Establishing a code of ethics for information technology professionals encourages an IT worker to behave ethically and responsibly with the tools and information of which his employers have put him in control.

Standards

A code of ethics document sets the standards for what is expected of the IT professional. It reinforces what is considered right and wrong by using verbiage such as “always” or “never” to be as clear as possible.

Access

A code of ethics reminds IT professionals that they are not to impede or manipulate pre-authorized access to the information or hardware of which they are in control.

Prevention

A code of ethics helps prevent IT professionals from behaving in a malicious or harmful manner with company information and equipment.

Skills

A code of ethics helps motivate an IT professional to stay current in her chosen skill set in order to be more effective on the job for her employer. A motivated IT professional may also be encouraged to learn new skill sets as technology changes.

Types

Code of ethics documents can be tailored with verbiage that specifically affects only certain types of IT professional, such as programmers, networkers or cyber forensics experts.