About This Policy
Outpost IT uses personal information to understand requests and carry out agreed work. Personal information means information about an identified person, or someone who can reasonably be identified. This policy covers website visitors, people making enquiries and people whose information we handle through an agreed service.
References to we, us and our mean the business supplying services under the Outpost IT name. Your quote or service agreement identifies the contracting supplier. Service-specific arrangements may explain particular systems, access permissions and information handling in more detail. They do not remove rights you have under applicable law.
Information We Collect
When you send an enquiry, we collect the details you provide: your name, phone number, email, business name if supplied, service interest, team size, message and consent. Service forms also ask for your town or suburb and relevant information, such as your website address, equipment, workplace or current backup situation. We record when the request was received and whether you said work has stopped.
Where your agreed service requires it, we may also handle:
- Business contact, billing, quote and service records.
- Device names, account names, computer settings, fault reports and diagnostic logs.
- Support notes, screenshots, connection details and communications about the work.
- Files, email or website content needed for a repair, transfer, restore, hosting or backup task.
We aim to collect only what is needed. Do not put passwords, sign-in codes, identity documents, payment card details or confidential client information into our public enquiry forms.
How Information Reaches Us
Most information comes directly from you through enquiries, correspondence and authorised support. Where needed for agreed work, it may also come from your authorised business contacts, equipment, existing service providers or systems you ask us to manage. We may need to check that a person has permission to give instructions.
A general question does not always require your full identity. You can ask to use a different contact name where practical. Our online enquiry form requires contact details so we can respond. Without necessary details or access, we may be unable to assess a fault, prepare a quote or complete the requested work.
Why We Use Information
We use information to reply to enquiries, understand your needs, discuss scope and pricing, arrange agreed work and keep a record of instructions. During a service, this may include troubleshooting, setting up equipment or accounts, maintaining a website, moving files, checking security or working with agreed backups.
Related purposes include invoicing, resolving complaints, investigating security issues, maintaining business records and meeting legal obligations. We may also use limited information to maintain and test the systems supporting our website and services.
Sending an enquiry allows us to respond to that request; it does not sign you up to a marketing list. We do not sell personal information. If we seek permission for another use, we will explain it separately. Where handling relies on your consent, you can ask to withdraw it for future handling; we will explain any effect on the requested service.
Support Access and Client Data
Support can expose information about your staff, customers and suppliers, even when the fault concerns a computer or email setting. Before work that requires access, we will agree the purpose and relevant permissions with an authorised contact. Ongoing monitoring, unattended access or session recording requires a specific arrangement; sending an enquiry alone does not authorise it.
Where access is needed, we will discuss an appropriate way to provide it. Use separate or temporary accounts where practical, and tell us about sensitive information before access begins. We will limit access and copying to what the work reasonably needs and handle information encountered during support for that work and related lawful purposes.
You remain responsible for having authority to share your organisation’s information and arranging any notices or permissions your business needs. A business contact’s instruction is not automatically consent from every person whose information appears in a system. If unnecessary sensitive information reaches us, we will assess whether it should be returned, deleted or otherwise handled under applicable law.
Who Information Is Shared With
Information may be available to people authorised to administer the website or deliver the agreed service, and to suppliers supporting those activities. Depending on the work, these can include website developers, hosting and storage providers, email and software providers, repair or support contractors, accounting providers and professional advisers. We will limit what we share to the relevant purpose.
Information may also be disclosed with your permission or where required or authorised by applicable law, including a valid court order. Client files will not be published as examples of our work without appropriate permission.
Our systems can contain backup copies and restricted development or testing copies, including enquiry records. People maintaining those systems and the providers storing those copies may therefore have access. Deleting an enquiry from the active website does not, by itself, remove every stored copy.
Storage and Overseas Services
Information may be held in website databases, business records, authorised devices, service platforms and backup or development systems. Some online storage, software and support providers operate internationally. Information may be stored or accessed outside Australia; using an Australian business does not mean every copy stays in Australia.
The providers and countries involved depend on the service and its settings. Before introducing a service that needs overseas handling of client information, we will explain the proposed arrangements and applicable choices. Ask us for the provider and location details relevant to your enquiry or service. Where Australian privacy law applies to an overseas disclosure, we will meet the applicable requirements; a general enquiry consent does not waive those protections.
Website Cookies and Logs
The website currently has no advertising trackers or third-party visitor analytics. Fonts, icons, images and the background video are served locally by the website. WordPress uses cookies for functions such as administrator sign-in and checking whether a browser accepts cookies. You can manage cookies in your browser, although blocking them can prevent sign-in functions from working.
Website and security systems may process IP addresses, requested pages, request times and browser details to deliver pages, diagnose faults and investigate abuse. The enquiry limiter uses a short-lived coded value derived from the connection’s IP address to count recent attempts. It does not add your raw IP address to the enquiry record.
External links take you to independently operated websites. Their information handling is explained in their own policies.
Security and Retention
Website enquiries are stored as private records with administrator access controls. The forms include validation and measures to reduce automated abuse. We will take reasonable steps appropriate to the information and circumstances to protect information we hold. No website, device or online service can promise complete security.
Retention depends on why a record is needed, the agreed service and any legal recordkeeping requirement. We will assess deletion or removal of identifying details when information is no longer needed for a permitted purpose. You can ask us about a particular record; there is no automatic deletion period for every enquiry or service record.
Deletion requests need to consider active records, exports, backups and development copies. Some copies may need separate removal or to be put beyond use until removal is possible. We will explain relevant limits, including records that must be kept by law, rather than promise immediate removal from every system.
Access, Correction and Complaints
Use our enquiry form for a privacy question, access or correction request, deletion request or complaint. Start your message with Privacy Request or Privacy Complaint and give enough detail to locate the relevant record. Do not attach identity documents or disclose sensitive information in the initial message. Existing clients can also use their agreed contact channel.
We may need to verify your identity and authority before releasing or changing information. We will respond within a reasonable period, explain any refusal or limits and consider another practical way to help, such as removing another person’s details from a copy. We do not charge to receive a privacy request or complaint.
For complaints, tell us what happened and the outcome you seek. We will investigate, respond and aim to resolve the concern within 30 days. If more time is needed, we will explain why. If you are dissatisfied, or have not received a response within 30 days, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which can consider matters within its jurisdiction.
Incidents and Policy Changes
If we become aware of a suspected privacy breach involving information we hold, we will investigate and take reasonable steps to contain it and reduce harm. For client systems, we will coordinate with the authorised client contact and relevant providers. Where the law requires notification to affected people or a regulator, we will provide it. Please report suspected unauthorised access through your agreed support channel or our enquiry form without including passwords.
We may update this policy as services, systems or legal requirements change. The latest version and update date will appear on this page. We will seek separate consent or give additional notice where required for a changed use of information.