.jpg "Developing a Successful Information Security Policy (ISP)")
To effectively prevent data breaches, companies must develop and implement a comprehensive information security policy. An information security policy is a set of rules, procedures and guidelines that protect an organization’s data. These policies are tailored to the unique threats, security frameworks and organizational model of each company. An effective security policy reflects how the organization’s people see and value their information. This approach can then be distilled into the policy’s goals, objectives, and regulations. Here are the steps you need to follow while developing an effective information security policy:
Define the Scope and Objectives of the Policy
The first step in developing an effective information
security policy is to define the scope and objective. The scope of the
information security policy defines the boundaries of the policy. It identifies
the information assets, systems, networks, and employees that the policy
applies to. The scope of the policy should be clear and well-defined, so that
everyone understands the purpose and limits of the policy. The scope may also
include any legal, regulatory, or contractual requirements that the policy must
comply with.
The objectives of an information security policy are the
goals and outcomes that the policy aims to achieve. The objectives should be
specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Ensure that the
security objectives are aligned with the overall business objectives of the
organization. This will help to ensure that the policy is integrated into the
organization's strategic planning.
Conduct Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is an essential part of developing an information security policy. It helps you identify potential threats and
vulnerabilities that may affect your business and allows you to develop a
strategy to prevent those risks from happening. To identify potential threats,
you must examine every type of information, including hardware, software, and
network connections. You also need to evaluate your organization’s processes
and procedures, so you know how to protect sensitive data. Once you’ve gathered
all the information, you can analyze each potential threat to determine how
likely it is that you will be affected by it. This can be done through a
combination of risk modeling and threat assessments, as well as analyzing
existing cyber security controls to determine whether they are effective.
Your risk management team must also look at advanced
persistent threats (APTs). They can occur in a wide variety of ways, such as
through malware, ransomware, or cyber-espionage. APTs are a major focus for
many security teams, and they can have significant impacts on your business.
They can disrupt operations, steal confidential data, and cause reputational
damage.
In addition, regularly review and update the risk assessment
to ensure that it remains current and relevant to the organization's changing
information security environment.
Define the Policy
The definition of information security policy is a vital
part of any successful IT security program. The policy is a blueprint for your
organization’s data protection efforts, and it must be updated on a regular
basis to remain effective. It must be realistic and relevant, and it must have
language that’s both comprehensive and concise. Define the framework for the
policy, including encryption, access controls, and monitoring that will be used
to protect the information assets and stakeholders. You’ll also need to clearly
define the roles and responsibilities of employees, contractors, and partners
in implementing the policy. This will help to ensure that they can avoid security
threats such as phishing scams and social engineering attacks.
Another important thing is to establish procedures for
responding to security incidents, including reporting, investigation, and
remediation. They outline the steps that an organization should take in
the event of a security incident, such as a data breach, cyber-attack, or other
security event. By having well-defined incident response procedures in place,
an organization can minimize the impact of security incidents and ensure that critical
information assets are protected.
You should carefully document your procedures. By ensuring
that all the workflows are documented, you will be able to easily implement
your policies.
Communicate the Policy
Communicating the information security policy effectively is
critical to its success. Use clear and simple language to communicate the
policy, avoiding technical jargon or complex terminology. It’s crucial to
educate everyone who is working with your organization’s data and IT systems.
This will ensure that they understand the importance of implementing your
information security policy and are willing to comply with it.
This will also help to avoid any potential gaps in your
policy that could result in information leaks or other issues. Educating everyone
is also essential to making information security a part of your culture. This
will make employees more likely to implement the policies you set for them and
will prevent them from ignoring any warnings you give them. Unless the people
who use your computer network are knowledgeable about what they are required to
do, there will be no guarantee that your policies will be a success.
Implement and Maintain the Policy
Once you’ve developed a solid policy, it’s time to put it
into action. Start by forming a team that’s solely focused on information
security. This team will be in charge of developing and enforcing your policy,
responding to an ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity threats and defining
risk thresholds.
It’s also important to make sure this team is familiar with
all the regulatory and compliance standards that apply to your business, so
they can understand how to comply with them. This will ensure that your policy
reflects the best practices in information security in your industry.
Another important part of this step is determining the kind
of security that’s required for the different types of data your organization
holds. For example, you may want to set higher standards for the finance
department than for the marketing department based on the sensitive data they
handle.
In addition, be sure to enforce your security policies
equally at all levels of your company. This will ensure that everyone is held
accountable for their own actions.
Monitor and Enforce the Policy
Once implemented, your information security policy needs to
be kept up-to-date, and reviewed regularly. It should also be flexible enough
to accommodate technological advances and changes within the organization.
Assign responsibility for monitoring and enforcing the policy to a specific
individual or team, such as an information security officer or IT security
team.
Reinforce the policy regularly through ongoing training and
communication, and through reminders such as posters, newsletters, or email
notifications. You can also use technology to help enforce the policy, such as
implementing access controls, intrusion detection systems, and data loss
prevention tools.
By monitoring and enforcing the information security policy,
you can help ensure that the policy is effective in protecting the
organization's information assets, and those employees and stakeholders
understand their responsibilities in protecting sensitive information.
