December 5, 2022
Cybercrime is now more profitable than the illegal drug trade, but that’s only because many businesses aren’t following cybersecurity best practices. Most cybercriminals are looking for a fast profit, and if their ability to make easy millions were to be suddenly taken away from them, I believe many of them would contemplate a career change.
The more businesses that practice good cybersecurity hygiene, the fewer tempting targets there will be. And one of the most powerful tools you have for safeguarding your assets is a clear, comprehensive security policy.
IT Security Policy FAQs
Feel free to skip over these if you’re up to speed!
What is an IT security policy?
An information security policy is a set of rules designed to prevent employees from posing an additional risk to your organization’s assets.
What is an IT security policy framework?
An IT security policy framework is a structured set of guidelines, standards, and best practices used to protect an organization’s systems and data. Common frameworks include NIST CSF and CIS Controls.
Essentially, a framework provides a basic blueprint; an individual organization's security policies are the building blocks that carry it out.
What are data security policies, and how are they different from IT security policies?
A data security policy is a subset of IT security policy focused specifically on how data is collected, stored, accessed, shared, and disposed of.
An IT security policy covers the entire technology environment. Think of data security policy as one chapter within the larger IT security policy book.
How often should security policies be reviewed or updated?
IT security policies will need to be reviewed and updated whenever your tools or ways of working change, when compliance requirements change, or when an incident exposes new security gaps.
If nothing changes, they should still be reviewed at least once a year.
Who should be responsible for creating security policies?
IT leadership should be involved, as should your security team, legal or compliance team, and executive leadership, to ensure your policies align with business priorities and are properly enforced.
How many security policies does a typical business need?
Depending on your industry, a very small business may only need 5–10 core policies. However, larger businesses will typically need 10–30 distinct documents to properly protect their systems and data.
Why Is an IT Security Policy Important?
When it comes to digital security, your employees can be your greatest strength or your greatest liability. An IT security policy helps your staff be the former and not the latter.
According to a recent survey, 74% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) said human error was their biggest cybersecurity risk! Having a digital security policy in place — and making sure it’s followed every time — helps your employees avoid unwittingly exposing sensitive information to hackers.
What Should a Security Policy Include?
Not every business needs all of these. But depending on how you work, what data you collect, and what devices you use, your security policy should include most of these elements.
1. Acceptable Use Policy
This policy outlines how your employees should safely access the internet. Make agreeing to this policy in writing part of the standard onboarding for new employees. It’s also a good practice to have all employees review this policy as part of your annual security training. October is a great time, as it’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
2. Access Control Policy
Decide which employees can access which components of your organization’s data and systems.
3. Information Security Policy
Make sure that employees who use IT assets and networks will comply with all rules and guidelines contained in this policy, and include the repercussions of failing to do so.
4. Remote Access Policy
List acceptable methods for remotely connecting to an organization's internal networks.
5. Email/Communication Policy
Provide detailed information on how employees can use electronic communication tools like email, blogs, and social media (including chat technologies).
6. Internal Privacy Policy
Spell out how employees should collect and use personal data, including the rights individuals have around their data.
7. Data Retention Policy
Itemize what data should be stored, where, and for how long.
8. Visitor Policy
Make sure your employees know what is expected of them when they receive guests at your facility.
9. Clean Desk Policy
Keep sensitive information and assets safe with a policy that outlines how your staff should leave their workstations.
10. Change Management Policy
Lay out the formal process for making changes to IT, software development, and security services/operations.
11. Incident Response Policy
An incident response policy provides an overview of how to handle a security incident to minimize business operation damage, customer fallout, downtime, and financial loss.
12. Disaster Recovery Policy
In a disaster recovery policy, you’ll describe the steps necessary to stop and remedy any organizational damage.
13. Business Continuity Policy
Your business continuity policy will be used to restore the hardware, applications, and data that are essential for conducting business.
14. Security Awareness & Training Policy
This wasn’t as common a few years ago, but most frameworks now require formal employee security training programs, due to the rise of phishing attacks.
This policy will outline required cybersecurity training, phishing simulation exercises, and employee reporting procedures, and is often considered one of the most effective security controls an organization can have today.
15. Vendor / Third-Party Risk Management Policy
Many breaches now occur through vendors. So this policy has also grown in importance over the past few years. It should outline your vendor security review process, due diligence requirements, minimum security standards for vendors, and ongoing risk monitoring.
This has become a major compliance requirement for many industries!
16. Endpoint & Device Security Policy
Organizations with remote work and BYOD environments should define rules for company laptops and mobile devices, endpoint protection requirements, patch management expectations, and encryption.
17. Data Classification Policy
Not all data needs the same protection. So many companies now have adopted policies that define how types of data must be stored, who can access it, and how it needs to be protected.
18. Cloud & SaaS Usage Policy
This is another policy that is far more common now, as cloud computing tools have become more popular. This policy should define approved cloud platforms, restrictions on shadow IT, security configuration requirements, and identity and access rules.
How To Write and Enforce a Security Policy
As you prepare to draft your company’s policy, here are some tips toward making the journey efficient and effective.
- Assess your risk
- Follow recommendations by the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF)
- Know the law and any applicable regulations for your business
- Write a comprehensive policy, understanding that it may change over time
- Get everyone on board with your new policy
- Provide ongoing training
- Have existing employees sign any new agreements
- Enforce the rules consistently
- Review your plan regularly, and notify staff when changes are made
- Keep tabs on shifting laws and regulations
- Make security an important part of your culture
Where To Find Information Security Policy Templates
I don’t recommend using a template in place of actually thinking through your risks and what you need to protect. However, seeing a few examples can be helpful. Here are a few places that offer them — just keep in mind their names may be slightly different than what’s listed in this blog:
- The Center for Internet Security (CIS) offers a variety of downloadable templates
- The State of Virginia offers templates geared towards government agencies
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) offers a comprehensive Policy Template Guide
Getting Help With Your Security Policy
One critical area many organizations struggle with is the first step: risk assessment. No matter how thorough the rest of your security policy is, without an understanding of your actual risks, your policy may not be as helpful to your business as it could be.
Our cybersecurity specialists have created an online cyber health quiz to identify any areas where you need additional protection. Click the link below to see how you stack up!
