U.S. Department of Housing and. Urban Development
ELECTRONIC
MAIL POLICY
1-0. PURPOSE
The purpose of
this Policy is to ensure that all users of the Department of Housing and Urban
Development's (HUD's) electronic mail (e-mail) system are aware of the
Department's policies on the appropriate use of e-mail at HUD. It is also
intended to inform the end user of procedures that should be followed to ensure
consistent availability, efficient performance and secure access of the
Department's e-mail system.
The Office of
the Chief Information Office/lnformation Technology Operations (OLIO/ITO) has
installed an electronic mail system that is connected to all of the Department's Local
Area Networks
(LANs), both in Headquarters. and it's field offices,
to satisfy the
messaging and workflow collaboration, requirements of the Department. This
system allows users to conduct government-related business by
exchanging
electronic communications, that may include business-related file attachments, to improve customer service and to reduce or replace
conventional paper exchanges.
Electronic
mail is an integral part of doing business in HUD, enabling more rapid delivery
of vital programs, services and information. Increasing dependence on and use of e-mail results in a compelling need to
protect these critical resources through constant and improved monitoring,
administration, user training and awareness.
1-1. Scope
The policies and procedures contained
within this document apply to all HUD program offices and their employees.
These policies & procedures
also apply to all other persons, including contractor personnel, who
are granted the use of HUD's
electronic mail system, regardless of where these persons are located.
2-0 POLICIES
This section contains policies related to the use of the Department's
e-mail system. Specific procedures and practices that implement the policies
are published in Section 3-0 of this document and are available on the
Departmental Intranet. Since these procedures and practices are specific to the
standard version of e-mail in operation at a given time, users should check
HUD's Intranet regularly for the most current information.
Unless otherwise indicated, these policies apply to all electronic mail
messages, including attachments, exchanged both within HUD and between HUD
staff and the public.
2-1. Authorized Use
HUD's e-mail system is intended to conduct government business. Use of
the e-mail system should be in conformance with HUD policies herein and in
Chapter 8 of HUD Handbook 2400.1, REV 1, CHG 2, regarding Policy on 'Limited
Personal Use" of Government Office Equipment Including Information
Technology, including any related guidance on the use of government
equipment for personal purposes. Users of this system are responsible for adhering
to these policies and guidelines. All e-mail messages, including any file
attachments, are the property of HUD.
2-2. Unauthorized Use
The following uses of the Department’s e-mail system are unauthorized:
Unauthorized use of the Department’s electronic mail system by any of the
above means may result in immediate suspension of the originator from the
Department’s mail system and may result in further corrective measures. Said
suspension from the e-mail system will remain until such time as the user’s
immediate HUD supervisor confirms, in writing, to the appropriate Office of
Information technology manager that he or she is, in fact, the user’s immediate
HUD supervisor and verifies that he/she has discussed the circumstances of the
vent with the user and provided direction and instruction on the proper use of
the Department’s e-mail system. At such time, the user’s immediate HUD
supervisor may authorize the reinstatement of the user’s e-mail privileges.
Repeated offenses by a user may result in loss of use or limitations on the use
of equipment or systems, disciplinary or adverse actions, criminal penalties
and/or users being held financially liable for the cost resulting from damages
due to improper use.
2-3. Electronic Mail Database Management
2-3 A. Message Retention Limits
In order
to make sure that the electronic mail system operates as efficiently as
possible, Headquarters' OCIO/ITO will perform periodic maintenance on all mail
databases and servers. Part of this maintenance involves keeping the size of
each user's mail database at a manageable level for both the user and the
server on which it resides.
Headquarters' OCIO/ITO will establish specific automated and scheduled
procedures for regularly purging the production mail system of 'out-dated"
mail documents. Outdated mail is defined as messages older than 90 days in a
user's inbox or folders (except for any folders or views that have been deemed
to be exempt, such as the 'Meetings" and "Drafts' views). Such purges
will be implemented on the Department's mail system, nationwide. Users will
be provided with adequate advance notice prior to any scheduled automatic purge
of messages.
Users should contact their Office Technology Coordinator (OTC) in
Headquarters or their IT staff in the field offices for more information on document
and e-mail retention procedures relative to regular archival and deletion of
outdated e-mail documents.
