Title: Ethics for IT Professionals

Professionals require advanced training and experience, they must exercise discretion and judgment in the course of their work, and their work cannot be standardized. A professional is expected to contribute to society, to participate in a lifelong training program (both formal and informal), to keep abreast of developments in the field, and to help develop other professionals. From a legal standpoint, a professional has passed the state licensing requirements (if they exist) and earned the right to practice there.

IT professionals typically become more involved in many different relationships, each with its own set of ethical issues and potential problems. In relationships between IT professionals and employers, important issues include setting and enforcing policies regarding the ethical use of IT, the potential for whistle-blowing, and the safeguarding of trade secrets. In relationships between IT professionals and clients, the key issues revolve around defining, sharing, and fulfilling each party's responsibilities for successfully completing an IT project. A major goal for IT professionals and suppliers is to develop good working relationships in which no action can be perceived as unethical. In relationships between fellow IT professionals, the key issues are to improve the profession through such activities as mentoring inexperienced colleagues and demonstrating professional loyalty. Resume inflation and the inappropriate sharing of corporate information are relevant problems. In relationships between IT professionals and IT users, important issues include software piracy, inappropriate use of IT resources, and inappropriate sharing of information. When it comes to the relationship between IT professionals and society at large, the main challenge is to practice the profession in ways that cause no harm to society and provide significant benefits.

A professional code of ethics states the principles and core values that are essential to the work of an occupational group. A code serves as a guideline for ethical decision making, promotes high standards of practice and ethical behavior, enhances trust and respect from the general public, and provides an evaluation benchmark.

Many people believe that the licensing and certification of IT professionals would increase the reliability and effectiveness of information systems, but the question of licensing raises many issues; for example (a) there is no universally accepted core body of knowledge on which to test people; (b) it is unclear who should manage the content and administration of licensing exams; (c) there is no administrative body to accredit professional education programs; and (d) there is no administrative body to assess and ensure competence of individual professionals.

Several IT-related professional organizations have developed a code of ethics, including the ACM, the AITP, the IEEE-CS, and the Project Management Institute. These codes have two main parts--the first outlines what the organization aspires to become, and the second typically lists rules and principles that members are expected to live by. They also include a commitment to continuing education for those who practice the profession.

Issues include software piracy, inappropriate use of corporate IT resources, and the inappropriate sharing of private and secret information.

The development of an IT usage policy is the first step for an organization in defining appropriate and inappropriate IT user behavior. The policy should define and limit the appropriate use of IT resources and set clear guidelines for use of company software. In addition, IT professionals within the organization can structure information systems and establish corporate firewalls to support appropriate use of IT resources.

Question: What is the advantage for an IT professional to belong to a professional association or organization?