The Greek philosopher Heraclitus observed, “The only constant in life is change.” At this point, however, you could say that there’s another constant in life: cybercrime. The past year provides plenty of proof, with the number of publicly reported data breaches through September 30 outpacing the volume of incidents reported during the entire year of 2020 (1,291 breaches versus 1,108), according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.
If you want to keep your data breach risk level as low as possible, your best bet is to maintain a comprehensive and current cybersecurity program. However, you can’t build a solid program without first laying the foundation with a thorough information security policy.
Why Do Companies Need an Information Security Policy?
Given how rapidly cybersecurity threats evolve, it’s imperative to employ a proactive rather than reactive approach to safeguarding your network and data. To properly secure your IT environment, you need to ensure you know which assets need protection, what acceptable utilization of electronic media looks like for your company, and the proper course of action to take if a breach occurs. A corporate IT security policy delineates all of those details, according to the SANS Institute white paper “A Preparation Guide to Information Security Policies” by David Jarmon.
“A security policy is needed to inform users and staff members of the need and their responsibility to protect the organization’s technology and critical information,” Jarmon writes.
Additionally, he notes that you can’t have a lasting, successful security program without an information security policy. Otherwise, you’ll find it difficult to conduct audits and ensure your staff members adhere to acceptable use guidelines.
Reasons to Outsource Security Policy Writing
A proper security policy can cover many topics, including everything from the specification of the most significant threats to your organization to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) guidelines. It takes time, in-depth cybersecurity knowledge, and writing skills to produce a policy that will lay the groundwork for successful governance, risk management and compliance.
Unless you have an extensive in-house security team, it makes sense to outsource security policy writing. Here are a few of the most notable benefits of turning to a third-party provider for this service.
1. Access to high-level security expertise. By outsourcing security policy writing, you can gain guidance from experienced cybersecurity professionals without investing the time and funds necessary to hire in-house executives (e.g., a CISO or chief compliance officer).
2. Increased productivity. You’ll free up your internal staff members to focus on other projects.
3. Lower data breach risk. With an information security policy meticulously written by industry experts, you’ll lower your odds of experiencing an expensive and reputation-damaging security incident.
If you’re sold on the idea of outsourcing security policy writing, our advisors can leverage their experience and expertise to help you find a best-in-class provider that can craft a policy that aligns with your goals, cybersecurity requirements and compliance needs. For details, give us a call at 877-599-3999 or email sales@stratospherenetworks.com.