How should an organization's policies be structured?

An organization's policies should be structured to protect the organization and its assets. This means that policies must encompass a wide range of areas including data protection, risk management, compliance with laws and regulations, and general security practices. The overarching goal is to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the organization's information and resources, which, in turn, supports the organization’s mission and objectives.

While it is important for technical details to be included for IT staff, policies need to be accessible and understandable by all employees, not just those with a technical background. Elements of behavior, such as compliance with company standards, are crucial, but they should not be the sole focus of the policies. Moreover, while it can be useful to address operational procedures, covering every single procedure could result in overly complicated or unwieldy texts. Instead, policies should set a framework and high-level directives that guide behavior and decision-making throughout the organization, allowing for operational flexibility while establishing a consistent approach to security and risk management.