2-3 B. Record Retention
Responsibilities
The Courts and the National Archive and Records Administration (NARA)
have advised agencies that whenever official record material appears on
electronic mail systems of any kind, agencies are obliged to retain that
material just as they are any official record.
An official record is any, documentary material, regardless of physical form,
that is made or received by HUD in connection with the transaction of public
business, and appropriate for preservation by HUD, or its legitimate successor, as evidence of the organization, functions, polices, decision, procedures, operations or because of the value of the information they contain (44.U.S.C. 3301).
Until a unified electronic retention policy is established by the Office
of Administrative and Management Services (OAMS), to comply with this policy of
retaining official record material, HUD electronic mail users must do the
following:
a. Originators
of electronic mail messages are responsible for determining the record value of
any transmission which they originate. A transmission has record value if it is the
only place which transmits information fitting the definition of 'official
record' as stated above.
b.
Once
the originator has determined that a transmission is record material, he/she
must retain a hard copy of the message for reference. This hand copy must
contain all transmission data (time, date, all addressees and subject line).
c.
The
printed copy must then be filed and maintained with records of a similar nature
for the period required by the records schedule for those records. For more
specific information on retention periods, see HUD Handbook 2225.6 for HUD
specific records schedules related to each HUD program area and HUD Handbook
2228.2 for General Records Schedules applicable to all government agencies.
d.
For
questions regarding the records retention policy, contact OAMS.
2-3C. Mailbox Size Limitation
Users must be aware and understand
that storage space is not an infinite commodity and that the Departments
electronic mail system is not a document-retention system. It, therefore,
cannot be expected to retain every message for an indefinite period of time.
Thus, the OCIO/ITO has established maximum size limits on a user's mail
database. The current limits for the existing standard electronic mail database
is 100 megabytes. These database size limits are subject to modification to
address emergency storage situations on the servers. Users should periodically
check HUD's Intranet for current information on mailbox size limitations within
HUD's e-mail system.
2-3 D. Message Size
Limitations
It is
necessary to limit the total size of individual e-mail messages that are sent
through the Departments' electronic mail system in order to ensure that all
e-mail messages are transmitted in a timely manner and that the e-mail system
is not over-burdened. The current message size limitation is 5 megabytes for
both incoming and outgoing Notes Mail
and Internet messages, including attachments. This message size
limitation applies to all users in Headquarters and the field offices. Message
size limits are subject to modification to address emergency situations or
storage needs on the servers. Users should periodically check HUD's intranet
for current information on message size limitations on
the Departments electronic mail system.
2-3 E. Mail Files (User IDs)
The
standard naming convention for HUD's electronic mail system is first name,
middle initial, last name. Every effort will be made to standardize user names
across computer systems. Whenever possible, the name used for the electronic
mail system will be the same as the name used for payroll systems to ensure
that all employees receive approved mass organizational mailings.
It is
also HUD policy that each user will have only one mailbox. Thus, all incoming
mail, whether sent using the Departments internal mail system or through the
Internet, will be delivered to the user's HUD central internal e-mail database.
2-3F. File Attachments
In accordance with periodic security reviews and
enhancements within HUD's network and in keeping with industry standards on
virus protection and detection, attachments with certain file extensions
(currently.exe, vbs, and pif file types) will be rejected via HUD's electronic
mail system, including Internet mail transmissions. Users should periodically
check HUD's Intranet for a current list of unauthorized file extensions.
2-3 G. Forwarding MAIL
Forwarding of HUD mail to personal accounts is only
supported when it is not practical to use HUD-issued equipment and procedures
to access mail from a remote location (e.g., travel outside the Country,
issuance of HUD equipment is unavoidably delayed). In such cases, temporary
mail forwarding will be executed and terminated by the Notes administrative
staff.
Except as noted above, agents that automatically
redirect a user's HUD mail to personal or other outside accounts are not
supported and, in fact, such agents will be disabled.
2-4. Data Security Considerations
To protect HUD's data from unwanted access, the e-mail
software and HUD's security policy require every user to have an individual
password. It is the responsibility of all HUD employees to implement reasonable
measures to protect this password. It is a violation of HUD's IT security
policies to share this password with others except in an emergency situation.
In addition, any batch files that access an electronic mailbox must not have
the password embedded in the file.
