Security Policy

A good security policy is important regardless of what type of security you have in place technology wise. If your employees do not follow procedures that should be in place, the greatest technology will be rendered useless. You could have the latest antivirus software and intrusion detection systems in place but if employees continue to open email attachments, they will run the risk of infecting the network with new and improved viruses and malware. Another example could be employee turnover. When employees leave either by termination, retirement or promotion to another section, what happens to all of the passwords and other security methods that they had access too? Also, what about those employees that fail to safeguard their passwords and leave them in plain site or hidden in an obvious location? These are just some of the reasons for having a security plan in place, to address these and many other areas of vulnerability that a company usually faces. When it comes to protecting your Information Systems, there are many areas that are open to attacks, threats and misuse. Network and Internet usage is at the top of the list. A policy needs to define who can use the network and for what purposes it can be used for. If the purpose is only for company business, then it should be stated as such. If an employee can use it to check email, then that should be stated. If an employee can use it to check personal email, there should be some guidelines in place as to downloading attachments and other items onto their workstation. Many people use Instant Messaging to communicate quickly with a friend or family member. Will this be allowed in the workplace and if so, is it limited to interoffice communication only?

A good security policy will explain to the employees what they can and cannot do when it comes to their individual workstation. Will they be allowed to alter software that is already installed on the system? Will they be allowed to add or remove