POL-002-03 _ Postfield Systems limited _ Revised June 2026
Privacy Policy
This notice sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal information. For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), personal data means information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
By visiting www.theims.co.uk or using the IMS desktop, Android tablet, or mobile platforms, you accept and consent to the practices described in this privacy notice.
1. Who We Are
This privacy notice applies to all products, applications, and services offered by Postfield Systems Ltd (trading as The IMS System), company registration number 06880624.
Registered office: Northside House, 69 Tweedy Road, Bromley, Kent, England, BR1 3WA.
For the purposes of the DPA 2018 and UK GDPR, Postfield Systems Limited is the data controller.
2. Use of Your Personal Data
The IMS system collects, stores, and processes data under agreement with our clients to provide a digital management platform for their business operations.
We use your data to:
- Provide and maintain our service, including monitoring usage and system performance.
- Manage your account and enable access to IMS platform features appropriate to your role.
- Provide ongoing support and training within your hosted environment.
- Analyse system usage, faults, and bugs to improve the platform and user experience.
- Contact client administrators to offer further support or system enhancements.
- Store information securely to ensure continuous client access to their data.
- Fulfil our contractual obligations in connection with services purchased.
- Conduct data analysis and identify usage trends to improve our products and services.
We do not sell, trade, or rent personally identifying information.
3. Information We Collect, Store and Process
Personally identifying information:
- First names and surnames.
- Email addresses and mobile contact details.
- Home address and residency details.
- Personal documentation including training certifications, passports, driving licences, and CVs.
- Past and present employment history.
- Pay rates and grades.
- Location information and GPS data (Android tablet application only).
- Photographs captured via the tablet application (site evidence and annotations).
- Digital signatures captured within the application.
System usage information:
- Analytics and usage data.
- IP addresses.
- Operating system and device information.
- App version and crash/error reports.
Non-identifying statistical information:
Statistical information relating to construction and rail projects is used to deliver the service. This data does not identify individual users or specific projects and is used only to support platform functionality.
4. Android App Permissions
The IMS Android tablet application requests the following device permissions, which are required to deliver core functionality:
Camera - to capture photographic site evidence and annotations within the application.
Location / GPS - to record site location data for shift reporting and workorder management.
Storage - to save and retrieve form data, documents, and photographs while offline.
Camera (QR/barcode scanning) - to enable engineer sign-in via ID card scanning.
No permission data is shared with third parties except as described in Section 5. Permissions may be revoked at any time via your Android device settings, though this may limit certain app features.
5. Where We Store Your Data and Third Parties Involved
All information and content held on our platform is deployed on Google Cloud servers located within the United Kingdom. All data identifying individuals within the UK and European Union is processed within the UK. We will never sell or share your user information with third parties for promotional purposes.
Google Cloud Storage - contracted by IMS for secure hosting of client server environments.
Privacy policy: https://cloud.google.com/terms/cloud-privacy-notice
Twilio SendGrid - powers automated email alerts within the system. Limited personal information is shared solely for this purpose. Privacy policy: https://sendgrid.com/policies/security/
Where instructed by a client, IMS may integrate with third-party systems or accounting packages on a case-by-case basis. Data is only shared with third parties under direct client instruction.
6. Security of Your Data
We take data security seriously and adopt industry best practices.
Specific security measures include:
- AES-256 bit encryption for all server and personnel data stored.
- One-way (hash) encryption for all user passwords
- plain-text passwords are never stored.
- All web platforms operate via HTTPS as a minimum standard.
- Google Cloud Storage access is managed exclusively by our internal development team with no third-party access.
- Policies and procedures in place for all staff handling sensitive information, in line with DPA 2018 and UK GDPR.
7. Data Retention and Deletion
We review personal data we hold every twelve months and retain it no longer than necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. In some circumstances, data may be held for longer periods due to contractual or legal obligations relating to employment records.
You have the right to request erasure of your personal data at any time. On termination of your IMS subscription, all personal data associated with your account will be deleted upon request.
To submit a data deletion request, please contact us at support@theims.co.uk with the subject line "Data Deletion Request". We will respond within 30 days.
8. Your Data Protection Rights
Under UK GDPR, every user is entitled to the following rights:
Right to access - request copies of your personal data. A small administrative fee may apply.
Right to rectification - request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to erasure - request deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
Right to restrict processing - request that we limit how we process your data under certain conditions. Right to object - object to our processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
Right to data portability - request that we transfer your data to another organisation or directly to you.
9. Disclosure of Your Personal Data
Business transactions - in the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your personal data may be transferred. You will be notified before any transfer occurs.
Law enforcement - we may disclose personal data where required by law or in response to valid requests from public authorities.
Other legal requirements - disclosure may occur where necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect company rights or property, prevent wrongdoing, or protect personal safety.
10. Changes to This Policy
We reserve the right to update this privacy notice at any time. Changes will be published on this page and users will be notified. The latest version will always be available at www.theims.co.uk and within the IMS platform.
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this privacy notice, please contact us:
Email: support@theims.co.uk
Website: www.theims.co.uk
Phone: 02046 202441
Oliver Clayton
Director
Postfield Systems Limited