Characteristics of a Successful Information Security Policy
The role of policy is to codify guiding principles, shape behavior, provide
guidance for decision makers, and serve as an implementation roadmap. An
information security policy is a directive that defines how an organization is
going to protect its information assets and information systems, ensure
compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and maintain an environment
that supports the guiding principles.
The objective of an information security policy and
corresponding program is to:
1. Protect the organization, its
employees, its customers, and also vendors and partners from harm resulting
from intentional or accidental damage, misuse, or disclosure of information;
2. Protect the integrity of the
information; and
3. Ensure the availability of
information systems.
Successful information security policies establish what must
be done and why it must be done, but not how to do it. Good policy has the
following seven characteristics:
1. Endorsed – The policy has the
support of management.
2. Relevant - The policy is
applicable to the organization.
3. Realistic – The policy makes
sense.
4. Attainable – The policy can be
successfully implemented.
5. Adaptable – The policy can
accommodate change.
6. Enforceable – The policy is
statutory.
7. Inclusive – The policy scope
includes all relevant parties.
Taken together, the characteristics can be thought of as a
policy pie, with each slice being equally important.
Endorsed
We have all heard the saying “Actions speak louder than
words.” In order for an information security policy to be successful,
leadership must not only believe in the policy, they must also act accordingly
by demonstrating an active commitment to the policy by serving as role models.
This requires visible participation and action, ongoing communication and
championing, investment, and prioritization.
Nothing will doom a policy quicker than having management
ignore, or worse, disobey or circumvent it. Conversely, visible leadership and
encouragement are two of the strongest motivators known to human kind.
Relevant
Strategically, the information security policy must support
the guiding principles and goals of the organization. Tactically, it must be
relevant to those who must comply. Introducing a policy to a group of people
who find nothing recognizable in relation to their everyday experience is a
recipe for disaster.
Policy writing is a thoughtful process that must take into
account the environment. If policies are not relevant, they will be ignored or
worse, dismissed as unnecessary and management will be perceived as being out
of touch.
Realistic
Think back to your childhood to a time you were forced to
follow a rule you did not think made any sense. The most famous defense most of
us were given by our parents in response to our protest was “Because I said
so!” We can remember how frustrated we became whenever we heard that statement,
and how it seemed unjust. We may also remember our desire to deliberately
disobey our parents – to rebel against this perceived tyranny. In very much the
same way, policies will be rejected if they are not realistic. Policies must
reflect the reality of the environment in which they will be implemented.
If you engage constituents in policy development, acknowledge
challenges, provide appropriate training, and consistently enforce policies,
employees will be more likely to accept and follow the policies.
Attainable
Information security policies and procedures should only
require what is possible. If we assume that the objective of a policy is to
advance the organization’s guiding principles, one can also assume that a
positive outcome is desired. A policy should never set up constituents for
failure; rather, it should provide a clear path for success.
It is important to seek advice and input from key people in
every job role in which the policies apply. If unattainable outcomes are
expected, people will fail. This will have a profound effect on morale and will
ultimately affect productivity. Know what is possible.
Adaptable
In order to thrive and grow, businesses must be open to
changes in the market and willing to take measured risks. A static set-in-stone
information security policy is detrimental to innovation. Innovators are
hesitant to talk with security, compliance, or risk departments for fear that
their ideas will immediately be discounted as contrary to policy or regulatory
requirement. “Going around” security is understood as the way to get things
done. The unfortunate result is the introduction of products or services that
may put the organization at risk.
An adaptable information security policy recognizes that
information security is not a static, point-in-time endeavor, but rather an
ongoing process designed to support the organizational mission. The information
security program should be designed in such a way that participants are
encourage to challenge conventional wisdom, reassess the current policy
requirements, and explore new options without losing sight of the fundamental
objective. Organizations that are committed to secure products and services
often discover it to be a sales enabler and competitive differentiator.
Enforceable
Enforceable means that administrative, physical, or
technical controls can be put in place to support the policy, that compliance
can be measured and, if necessary, appropriate sanctions applied.
If a rule is broken and there is no consequence, then the rule
is in effect meaningless. However, there must be a fair way to determine if a
policy is violated, which includes evaluating the organization support of the
policy. Sanctions should be clearly defined and commensurate with the
associated risk. A clear and consistent process should be in place so that all
similar violations are treated in the same manner.
Inclusive
It is important to include external parties in our policy
thought process. It used to be that organizations only had to be concerned
about information and systems housed within their walls. That is no longer the
case. Data (and the systems that store, transmit, and process it) are now
widely and globally distributed. Organizations that choose to put information
in or use systems in “the cloud” may face the additional challenge of having to
assess and evaluate vendor controls across distrusted systems in multiple
locations. The reach of the Internet has facilitated worldwide commerce, which
means that policies may have to consider an international audience of
customers, business partners, and employees. The trend toward outsourcing and
subcontracting requires that policies be designed in such a way to incorporate
third parties. Information security policies must also consider external
threats such as unauthorized access, vulnerability exploits, intellectual
property theft, denial of service attacks, and hacktivism done in the name of
cybercrime, terrorism, and warfare.
An information security policy must take into account organization objectives; international law; the cultural norms of its employees, business partners, suppliers, and customers; environmental impacts and global cyber threats. The hallmark of a great information security policy is that it positively affects the organization, its shareholders, employees, and customers, as well as the global community.