Writing Information Security Policies

Rules for Using Email

Email has been around since the birth of the Internet. Messages are sent in near realtime and are not that obtrusive. The recipient does not have to read the message immediately, so it is not as an intrusion like a telephone call. It also gives the writer a chance to word the message carefully.

But this time-honored transmission comes with some responsibilities, which should not be lost on policy writers. In fact, when creating email policy, I recommend that the general rules and guidelines that users need to abide by should appear first in the email policy document. One client decided that in order to grab the attention of the users, he would include a “Ten Commandments of Email.” Using email policy statements such as ...