A security program is a documented set of policies, guidelines, and standards that you or your organization use to maintain information confidentiality and integrity. Security programs protect data while also maintaining compliance with both legislated and customer requirements.
With the current risks of today’s internet, breaches and attacks spanning across the globe threaten all forms of businesses and networks. Effectively maintained security programs will reduce risks and enable fast responses when incidents do happen.
A well implemented security program establishes policies and processes to mitigate threats and protect your information. Program components such as the Risk Management Plan and vulnerability management will assist in finding what threats your data is at the most risk and where your current protections lie.
There are four characteristics of an effective security program:
Establish a benchmark
Security should be defined through your current necessities. Should your data be certified under HIPAA or PIPEDA? Does your data contain data desirable to attackers? Your benchmark will define the policies and procedures you need in place to protect your data.Measure against benchmark
As you assess your situation, compare against your initial benchmark and evaluate how effective your standards are performing. Are you still seeing security vulnerabilities? Maybe you need to re-evaluate your benchmarks to higher standards.Informed decision-making
The security program you put into place should have a communication system to provide crucial information to your management or security team. This system should disseminate results of your assessments and measurements, thus enabling you to make an informed decision for your security program.Execution
Once the appropriate decisions have been made, the security program should be executed. Begin the security projects as they were planned out and record all data to regularly track the progress of your security program. Following the successful implementation, continually assess your program for faults or necessary changes to keep up with the ever changing threats.Security Programs can be difficult to formulate, with several procedures that are difficult to learn and even more difficult to engage. JMC Information Technologies can aid your organization in creating a security program to suit your needs. Along with a security program, comes the necessity for personnel training. Without knowledge of the steps required, a security program is useless. Hence, consultation and training is highly recommended in order to ensure that your security program is maintained and adhered to.
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