Assignment 1: Creating and Communicating a Security Strategy

As an IT professional, you’ll often be required to communicate policies, standards, and practices in the

workplace. For this assignment, you’ll practice this important task by taking on the role of an IT

professional charged with creating a memo to communicate your company’s new security strategy.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Preparation

1. Review the essential elements of a security strategy

A successful IT administration strategy requires the continuous enforcement of policies, standards, and

practices (procedures) within the organization. Review these elements to see how they compare:

Policy: The general statements that direct the organization’s internal and external communication and goals.

Standards: Describe the requirements of a given activity related to the policy. They are more detailed and specific than policies. In effect, standards are rules that evaluate the quality of the activity. For example, standards define the structure of the password and the numbers, letters, and special characters that must be used in order to create a password.

Practices: The written instructions that describe a series of steps to be followed during the performance of a given activity. Practices must support and enhance the work environment. Also referred to as procedures.

2. Describe the business environment

You are the IT professional in charge of security for a company that has recently opened within a shopping mall. Describe the current IT environment at this business. You can draw details from a company you work for now or for which you have worked in the past. You’ll need to get creative and identify the details about this business that will influence the policies you’ll create. For example, does the company allow cell phone email apps? Does the company allow web mail? If so, how will this affect the mobile computing policy? Describe all the details about this business environment that will be necessary to support your strategy.

3. Research sample policies

Familiarize yourself with various templates and sample policies used in the IT field. Do not just copy another company’s security policy, but rather learn from the best practices of other companies and apply them to yours. Use these resources to help structure your policies:

● Information Security Policy Templates

● Sample Data Security Policies

● Additional Examples and Tips

Instructions

With the description of the business environment (the fictional company that has opened in a shopping mall) in mind and your policy review and research complete, create a new security strategy in the format of a company memo (no less than three to five pages) in which you do the following:

1. Describe the business environment and identify the risk and reasoning

Provide a brief description of all the important areas of the business environment that you’ve discovered in your research. Be sure to identify the reasons that prompted the need to create a security policy.

2. Assemble a security policy

Assemble a security policy or policies for this business. Using the memo outline as a guide, collect industry-specific and quality best practices. In your own words, formulate your fictional company’s security policy or policies. You may use online resources, the Strayer Library, or other industry-related resources such as the National Security Agency (NSA) and Network World. In a few brief sentences, provide specific information on how your policy will support the business' goal.

3. Develop standards

Develop the standards that will describe the requirements of a given activity related to the policy. Standards are the in-depth details of the security policy or policies for a business.

4. Develop practices

Develop the practices that will be used to ensure the business enforces what is stated in the security policy or policies and standards.

Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:

● You may use the provided memo outline as a guide for this assignment, or you may use your own. Get creative and be original! (You should not just copy a memo from another source.) Adapt the strategy you create to your “company” specifically. In the workplace, it will be important to use company standard documents for this type of communication.

● Do not cut and paste someone else’s strategy. Plagiarism detection software will be used to evaluate your submissions.

Additional Examples and Tips

Example 1: XYZ Inc. Company-Wide Employee Password Strategy

Policies

Standards

Practices-Employee

Example 2: Security Policy and Standards

Password Policy: Passwords are an important part of computer security at your organization. They often serve as the first line of defense in preventing unauthorized access to the organization’s computers and data.

In order to define the password policy, it is important to identify the standards.

1. Multi-factor authentication

2. Password strength standard

3. Password security standards; how to keep the password secure

Tips and Points to Consider When Identifying Risks or Security Vulnerabilities

Memo Outline

Network Security Associates of Atlantis, Inc.

123 Watery Lane

Atlantis, USVI 91199

From: IT Security Dept.

Re: Security Policy

Date:

Section 1: General Policies and Motivation

Section 2: Passwords

Section 3: Biometrics

Section 4: Tokens

Section 5: Physical Security

Section 6: Email Policies

Section 7: Breach Reporting Responsibilities

Section 8: Mobile Policy and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)