Terms of Use

Last revised: 2025-03-27

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing company resources and confidential data, you agree to the following terms:

AKONA’s information systems, including, but not limited to, its e-mail system, data storage systems, docketing system, messaging system, and firm-issued devices, are solely the property or for the use of AKONA. Absent specific authorization by a designated representative of AKONA, each of these systems is to be used solely for the purpose of conducting AKONA’s business. Firm Personnel are expected to meet the following standards and policies to ensure that the information systems are well maintained and secure. Security concerns and/or security breaches must be reported to AKONA immediately. Firm Personnel who violate these terms of use or use the information systems for improper purposes may be subject to discipline up to and including termination. Any Firm Personnel who discover violations of this policy shall immediately notify an HR representative from AKONA firm management.

All Firm Personnel are required to adopt strong passwords to control access to all devices and applications that could host Firm information and/or client information. Log-on and passwords for all systems and software are confidential to each individual user and must be reasonably complex to prevent discovery, including the use of letters, numbers, and other characters. Passwords and other access codes should not be given to any other individuals and should not be kept in an obvious place for other individuals to discover (e.g., Post-It note in drawer, plain text file, excel spreadsheet, etc.). Firm Personnel, however, must provide their passwords or access codes to their supervisors upon request.
To avoid viruses and potential copyright violations, Firm Personnel may not download any new software onto firm-issued devices without the prior written authorization from the Data Security Coordinator of AKONA firm management.
Confidential information from AKONA or AKONA clients must not be transferred to personal email addresses or data storage accounts (e.g., Dropbox
Firm Personnel should not put any files or data of AKONA or clients of AKONA on any kind of portable digital media without prior authorization from a supervisor.
Firm Personnel should be mindful that public wireless networks in hotels, restaurants, and other public spaces are inherently insecure. Firm Personnel should employ encryption (e.g., SSL or VPN) to prevent the loss of confidential information on such wireless networks if they must be used to perform AKONA business.
Firm Personnel are strictly prohibited from using AKONA’s computer and e-mail system to create any offensive or disruptive messages. Offensive messages include, but are not limited to, sexual implications, racial slurs, gender-specific comments, or any other comments that disgracefully address an individual’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, personal appearances, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation , political affiliation, or any other protected categories under federal or state laws.
All repairs on firm-issued devices must be done by a vendor approved by the Firm.
All e-mail messages relating to AKONA business must be sent using the @akonaip.com domain. All messages composed, sent, or received on the Firm’s electronic mail system are and remain the property of the Firm. They are not the private property of any Firm Personnel. The electronic mail system may not be used to solicit for commercial ventures, outside organizations, or other non-job-related solicitations. The contents of electronic mail properly obtained for legitimate business purposes may be disclosed within the Firm without the permission of the Firm Personnel. Any exemptions must receive prior approval from Data Security Coordinator of AKONA firm management.
All electronic communications are subject to the privacy, confidentiality and usage provisions set forth below.
All Firm Personnel are required to encrypt all storage devices that could host Firm information and/or client information. Example storage devices and applications include, but are not limited to, firm-issued devices; computing systems, public, hybrid and private cloud storage and cloud services; software and applications that are used to store, access, transmit, communicate or any in any way interact with Firm information and/or client information.
Firm Personnel who use computers having Windows operating systems are required to enable BitLocker in Windows. Firm Personnel who use computers having Macintosh operating systems are required to at least use the default encryption algorithm in the Macintosh operating system.• All Firm-related files and data must be stored using data storage tools and procedures specified and/or provided by AKONA. Firm Personnel are prohibited from storing personal files and data on AKONA-provided data storage tools.

Privacy Notice

Firm Personnel and other users of AKONA’s information systems have no right of personal privacy and should have no expectation of privacy in any matter stored in, created on, received, or sent over these systems. AKONA reserves the right to review, monitor, access, retrieve, and delete any matter stored in, created on, received from, or sent over the system, for any reason or no reason, without the permission of the user, with or without notice, and in its sole discretion.

Regardless of AKONA’s right to retrieve and read e-mail messages and other electronic communications, such messages must be treated as confidential by other Firm Personnel and accessed only by the intended recipient. Users are not authorized to retrieve, listen to, or read any messages that are not sent to them.