Southwestern has many valued assets, including its employees, physical property, proprietary trade secrets and confidential information. Protecting these assets against loss, theft and misuse is everyone's responsibility. These guidelines supplement and should be read in conjunction with, but do not replace, Southwestern's Policy on Information Security. These guidelines and the Policy on Information Security are not intended to hinder any employee in the performance of assigned duties, but rather to ensure that employees may continue to rely on the availability of physical resources and information assets necessary in their assignments.

Southwestern assets must be used for proper purposes during and following employment with the company. Improper use includes unauthorized personal appropriation or use of Southwestern assets, data or resources, including computer equipment, software and data.

Any individual aware of the loss or misuse of assets should report it to the appropriate supervisors. Supervisors receiving such reports will handle them in a careful and thorough manner. Investigations will be conducted confidentially and in a way that will avoid recrimination. If the violation potentially involves stolen assets or fraud, it should also be reported to the Internal Audit Department and the Treasury Department.

Southwestern's assets, however, are not limited to physical property. Each employee has access to intangible assets belonging to Southwestern, which consists of intellectual property, such as trademarks and copyrights, and proprietary information and trade secrets, such as confidential data, computer programs, designs, business expertise and unsecured business opportunities. Employees must protect these intangible assets as carefully as the company's physical property.

Southwestern's information has economic value. The company has developed products, processes, services and business practices over many years at considerable expense. Because of this effort, Southwestern now possesses considerable confidential information. Unauthorized disclosure of this information could destroy its value to the company and give unfair advantage to others.

To ensure confidentiality of Southwestern information, employees must adhere to the following principles in addition to the specific policies set forth in the Policy on Information Security:

1. Employees must not disclose any confidential information, either during or after employment, except to people authorized by Southwestern and bound by confidentiality to the company. Confidential Information means information that (i) is disclosed to or known by an employee as a consequence of employment with Southwestern, (ii) is not generally known outside the employment and (iii) relates to Southwestern’s business. The term “confidential information” is intended to include Southwestern’s trade secrets as well as information relating to products, processes or ideas developed for or used by Southwestern.
2. Similar restrictions, usually spelled out in contracts, apply to information obtained from Southwestern's customers and suppliers. Southwestern's customers and suppliers have placed their trust in Southwestern in revealing their confidential information, and Southwestern employees must comply with these restrictions.