IT Usage Policy 

 Subject to exemptions defined below, the Company IT Systems may not be used directly or indirectly by a User for the download, creation, manipulation, transmission or storage of:

any offensive, obscene or indecent images, data or other material, or any data capable of being resolved into obscene or indecent images or material;

unlawful material or material that is defamatory, threatening, discriminatory, extremist or which has the potential to radicalise themselves or others;

unsolicited and unauthorised bulk email (spam) which is unrelated to the legitimate business of the Company.

material which is subsequently used to facilitate harassment, bullying and/or victimisation of a member of the Company or a third party;

material which promotes discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation;

material with the intent to defraud or which is likely to deceive a third party;

material which advocates or promotes any unlawful act;

material that infringes the intellectual property rights or privacy rights of a third party, or that is in breach of a legal duty owed to another party; or

material that brings the Company into disrepute.

The Company IT systems must not be deliberately used by a User for activities having, or likely to have, any of the following characteristics:

Accessing or attempting to access unauthorised information or resources.

Sharing passwords or other access credentials with others.

Intentionally wasting staff effort or other Company resources;

Corrupting, altering or destroying another User’s data without their consent;

Disrupting the work of other Users or the correct functioning of the Company IT Systems;

Engaging in any activity that may disrupt or interfere with the normal operation of the Company's IT resources.

Denying access to the Company IT Systems and its services to other users.

Pursuance of commercial activities (except if in support of Company business), subject to a range of exceptions.

Introduce data-interception, password-detecting or similar software or devices to the Company's Network.

Deliberate unauthorised access to the Company's IT systems;

Attempt to undermine the security of the Company's IT systems. (For the avoidance of doubt, this includes undertaking any unauthorised penetration testing or vulnerability scanning of any Company systems);

Intentionally or recklessly introduce any form of spyware, computer virus or other potentially malicious software;

Installing or using unauthorised software or hardware.

Use software which is only licensed for limited purposes for other purpose or otherwise breaching software licensing agreements;

Fail to comply with a request from an authorised person for you to change your password.

The Company's email system is intended for Company-related activities only. It is recommended to use clear and concise language when composing messages and avoid sending large attachments or forwarding chain emails.

All users of the Company's email system should not:

harass, threaten, or intimidate others.

solicit or promote personal or commercial activities.

send confidential or sensitive information without using appropriate encryption methods.

The Company recognises the value of social media as a communication and engagement tool. Use social media in a responsible and ethical manner.

All users of social media accounts representing as a member of EnsiliTech should not:

Post offensive or inappropriate content, including but not limited to sexually explicit or discriminatory material.

Harass, threaten, or intimidate others.

Promote personal or commercial activities without prior approval from the Company.

The Company reserves the right to monitor all activities on its IT resources, including but not limited to email, internet usage, and social media use. Any unauthorised use of IT resources may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or contractual relationship.

Where the Company IT Systems are being used to access another network, any abuse of the acceptable use policy of that network will be regarded as unacceptable use of the Company IT Systems.

Exemptions from Unacceptable Use:

There are a number of legitimate research activities that may be carried out using Company information systems that could be considered unacceptable use, as defined above. In such circumstances, advice should be sought from the Executive team who will consult with legal advisors (if potentially illegal material is involved) prior to the introduction of said material onto the Company IT Systems.

This policy may have an impact on users of assistive technology or assistive software due to their disability. These individual cases will be considered on a case by case basis.

Any potential research involving obscene or indecent material must always be discussed in advance with the Executive Team. If a member of the Company community believes they may have encountered breaches of the above, they should make this known to an appropriate Company authority.