Effective: February 2026
Applies to: All M.S. Walker employees and contractors
Purpose
Artificial Intelligence and other software tools can significantly improve productivity; however, when used without proper oversight they introduce substantial security, legal, and financial risk. This policy establishes clear guardrails to ensure all software and AI tools used at M.S. Walker are secure, vetted, and properly governed within our Microsoft environment.
Policy Statement
Employees may not download, install, subscribe to, use, or expense any software, AI tools, browser extensions, APIs, or systems on company equipment without prior approval from IT.
All approvals must be coordinated through Scott Erb, Director of Infrastructure and Security.
M.S. Walker is a Microsoft‑based organization. At this time, Microsoft Copilot or Chat GPT (via MSW approval) are the only enterprise‑approved AI platform for general business use.
Scope
This policy applies to:
- Company‑owned computers, phones, and devices
- Company email accounts and user credentials
- Company data, recordings, documents, and files
- AI tools, note‑taking tools, transcription tools, and browser extensions
- Any systems that store, process, analyze, or transmit company information
Acceptable Use
- Only IT‑approved software and AI services may be used for company work
- IT will review, approve, provision, and manage access to approved AI tools
- Employees are responsible for exercising judgment and validating outputs from any AI tool
- Company data must only be entered into approved systems
- Personal use of AI tools provisioned for business purposes is not permitted
High‑Risk Content (Restricted Use)
The following content may only be recorded, summarized, transcribed, or processed using explicitly IT‑approved tools:
- Employee performance discussions
- Disciplinary or corrective‑action meetings
- One‑on‑one manager meetings
- Supplier, vendor, or commercial negotiations
- Any meeting involving confidential, sensitive, or legally relevant information
Prohibited Activities
Employees may not:
- Download or install unauthorized software or AI tools
- Purchase or expense AI subscriptions without IT approval
- Use free or consumer AI websites for company work
- Upload company data into unapproved AI platforms
- Record meetings using non‑approved tools
- Install software using local or system administrator access
Examples of not approved tools include:
- Free public AI tools (e.g., non‑enterprise AI websites)
- Browser extensions offering AI functionality
- Unapproved AI writing assistants, transcription tools, or note‑takers
- Third‑party AI APIs or services not vetted by IT
Security & Data Protection
To protect M.S. Walker and its employees:
- Company information must not be placed into unapproved or unprotected systems
- AI tools must not be used to access restricted information
- Any accidental exposure of sensitive information must be reported to IT immediately
- Unnecessary sensitive information should never be entered into AI systems
Why This Policy Exists
Without these controls, the company is exposed to:
- Malware and security breaches
- Loss of control over sensitive company and employee data
- Legal and compliance risk related to unmanaged recordings and transcripts
- Increased exposure during audits, disputes, or litigation
- Duplicative and unnecessary spending on tools already licensed by the company
Enforcement
- Unauthorized software or AI tools may be removed without notice
- Expenses for unapproved tools will not be reimbursed
- System administrator access will be restricted to support this policy
- Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action
Questions & Approvals
Questions or requests for software or AI tools should be directed to:
Scott Erb
Director of Infrastructure and Security
M.S. Walker, Inc.
This is an interim policy and will be reviewed and updated as M.S. Walker’s AI strategy continues to evolve.
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