As a company grows and matures it is necessary to formalise ways of working. As part of that process it is important that a company develops a watertight IT security policy to manage all aspects of the IT infrastructure. You need to ensure that staff are aware of their responsibilities for managing data and equipment. This should include a detailed understanding of what they can write in emails, download from the internet and store on the company computers.

It is also important to describe the responsibilities of the company as a whole. You should list the steps required to securely provide backup, virus protection and remote access to your systems.

Development companies are faced with an even more complex set of requirements; requiring them to satisfy clients of their adherence to industry standard guidelines for writing web applications that fully implement security. This would include such things as designing a robust log-in module, handling password complexity and changing, storing passwords in an encrypted format, securing database connections and managing authentication of distributed components.

In any company, practical security equipment and techniques are only worthwhile when the company using them operates in the manner the equipment and techniques are actually intended. The way a company operates, as detailed in their policies and procedures, is often more important than the actual way it is protected. For example, without a clear Internet Usage policy, it is difficult to enforce any disciplinary action against an employee for downloading pornography.

Key Benefits For You:

The entire organization understands the basis of your IT security philosophy.

The company has a benchmark to assess staff behavior.

Employees are answerable for their actions.