use. Encourage appropriate uses of the Internet. These include:
• Communicating with fellow employees, business partners, and clients within the context of an individual's assigned responsibilities.
• Acquiring or sharing information necessary or related to the performance...