The 8 Elements of an Information Security Policy

9 Best Practices for Drafting Information Security Policies

1. Information and data classification—can make or break your security program. Poor information and data classification may leave your systems open to attacks. Additionally, lack of inefficient management of resources might incur overhead expenses. A clear classification policy helps organizations take control of the distribution of their security assets.
2. IT operations and administration—should work together to meet compliance and security requirements. Lack of cooperation between departments may lead to configuration errors. Teams that work together can coordinate risk assessment and identification through all departments to reduce risks.
3. Security incident response plan—helps initiate appropriate remediation actions during security incidents. A security incident strategy provides a guideline, which includes initial threat response, priorities identification, and appropriate fixes.
4. SaaS and cloud policy—provides the organization with clear cloud and SaaS adoption guidelines, which can provide the foundation for a unified cloud ecosystem. This policy can help mitigate ineffective complications and poor use of cloud resources.
5. Acceptable use policies (AUPs)—helps prevent data breaches that occur through misuse of company resources. Transparent AUPs help keep all personnel in line with the proper use of company technology resources.
6. Identity and access management (IAM) regulations—let IT administrators authorize systems and applications to the right individuals and let employees know how to use and create passwords in a secure way. A simple password policy can reduce identity and access risks.
7. Data security policy—outlines the technical operations of the organization and acceptable use standards in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance.
8. Privacy regulations—government-enforced regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protect the privacy of end users. Organizations that don’t protect the privacy of their users risk losing their authority and may be fined.
9. Personal and mobile devices—nowadays most organizations have moved to the cloud. Companies that encourage employees to access company software assets from any location, risk introducing vulnerabilities through personal devices such as laptops and smartphones. Creating a policy for proper security of personal devices can help prevent exposure to threats via employee-owned assets.