Kohler Co.’s Commitment

Kohler Co. places high value in the proper and secure use of state-of-the-art technology to support ongoing business operations and communications. To meet this commitment, Kohler Co. provides email, collaboration platforms, computer systems, and smartphones to associates globally.

Our Role

As associates, we have a responsibility to protect Kohler Co.’s technology and systems and use them for authorized business purposes. We appropriately protect and use technology and information by:

• Only using approved standard corporate applications, software, protocols, and hardware;
• Properly labeling our records for security purposes;
• Being aware of suspicious emails and links that may compromise our systems;
• Ensuring our information is not released to, shared with, or viewed by unauthorized parties; and
• Never granting unauthorized personnel access to the Kohler Co. network.

Important: All technology and information used or stored on Kohler Co.’s network belongs to the Company and should not be considered private. To the extent permitted by applicable law, Kohler Co. reserves the right to monitor or disclose messages, documents, or other files on Company devices without notice.

The Scenario

Arturo is an analyst who handles highly protected information and frequently needs to transmit this information to coworkers for their review and input. Arturo emails the spreadsheet to the team for review. Is Arturo keeping this highly protected information secure? What steps should Arturo take when transmitting Company highly protected and confidential information?

Our Stance

Kohler Co. requires that all information be handled in accordance with its sensitivity, whether it is labeled “confidential” or not. At a minimum, when transmitting any type of highly protected information, Arturo should password protect the file prior to sending, with the password sent under separate email.

The Company’s technology solutions are additional ways to securely share files with other authorized individuals to reduce the risk of inappropriately transmitting confidential information.