SECURITY POLICIES

ISO 27001 - ISO 27002 - ISO 17799

To protect their IT infrastructure and the information stored within it organisations should develop and implement appropriate security policies.

ISO 27001 is a standard specification for an Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). An ISMS is a control assurance system to control the security of Information Systems and to minimise the organisational risk associated with operating Information Technology systems.

Organisations should adopt controls from ISO 27002 (formerly ISO 17799) 'Information Technology - Code of Practice for Information Security Management' to secure their information. The code provides an excellent framework for the development and implementation of a corporate programme to protect information assets.

Information Security Management System

To develop an Information Security Management System (ISMS) the following steps need to be undertaken.

Determine the scope of the Management System.
Identify the information assets, systems and facilities that support the organisation.
Identify the threats to the assets.
Assess the risks to the assets and determine how the risks will be managed.
Develop a Security System with procedural, physical and logical controls to manage the risks.
Develop ongoing processes to ensure security.
Develop detailed security policies to deal with specific issues.

A sample Information Security Management System based on a typical small-medium enterprise has been devolped. This sample security policy template can then be amended to meet other organisations needs.

Security Policies

Security policies protect an organisations IT infrastructure and information. Best practice security policies should be based upon ISO 27001 and the controls contained within ISO 27002 (formerly ISO 17799) 'Information Technology - Code of Practice for Information Security Management'.

The information security policy establishes guidelines and standards for accessing the organisations information and application systems. An information security policy facilitates the communication of security procedures to users and makes them more aware of potential security threats and associated business risks.

Once the information security policy has be developed it needs to be put in place within the organisation and the security policy will need to enforced.

More information...

PDF Sample Security Policy Templates

A number of sample security policies and acceptable use policies are available for free download below in pdf format. The sample security policy templates can be adapted to control the risks identified in the Information Security Management System.

The security policies cover a range of issues including general IT Security, Internet and email acceptable use policies, remote access and choosing a secure password.

The sample security policy templates available below need to be amended to meet an organisations specific circumstances.