5 Things You Need in Your Company Security Policy

You need a smart IT plan to protect you if things go wrong and stop problem instances from occurring at all. Plan for real-world scenarios that could impact your business.  

Most companies have policies when it comes to IT or procedures that could cost big time if mishandled. However, a vocal policy can often get confused or misconstrued. With a written policy, your professional expectations are laid out clearly and will serve as a good measure for later evaluations of actions taken. Here are five things you want to include in your written IT security policy.

Define Main Objectives

In today’s cyber age, you need to focus on keeping your customer’s information safe. Start by listing the ways your company gets data from vendors and customers.

• What sensitive data might you be collecting that you need to protect?
• What business procedures might need additional caution or security policies?
• What are the most common ways information might be compromised by employees?

Establishing Basic Company Guidelines

One of the biggest threats to your company IT security is employee error. Mistakes or judgment lapses that occur can threaten the security of your company with a data breach. You need to write IT security policies that detail specific procedures and processes in breach situations and cyber attacks. The day-to-day expectations need to include safe IT navigation practices. Your guidelines should include all of the basics, from how to safely browse the internet and use personal devices to what passwords are more secure. Your guidelines should be carefully constructed to include real-world application. Don’t assume everything will always go smoothly for your employees and they won’t be tempted to take security shortcuts.

Document IT Processes and Procedures for Secure Information

How your team handles sensitive information can have a major impact on whether or not you are responsible for any data loss. Note carefully how every department should be handling sensitive information they might come in contact with. Detail how employees should report any cyber crimes, hack attempts or data breaches. Write out how employees can help prevent leaks and best practices for taking important security measures.

Note Employee Roles and Responsibilities

It’s easy to point the finger if a finger wasn’t established before the disaster. Set up policies for who is in charge of what areas of your IT plan. Beyond the basic guidelines for tech security, you should stop and think about the individual employee jobs in your company and what you are asking of them. Are you setting your team up for success? Do they understand the role of people who may need to handle aspects of your tech security plan?

• Does HR understand what employee information is considered private or sensitive?
• How do you expect remote workers or freelance employees to behave with restricted data?
• What steps are you taking to secure sensitive data on specific devices or storage systems?

Disaster Recovery Plan

What happens if your office has a fire or if your network is compromised? You need an outside source storing your backups so you experience a minimum downtime if an urgency does occur. A plan for data recovery should be in place and determine how data backups are done.

Outsource Your IT Department for a Third Perspective

Get an outside audit and find the areas you might be most compromised. An outside IT company can help you identify the holes in your strategy and reconstruct policies that cover all of your bases. If you need help determining smart IT policies or writing up a new guide, contact us today! We would be more than happy to help you train your employees and be better prepared as a small business.

Jason Simons

ICS is a Texas-based 40-year-old technology company specializing in Managed IT, VoIP, Video Conferencing and Video Surveillance solutions for US and International businesses. ICS has over 4000 regional installations and specializes in multi-site businesses between 25 and 2500 employees. ICS’s customers enjoy the experience of ICS’s Total Care program which provides clients flat fee services with obsolescence and growth protection. Whether a customer elects to deploy their IT, Video Conferencing or VoIP in the cloud or on the customer’s premise, ICS can provide a full turn-key solution for our clients under one flat monthly fee.