What is security policy in an organization?

A security policy is a written document in an organization outlining how to protect the organization from threats, including computer security threats, and how to handle situations when they do occur.

A security policy must identify all of a company's assets as well as all the potential threats to those assets. Company employees need to be kept updated on the company's security policies. The policies themselves should be updated regularly as well.

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Techopedia Explains Security Policy

A security policy should outline the key items in an organization that need to be protected. This might include the company's network, its physical building, and more. It also needs to outline the potential threats to those items. If the document focuses on cyber security, threats could include those from the inside, such as possibility that disgruntled employees will steal important information or launch an internal virus on the company's network. Alternatively, a hacker from outside the company could penetrate the system and cause loss of data, change data, or steal it. Finally, physical damage to computer systems could occur.

When the threats are identified, the likelihood that they will actually occur must be determined. A company must also determine how to prevent those threats. Instituting certain employee policies as well as strong physical and network security could be a few safeguards. There also needs to be a plan for what to do when a threat actually materializes. The security policy should be circulated to everyone in the company, and the process of safeguarding data needs to be reviewed regularly and updated as new people come on board.

The goal is to clearly lay out the rules and procedures for using corporate assets. This includes information directed both to end users and to IT and security staff. IT security policies should be designed to identify and address an organization’s IT security risks. They do so by addressing the three core goals of IT security (also called the CIA triad):

  • Confidentiality: Protecting sensitive data from being exposed to unauthorized parties.
  • Integrity: Ensuring that data has not been modified while in storage or in transit.
  • Availability: Providing continual access to data and systems to legitimate users.

These three goals can be achieved in a variety of different ways. An organization may have multiple IT security policies targeting different audiences and addressing various risks and devices.

The Importance of an IT Security Policy

An IT security is a written record of an organization’s IT security rules and policies. This can be important for several different reasons, including:

  • End-User Behavior: Users need to know what they can and can’t do on corporate IT systems. An IT security policy will lay out rules for acceptable use and penalties for non-compliance.
  • Risk Management: An IT security policy defines how corporate IT assets can be accessed and used. This defines the corporate attack surface and the amount of cyber risk faced by the company.
  • Business Continuity: A cyberattack or other business-disrupting event inhibits productivity and costs the organization money. IT security policies help to make these events less likely and to efficiently resolve them if they occur.
  • Incident Response: In the event of a data breach or other security incident, correct and rapid response is critical. An IT security policy defines the actions that should be taken when an incident occurs.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Many regulations, such as the GDPR and ISO, require that an organization have security policies and procedures in place and documented. Creating these policies is necessary for achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance.

IT Security Policies Key Information

An organization’s IT security policies should be designed to fit the needs of the business. They can be a single, consolidated policy or a set of documents addressing different issues.

Despite this, all organizations’ IT security policies should contain certain key information. Whether as standalone documents or sections in a larger one, a corporate IT security policy should include the following:

  • Acceptable Use: How end users are permitted to use IT systems
  • Change Management: Processes for deploying, updating, and retiring IT assets
  • Data Retention: How long data can be stored and how to properly dispose of it
  • Incident Response: Processes for managing potential security incidents
  • Network Security: Policies for securing the corporate network
  • Password: Rules for creating and managing user passwords
  • Security Awareness: Policies for training employees about cyber threats

Beyond these core policies, an IT security policy can also include sections targeted at an organization’s specific needs. For example, a company may need Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or remote work policies.

How to Write an IT Security Policy

When writing an IT security policy, a good starting point is established best practices. Organizations like the SANS Institute have published templates for IT security policies.

These templates can then be edited to meet an organization’s unique needs. For example, a company may need to add sections to address unique use cases or tailor language to fit corporate culture.
An IT security policy should be a living document. It should be regularly reviewed and updated to meet the evolving needs of the business.

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What is the main purpose of a security policy?

The basic purpose of a security policy is to protect people and information, set the rules for expected behaviors by users, define, and authorize the consequences of violation (Canavan, 2006). There are many standards available to keep the information secure and establish security policy.

What is an example of a security policy?

Common examples could include a network security policy, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy, social media policy, or remote work policy. These may address specific technology areas but are usually more generic.

What is a security policy and why does an organization need a security policy?

A security policy is a written document in an organization outlining how to protect the organization from threats, including computer security threats, and how to handle situations when they do occur. A security policy must identify all of a company's assets as well as all the potential threats to those assets.

What is security policy and its types?

There are 2 types of security policies: technical security and administrative security policies. Technical security policies describe the configuration of the technology for convenient use; body security policies address however all persons should behave. All workers should conform to and sign each the policies.