What are the things needed to consider in developing information security programs?

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    Information system means to consider available countermeasures or controls stimulated through uncovered vulnerabilities and identify an area where more work is needed. The purpose of data security management is to make sure business continuity and scale back business injury by preventing and minimizing the impact of security incidents. The basic principle of Information Security is: 

    • Confidentially
    • Authentication
    • Non-Repudiation
    • Integrity

    The need for Information security:  

    1. Protecting the functionality of the organization: 
      The decision maker in organizations must set policy and operates their organization in compliance with the complex, shifting legislation, efficient and capable applications.
    2. Enabling the safe operation of applications: 
      The organization is under immense pressure to acquire and operates integrated, efficient and capable applications. The modern organization needs to create an environment that safeguards application using the organizations IT systems, particularly those application that serves as important elements of the infrastructure of the organization. 
    3. Protecting the data that the organization collect and use: 
      Data in the organization can be in two forms are either in rest or in motion, the motion of data signifies that data is currently used or processed by the system. The values of the data motivated the attackers to steal or corrupts the data. This is essential for the integrity and the values of the organization’s data. Information security ensures the protection of both data in motion as well as data in rest. 
    4. Safeguarding technology assets in organizations: 
      The organization must add intrastate services based on the size and scope of the organization. Organizational growth could lead to the need for public key infrastructure, PKI an integrated system of the software, encryption methodologies. The information security mechanism used by large organizations is complex in comparison to a small organization. The small organization generally prefers symmetric key encryption of data. 
       

    Every organization, regardless of size or revenue generated, needs an information security program.

    It’s an essential collection of initiatives that form the basis for any cyber security initiative involving confidential data. Having a well-developed information security program enables your organization to take an inclusive approach to protecting data like protected health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII), and more.

    However, not all organizational leaders can define an information security program, nor pinpoint the crucial components that make up an effective set of projects. Without this foundational knowledge, confidential information may be susceptible to exposure or theft by cyber criminals.

    This blog post will highlight the important parameters and provide insight into how a robust information security program can keep your organization’s sensitive data safe.

    An information security program consists of a set of activities, projects, and initiatives that support an organization’s information technology framework. These initiatives also help organizations accomplish all related business objectives and meet corresponding benchmarks.

    Your information security program practices allow you to safeguard key business processes, IT assets, and employee data from potentially prying eyes. It also identifies individuals or technological assets that may impact the security or confidentiality of those assets.

    Constructing an effective program involves identifying your information security goals. The more specific these objectives are to your organization’s reality, the more meaningful and dynamic the underlying initiatives will be. Once those are established, you can define the IT tools and other information security assets needed to create, launch, and successfully maintain each project.

    The Elements of an Effective Information Security Program

    While the strength of your information security program will depend on the goals you aim for and the assets at your disposal, there are several common elements that will put you in a position to succeed.

    Essentially, the program should go beyond merely assessing risk and offering a handful of prevention recommendations. Your information security strategy must play an active role in targeting issues (especially those related to human risk) and mitigating risk through diverse, inclusive projects.

    Outlined below are the steps to follow when defining an information security program.

    First, it is necessary to determine the expected results that come with accomplishing desired information security goals. These can be defined according to security objectives or the desired state in terms of security.

    Then, it’s necessary to determine your organization’s current state of information security. In conjunction with a business impact assessment or security audits, a risk assessment will provide a clear understanding of the current security situation, as well as the weak points in that infrastructure. Again, the more details you drill down in the beginning, the easier this process will be.

    After that, a gap analysis determines the difference between the current state and the desired state and facilitates a security strategy aimed at achieving the desired state. A roadmap can be produced to promote the development of the security program that will realize this strategy.

    This roadmap generally includes the people, the processes, the technology, and any other required resources. It is used to describe the approach to be followed and the steps that should be taken to execute the strategy.

    The next step is to effectively manage the security program to achieve the objectives and meet the expected results. The program in questions must be designed to provide an appropriate level of availability, integrity, and company information confidentiality. A program also requires various resources, as well as the proper support of your organization’s management.

    Here are some more detailed elements that should be included in a security program:

    • Policies, standards, procedures, and security guidelines are the principal tools for guiding such a program’s implementation and management. These can be based on recognized standards, such as COBIT, ISO 27002, ITIL, etc.
    • A security architecture (including people, processes, and technology) provides a framework for the effective management of the complexity that can arise during the integration of various security elements and projects.
    • The classification of information assets to highlight their criticality and sensitivity.
    • An appropriate risk management process includes risk identification, evaluation and treatment, and a business impact analysis (BIA).
    • An effective response to incidents and emergencies.
    • A security awareness training program for all users.
    • The involvement of a security team in the development process (Software Development Life Cycle or SDLC) of projects and change management.
    • The definition and monitoring of metrics to assess the achievement of security objectives.

    The information security program must have an exact assignment of roles and responsibilities concerning security.

    It should be noted that information security awareness training is a critical element of the strategy because users are often the weakest security link. Therefore, they must know and understand the policies, standards, and procedures to adopt safe practices and be vigilant against various threats.

    Various laws and regulations now require an awareness and training program. However, evidence suggests that employees, in many organizations, are still not sufficiently aware. Multiple studies have demonstrated that cyber security awareness training provides more effective control in improving overall security.


    Learn more about setting up a security awareness program and team in this eBook:

    What are the things needed to consider in developing information security programs?

    Download The Human Fix to Human Risk eBook

    Download “The Human Fix to Human Risk,” to learn about Terranova’s simple five-step framework for implementing a comprehensive security awareness campaign that effectively changes employee behavior.

    What is required to be part of an information security program?

    The program in questions must be designed to provide an appropriate level of availability, integrity, and company information confidentiality. A program also requires various resources, as well as the proper support of your organization's management.

    What items need to be considered when developing an information security strategy for an organization?

    The following list offers some important considerations when developing an information security policy..
    Purpose. ... .
    Audience. ... .
    Information security objectives. ... .
    Authority and access control policy. ... .
    Data classification. ... .
    Data support and operations. ... .
    Security awareness and behavior. ... .
    Encryption policy..

    What are the factors to consider in information security?

    The result of the literature analysis is 12 factors influencing security decisions, namely: “Vulnerability”, “Compliance & Policy”, “Risk”, “Physical security”, “Continuity”, “Infrastructure”, “CIA”, “Security management”, “Awareness”, “Resources”, “Access control” and “Organizational factors”.

    How do you develop an information security program?

    Build Your Information Security Program in Six Steps.
    Identify your assets and related threats..
    Identify and prioritize risks..
    Implement foundational information security controls..
    Build a robust information security program..
    Develop a security improvement roadmap..