Users are reminded that regardless of password control
measures, all e-mail messages and resulting attachments are the property of the
Department. Management has the same rights to inspect e-mail as they do with
hard copy documents. Direct line
supervisors, managers, or the Inspector General can submit a written request to
either the designated IT Electronic Mail Project Leader in Headquarters or to
the appropriate IT staff in the field offices to access an employee's e-mail
messages. Such requests can he fulfilled without notification to the affected
employee.
2-5. Addressing Multiple Users
2-5 A. Public Mailing Lists
A
public mailing list, or group, may be used to address authorized messages to a
specific group of users when the group is not addressable by the Department's
broadcast mailing system (see 2-5-C. below). This situation generally occurs
when a group contains specific personnel in multiple program areas, divisions,
or branches. Public mailing lists reside in the HUD Name and Address Book (HUD
NAB) and can only be created by the e-mail Administrator. Owners of public
mailing lists are expected to use this resource judiciously and in accordance with
Sections 2-1 and 2-2 above. In addition, owners of public mailing lists are
responsible for initiating action to keep the lists current.
2-5B. Private Mailing Lists
Users can create
private mailing lists,
or groups, for their own personal use in their Personal Name and Address Book
(Personal NAB). A private mailing list resides on the hard drive of the user's
workstation who creates it and is accessible only by that user. The e-mail
administrator cannot create or modify personal mailing lists. Users should use
personal mailing lists largely for
maintaining Internet addresses of business or personal contacts. Adding HUD
employee, names to a user's Personal Address Book can result in addressing
conflicts with the HUD Name and Address Book.
2-5 C. Broadcast E-Mail Messages
Broadcast e-mail messages are those that are sent to all HUD
employees or program area subsets by senior level management. Broadcast e-mail
messages are generally sent to ensure all appropriate employees are aware of
HUD sponsored, business-related or mandatory events. Whenever possible, HUD's
Intranet should be used in place of broadcast e-mail messages.
Assistance and authorization from Headquarters' OCIO/ITO is
required to transmit broadcast e-mail messages. A minimum of 24 hours notices
must be given in order to accomplish the mailing as required. Broadcast
messages that are sent to all HUD employees or groups of HUD employees will be
kept brief and in compliance with Sections 2-1 and 2-2 above. Broadcast
messages should contain limited text and whenever possible include the
appropriate URL linking to more detailed information on HUD's Intranet no special font settings or graphics should
be included in the e-mail broadcast message. The
Departments network resources are not to be abused or overburdened by
duplicating text in e-mail messages that already resides on or that is more
appropriate to be displayed on HUD's Intranet.
The local IT staff must authorize
broadcast messages generated by field office users. Field office users should
contact their local IT staff for assistance with developing and transmitting
such messages.
2-6.
Removing Separated Employees
Separating employees must
follow established procedures for completing a Form HUD-58, Clearance for
Separation of Employees as part of their clearance process. Through this
process, information is provided to the e-mail administration staff sufficient
to remove the separating employee's e-mail access and account in the event that
a supervisor needs access to a separated employee's mail, that supervisor must
follow locally established procedures for requesting a file restoration.
2-7. Mail
Communication Outside of HUD
Whenever feasible, external
organizations should use Internet mail to exchange electronic mail with HUD
personnel. In the event that Internet mail does not meet the communication
requirements, the appropriate HUD manager should contact their OTC in
Headquarters or their appropriate IT staff in the field offices to request an alternative form of
communication. Specific details outlining the alternative method requested and
an appropriate justification as to why the current standards do not meet the
requirements sought must be provided. Action will be taken to meet the
communications requirements as HUD technology, infrastructure and security
standards allow.
As with all mail sent over
HUD's electronic mail system, staff should limit the use of Internet mail to
business related communications. Users should also be aware that Internet mail travels over public
networks and users should, therefore, assume that any e-mail messages they send
via the Internet can be read by others. Therefore, users should exercise
appropriate caution and professionalism when sending e-mail messages via the
Internet.
2-8. Generic
Mailboxes
Generically
named mailboxes are designed to provide program areas with a mailbox that is
specific to a particular program area objective rather than specific to a user.
These mailboxes provide a central repository that can be accessed by all
members of a specific functional area, and provide a central mailing address to
that area's customers.
