Acceptable Use Policies
Monitoring use of IT systems
The monitoring section of an acceptable use policy explains how an organisation checks and records whether staff are following the rules. Monitoring does not stop an action happening; it gathers evidence of what staff have already done, so their behaviour can be compared with the policy.
Ways behaviour is monitored
| Method | What it records | Why it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Content or word filters | Scans email, downloads and web pages for chosen words, file types or addresses, then reports what staff accessed. | A filter can flag an email containing a customer's bank details, so the organisation can check whether data was sent outside. |
| Browsing history and network traffic | Websites visited, time spent online, and how the internet connection is used. | Unusual sites or large downloads show whether the network is being used for personal activity or to move files. |
| CCTV or direct observation | Office cameras, or a manager walking round, seeing what staff are doing at their screens. | Shows whether staff are spending time on things the policy forbids, or whether a visitor has wandered into an office area. |
| Scanning storage areas | Checks the drives and folders staff use for files that should not be there. | Finds photos, films or music saved on work equipment, which the policy may forbid and which wastes storage space. |
| Access logs | Who logged in, when, from which device, and which files they opened. | Lets the organisation trace an action back to one account, such as a file being opened late at night. |
| Monitoring software or screen sharing | Software that records what is on a screen, or lets IT look at a screen while someone works. | Lets the organisation see what a member of staff is doing as it happens, rather than only after the event. |
Blocking websites is not monitoring. Blocking stops a page from opening, so it controls behaviour rather than checking it, and it leaves no record of what a member of staff has done. Monitoring checks and records behaviour, so there is evidence that can be compared with the policy.
Practise this
Pearson BTEC Digital Information Technology · Acceptable use policies