Code of Conduct

Definitions

Company is The Corporate IT Forum Limited which is responsible for the provision of the Service
Activity includes but is not limited to access to the Website; participation in the Question & Answer service; events such as meetings, workshops, educational seminars whether physical events or delivered online; the receipt of any Service document, benchmarking results model, report or podcast and any other method of exchanging experiences, challenges and solutions with others from subscribing organisations organised by the Service
‘Website’ is the private and confidential area of the Service website to which you may be given access
‘Confidential Information’ includes but is not limited to all that information which may be made available to you during the course of an Activity in which you participate including personal data relating to other participants made available to you via the Website or on delegate lists, benchmarking results models, business information, findings, recommendations, case studies, Top-Tips, Dos & Don’ts, reports, templates, technical drawings, presentations, QA transcripts and other documented conclusions of the Service Activities since its inception in 1996

Participation

You have the relevant knowledge and experience of IT for the Activity in which you are to participate and will:

• reciprocate your knowledge and experience with other participants and will provide helpful input to issues as they arise;
• comply with the requirements relating to Confidential Information in this Code of Conduct, conduct yourself with integrity and respect the safe and trusted environment which the Service provides;
• declare any interests if you are involved in the management of other IT, user or security organisations or user groups;
• provide proof of identity if requested to do so at registration for an Activity (an ID card/pass or business card being sufficient for this purpose);
• not allow anyone to stand in for you in any Activity unless that substitute has been approved by the Executive Director of the Company and has agreed to adhere to this Code of Conduct
• ensure that any references you might make about competitors and their products are objective;
• not use your participation in any Activity as a sales or consulting opportunity nor for personal gain to the detriment of your organisation or other organisations which subscribe to the Service.

Use of Confidential Information

Much of the Confidential Information made available to you has been contributed by individuals in acknowledgement of a key principle within the Service that sharing information is mutually beneficial and that those who use it are also bound by the principles enshrined in this Code of Conduct. Your access to it will be in accordance with your area of professional interest and seniority to provide best value for your organisation’s business
If you have Website access you agree:

• to only access information and materials on the Website appropriate to your areas of responsibility within your organisation and in accordance with your professional interest profile which you register with the Service
• not to systematically access and download reports or other information outside these parameters
• not to download contact details made available to you
• Use of the Website is monitored. Any systematic accessing or downloading of Confidential Information in unusual quantities or outside your area of professional interest will give rise to the suspicion of a breach of this Code of Conduct
• You are requested that, as a courtesy, should you wish to contact any individual named in the contacts directory on the Website or whose identity is made known to through any Activity, such contact be initiated via your subscribing organisation’s Service Relationship Manager within the Service. Such access will not be unreasonably withheld

Confidentiality

Direct attribution of quotes to specific participants in any reporting of discussions without their explicit consent is not allowed, i.e. 'The Chatham House Rule': When a meeting or part thereof is held, participants are free to use the information received to assist their own organisation in the implementation of good practice, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speakers, nor that of any other participant may be revealed.
You are free to use within your organisation the information and materials received during an Activity to promote product and service development. You must not divulge the identity of any participant and all information which you distribute or attributions which you make must be in anonymous and non-attributable form. You will ensure that any recipient of information and materials within your organisation respects the high levels of confidentiality required.
You may not disclose Confidential Information to any third party organisation unless such disclosure and the format for disclosure have been agreed in writing in advance by the Company and any subscribing organisation concerned.

Breaches of the Code of Conduct

Any breach on your part to this Code of Conduct will be reported to the Company’s Executive Director and the Head of IT for the organisation which you represent.

Copyright and Disclaimer

You acknowledge that any intellectual property in any information and materials produced by the Company for the purposes of an Activity shall belong to and be the sole property of the Company.
The content of information and materials produced by the Company is intended for your general information only and is not intended to address your particular requirements. In particular the content does not constitute any form of advice by the Company to be relied upon by you in making any specific decisions.
You agree that in using information materials produced by the Company, the Company will not be liable to you for any loss or damage.