Generically
named mailboxes will be established if there is a demonstrable need. Each
generic mailbox must have an “owner" identified with an e-mail address and
phone number. The owner of the generic mailbox is required to routinely purge
the generic mailbox of unnecessary and outdated messages. Generic mailboxes are
subject to all policies and procedures stated throughout this Electronic Mail
Policy including user maintenance, message size limitations and message
integrity. Generically named mailboxes will be deactivated if the mailbox is
not maintained in compliance with established policies and procedures.
Users
should coordinate with their OTC in Headquarters or their local IT staff in the
field offices to submit a request for a generic mailbox
2-9. Remote Access
The ability to remotely access
mail accounts is supported by the Department for authorized users. Remote
access capability must be authorized by the user's immediate HUD supervisor.
The appropriate OTC in Headquarters or the local IT staff in the field office
is responsible for coordinating requests for remote access to the Departments
electronic mail system.
3-0. ELECTRONIC MAIL
PROCEDURES
3-1.Message
Archives
Users
are responsible for deleting all messages for which they no longer have a need to retain. Users should expect that messages that are 90 days old or older will
automatically be purged from the production mail servers as part of HUD's
regularly scheduled and automated e-mail and work
maintenance procedures These purged messages will be relocated to a long-term,
storage device accessible to users.
3-2.
Mail Forwarding
Headquarters
and field office users must submit a request with appropriate justification to
their OTC or local IT staff, respectively, to forward their mail to a personal
or other e-mail address outside of HUD. The request must include a start and
end date and the exact address to which the mail is to be forwarded. Upon
approval, the Notes administrative staff will initiate and terminate the mail forwarding.
3-3.Public
Mailing
Lists
To
request a new public mailing list or a change to an existing public mailing
list, the procedures
below
will be followed:
o Follow locally established procedures in the field offices.
· Headquarters personnel
o
Submit
requests to the OTC in each program office
o
In
writing, identify the exact title of the mailing list to be created or modified
o
In
writing, identify the full name(s), including middle initial where appropriate,
of the users to be added or modified.
o
In
writing, identify the `owner" who will be required to authorize all
requests for modifications.
The
following procedures will be used to implement HUD's policy regarding mailing
lists:
·
Prior
to sending a message to a public mailing list, users will check the member
listing to ensure that the appropriate list is being used for the intended audience.
·
Owners of public mailing lists,
or a designate, will review their mailing lists on a quarterly basis to
identify when the list is not current, and initiate appropriate changes
following the procedure above.
·
Except
as required for Broadcast e-mail messages as described in Section 2-5 C., the
Notes Name and Address Book will not be used for sending mass mailings
throughout the Department
3-4.Private Mailing Lists
When
a user receives or is moved to a new workstation, their appropriate e-mail
files (Personal Name and address Book, e-mail ID and e-mail desktop) will also
be transferred to their new workstation. These actions will be completed by
their local IT Computer Specialist staff or, in Headquarters, IT staff or the users,
as appropriate.
3-5. Broadcast E-mail Messages
Assistance
and authorization from Headquarters' OCIO/ITO to broadcast e-mail messages
should be coordinated as follows:
3-6. E-Mail Database Size Limitations
Users will automatically receive
an e:mail message notifying them that they are approaching the designated size
limit on their e-mail database. At that time, users should contact their OTC in
Headquarters or their local IT support staff
in the field for assistance in
reducing the size of their mail database. Such assistance may include
instruction on deleting outdated and/or unnecessary e-mail documents or
references to the existing URL link to the on-line instructions for archiving
located on HUD's Intranet.
3-7.
Relocation of Staff
When HUD staff move from one HUD office to another or from
one program area to another within the same field office, they should notify
their Office Technology Coordinator (OTC) in Headquarters, or, in the field,
their local IT staff. Once notified, the appropriate IT official or OTC will
submit a request for recertification for the user so that the user's e-mail
address reflects his/her new location.
3-8. Password
Resets
Headquarters employees who
forget their electronic mail password should request a password reset
from the Notes Administration staff or their OTC. Headquarters employees who
are located off-site should call the IT Security Office for appropriate
instructions. For security procedures, the off-site user's name and last six
digits of their social security number will be required in order to
authenticate the user. Coordination between the OCIO/ITO and IT Security staffs
will be conducted in reissuing the user's Notes ID.
Field office employees who need their electronic mail
passwords reset should contact their local IT staff or follow other local
problem reporting procedures.