Town of Manchester, Connecticut
Information Technology and Equipment Use

Best Practices Guidelines

1. Wireless network zone: No network communication is 100% secure. Please remember: No NETWORK COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PRIVATE OR PROTECTED. All communications over the Town's networks are subject to monitoring. Additionally, media and material stored in the Town's network environment is subject to disclosure under Connecticut Freedom of Information Law. The Town reserves the right to reduce throughput or access as need be.

2. Chain letters, lotteries, games, etc. are prohibited from the Town's computer systems.

3. Misrepresenting oneself in any communication is prohibited unless called for by work related circumstances.

4. Loading, use, and access of personal Internet Service Provider accounts (AOL, CompuServe, etc.) on Town owned equipment requires specific authorization from the Information Systems Department and the employee's Department Supervisor.

5. Employees should not access sites that are not work related. The Town may employ software designed to limit access to sites.

6. No confidential, attorney-client communication or information related to pending litigation shall be communicated via e-mail. E-mail is subject to discovery and may be subject to the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act. Confidential or sensitive information should more appropriately be communicated in written form or verbally.

7. Employees shall not transmit confidential or sensitive information via any electronic technology to any entity without the authorization of their department head.

8. An employee who discovers a violation of this policy or situations of misuse shall immediately notify their direct supervisor, department head or human resources director.

9. When leaving your workstation unattended, use the following steps to lock your workstation without shutting your computer down completely, when you return you will resume where you left off prior to locking your workstation. Steps: Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys at the same time, the Novel Security Screen will appear, click on Lock Workstation. This will lock your workstation. Upon returning to your workstation it will be locked, to unlock your workstation enter in your password and click ok.

10. Guidelines for the use of cellular telephones in Town vehicles:   It is potentially hazardous to talk on a cellular telephone while operating a motor vehicle.   To minimize the risk of accidents, Town employees should not use personal cellular telephones while operating Town vehicles.   In addition, the use of Town cellular telephones in Town vehicles should be kept to a minimum and conversations kept as brief as possible.

11. We have been receiving e-mail viruses that when opened have instructions "from a known friend" to click on attachments, buttons, fake links or follow bogus instruction steps etc.   The e-mail virus then essentially steals your Address book and propagates by e-mailing itself to your address book entries - variants on this involve more damaging effects on your PC.   As a result of the recent spate of these viruses, we provide the following suggestion:

First you should adopt the technique of ending all your e-mails with the GroupWise insertion of your closing "signature" Name, title or whatever you choose, etc.   Note the closing "Signature block" of this e-mail.   Second you should be suspicious of e-mail originating from Town Employee addresses without a closing insertion of the senders "Signature" name and identifying information.

If you get word from one of your address book entries that you have sent them an empty letter or other strange communication you should ask if it has your "Signature" insertion information at the end.   If not, you should tell the questioning party to trash it with out going any further.

This won't end e-mail viruses but may help your colleagues separate legitimate e-mails from those generated by address book viruses.

Steps to turn on/add a signature in GroupWise (or vCard) to all items you send:

To add a signature (or vCard) to all items you send:

1. Click Tools > Options > double-click Environment > click the Signature tab.

2. Click Signature (Electronic Business Card -vCard is an option as well).

3. If you selected Signature, type the text you want as a signature in the Signature box.

4. Click a signature option.

5. Click OK.

The insertion of a signature box will pop up from then on when ever you Send e-mail (note the end of this e-mail for my "Signature Box").

My "signature" Block follows:

Jack McCoy
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Town of Manchester Information Systems
494 Main Street, PO Box 191
Manchester, CT 06045-0191
jack80@ci.manchester.ct.us
jmccoy80@aol.com
860-647-3072 or 860-647-3071