What Is an IT Security Policy and Why Do You Need One?

A network security problem can cost your business in lost production, poor customer goodwill, and actual dollars. Find out how an IT security policy can help.  

IT security is critical to all organizations today. Keeping your networks and data safe protects your own assets and business integrity. But it also protects your customers, which is something that most people expect today. 

James Forbis, a cybersecurity specialist with 4BIS.COM in Cincinnati shares why every business needs an IT security policy.

What Is an IT Security Policy?

An IT security policy is the set of written procedures and rules that governs your technical security—specifically who can access functionality and information and how they must do that. These rules govern how everyone in (and outside) the organization accesses technical resources and assets, including networks, hardware, data, and applications.

What Should an IT Security Policy Include?

The best security policies speak to what's known as the CIA triad. That stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

• Confidentiality refers to how you limit who can access information. In many cases, the best practice is to restrict information to those who need to know it to handle their jobs—this is especially true in organizations where compliance regulations such as HIPAA or FERPA are relevant. But even outside of healthcare, finance, and education, it's a good practice to have some limitations on who can view data by level and role.

• Integrity refers to the ability to rely on the fact that data is accurate and trustworthy. IT security policies must ensure that data doesn't change as it's being moved or pulled and that unauthorized parties can't make alterations to the data. Some tools that help ensure integrity include version control, activity logs, and audits.

• Availability refers to the capability of authorized people to access the IT resources they need at all appropriate times. IT security policies should include protocols for maintaining systems, creating strong backups, and responding to unplanned downtime efficiently.

Why Does Every Business Need an IT Security Policy?

If you're not in a regulated industry or your company is small or mid-size, this might sound like a lot of effort that you don't need. But giving in to that thought process would be a mistake—potentially a costly and disastrous one for your business and brand. Check out these facts and stats that demonstrate why every business must have a viable IT security policy in place.

• Almost half of all cyberattacks target small businesses. Part of the reason smaller companies are more vulnerable is that hackers and other cyber criminals expect that they won't have strong security policies and protections in place.

• Many companies are relying increasingly on Internet of Things devices. That's any device that's connected to the network or internet, including wireless and smart printers or other office equipment. On average, a hacker can break into one of these devices in around five minutes. Solid security policies help protect these devices and your network.

• The average time it takes to identify a data breach is 196 days. That's more than six months that a criminal or other party could have access to your data without you knowing to take action. A security policy can help reduce the time it takes to identify that such a breach has occurred, helping you respond in a timelier manner and potentially mitigate some costs associated with the event.

IT security policies are important. And that's true whether you have a large IT department, a single IT professionals on staff, or work with outsourced IT resources. Your security policy shouldn't just cover IT employees; everyone in your organization should be responsible for keeping networks and data safe.