What are information security policies? What’s the purpose of having them? And why is an information security policy important?
Read on to find out.
Overview
Information security policies include rules and procedures within an organization. This helps them protect users and networks. So, they can secure their data and information technology.
ISPs cover all parts of an organization’s systems. These include:
- data
- programs
- systems
- facilities
- infrastructure
- users,
- third-parties and fourth-parties.
What is the purpose of information security policies?
An information security policy protects information. It also limits the access of data to those who are only allowed.
In general, organizations make ISPs do the following:
- Establish a general approach to information security
- Secure document and user access
- Detect information at risk
- Minimize the consequences of misuse of data
- Protect the organizations’ reputation
- Follow legal and regulatory requirements like NIST
- Protect their customer’s data
- Limit access to key information technology
Why are information security policies important?
Having an effective information security policy is a critical step for any company or business. Certainly, no one wants to experience cybersecurity events such as data breaches.
For one thing, consequences are not cheap. In fact, it can lead to losses of many aspects. They can lose their customers and their trust.
And without customers, we can also lose their sales. Breaches also reach news headlines so it can ruin the reputation in the industry.
Finally, they can pay fines because you don’t follow regulations about security.
So, ISPs are important for organizations both new and established. Today, companies adopt digital transformation. That also involves using technologies and more data.
That’s why they have to protect them. For example, hospitals need to protect patients’ data. Banks also need to secure clients’ credit card information. And so on.
Information security is not just an accessory for organizations. They must have this.
But, it does not only apply inside your organization. You also have to protect the outside.
Increase outsourcing is on the rise nowadays. So, third-party vendors can access your data, too.
That means that you can also be at risk for third-party management. And in case you don’t know, vendor risks are no joke.
What are the key elements of an information security policy?
Information security policy can be as broad or simple as you want it to be. In general, it has the following key elements:
- Purpose – outlines what do you want to protect and what steps you need to take, like detecting risks or managing customer data
- Audience – defines who the policy applies to and who it does not apply to, including third-party vendors
- Objectives – three principles of InfoSec, confidentiality, integrity, and availability
- Authority and access control – decide who is authorized to control the data access
- Data classification – separate data into categories, such as public information or trade secrets
- Data support and operations – outlines how to handle each classified data
- Security awareness training – train employees about the basics of cybersecurity
- Responsibilities and duties – operationalize your policies into tasks
