Building an IT Security Management Process

The rise in high-profile IT security breaches calls for a proactive and agile approach to strengthening your defenses. Start by developing a robust IT Security Management process to identify, assess, and mitigate risks, which will help you stay ahead of constantly evolving cyber threats.

If you want to develop an IT Security Management process, you've come to the right place. For over 24 years, Navvia has helped organizations design and implement IT Service Management (ITSM) processes.  

We've combined our experience in BPM (Business Process Management) with best practices from COBIT, NIST, and ITIL to create this guide to building an IT Security Management process.

How to Use This Information

In this blog post, we have compiled the essential elements of an IT Security Management process, including its definition, goals, objectives, roles, activities, tasks, and key terms, providing you with the foundation needed to build your process.

We've organized this information so that you can easily incorporate it into your process documentation.  

But remember: Building a process should never be done in isolation. It would be best to have the involvement and cooperation of stakeholders from across the organization. 

• Start by identifying the stakeholders and understanding their roles and requirements.  
• Collect and review existing IT Security Management process or procedural documentation.
• Build a straw model IT Security Management process combining the collected information and information from this blog post.
• Conduct workshops with the stakeholders to tailor the process to your needs. 

The steps we've outlined are just an overview of what you must do.  Check out these resources for more information on best practices for designing a process! 

• Webinar:  Business Process Mapping Workshop: Master the Art of Creating Clear and Well-Designed Processes
• Article:  What Is Business Process Management
• Article:  An Introduction to Process Mapping

Table of Contents

The following table of contents will help you navigate this comprehensive guide to building an IT Security Management Process:

1. Definition of IT Security Management
2. The Goal of IT Security Management
3. Key Objectives of IT Security Management
4. IT Security Management Roles
5. IT Security Management Activities and Tasks
6. Process Relationships
7. IT Security Management Definitions
8. Conclusion 

Definition of IT Security Management

IT Security Management systematically protects an organization's information technology assets and data from security threats. 

It involves implementing activities, tasks, procedures, roles and responsibilities, and technologies to prevent unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of information. 

This process typically includes risk assessment and management, establishing security controls, monitoring and responding to security incidents, and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

The aim is to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and to support the organization's overall objectives and operations by safeguarding its digital assets.

IT Security Management Activities

Here is a summary of the IT Security Management activities. These activities, along with the individual tasks, are described in more detail later in this post:

• Establishing a Security Management Framework:  Create a comprehensive and adaptable structure to protect the organization's information assets.
• Risk Management and Assessment: Continuously identify, evaluate, and mitigate security threats.
• Identity and Access Management:  Ensure only authorized users have access and control.
• Network and Endpoint Security:  Protect infrastructure and devices from vulnerabilities and threats.
• Protection Against Malware:  Implement measures to detect, prevent, and respond to malicious software.
• Incident Response and Monitoring:  Develop processes for proactively handling security incidents and monitoring systems.
• Data Protection and Privacy:  Secure sensitive information throughout its lifecycle.
• Training and Awareness:  Cultivate a culture of security awareness and responsibility across the organization.
• Continuous Improvement:  Regularly update and enhance security practices to adapt to evolving threats and business needs.

The Goal of IT Security Management

The goal of IT Security Management is to preserve the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information, effectively supporting the organization's overall objectives and ensuring the resilience of its digital assets.

Key Objectives of IT Security Management

Objectives support the goal of a process.  The following are the key objectives of the IT Security Management process:

• Confidentiality: Ensure that sensitive information is accessible only to those authorized to access it, protecting it from unauthorized disclosure.
• Integrity:  Maintain the accuracy and completeness of information and processing methods, ensuring data is not improperly altered or deleted.
• Availability:  Ensure information and critical systems are accessible to authorized users when needed, minimizing downtime and disruptions.
• Risk Management: Continuously identify, assess, and mitigate security risks to minimize potential organizational impacts.
• Compliance: Adhere to relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards related to information security, ensuring that the organization meets its legal and ethical obligations.

These objectives collectively aim to protect the organization's information technology assets and support its overall strategic goals.

IT Security Management Roles

A process role is a defined position or function within a process or organization. It encompasses a set of expectations for what an individual or group is supposed to do. Roles help organize work and define who will perform specific tasks.

Here are some typical roles for an IT Security Management process:

• Process Owner:  The Process Owner holds accountability for the entire process lifecycle, encompassing design, documentation, implementation, monitoring, and enhancement. They define and communicate the process's mission and goals to stakeholders, address cross-functional issues for consistent execution, and report on effectiveness to senior management. Moreover, the Process Owner drives improvement initiatives to adapt the process to changing needs and challenges.
• Stakeholders:  The internal and external parties with vested interests in the organization's information security.  Internally, Executive Leadership ensures strategic alignment and compliance, the IT Security Team implements measures, and the IT department maintains secure infrastructure.  Employees adhere to security policies to prevent breaches.  Externally, customers depend on secure data handling, vendors and partners must comply with security standards, regulatory bodies enforce compliance, and auditors assess practices for effectiveness. Each stakeholder influences and upholds the security management process.
• Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) / Information Security Manager: This role (which may also be the Process Owner) is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the organization's information security strategy. They ensure alignment with business objectives and regulatory compliance and lead risk management efforts.
• IT Security Manager / Security Operations Manager:  This role is focused on managing the day-to-day operations of security measures. It involves implementing security policies, overseeing security systems, and ensuring effective incident response and monitoring.
• Risk Manager:  This role identifies, assesses, and prioritizes risks, develops strategies for risk mitigation, and ensures that these strategies align with the organization's risk appetite and security objectives.
• Security Analyst:  This role involves monitoring security systems, identifying vulnerabilities, analyzing security incidents, and recommending improvements to enhance the organization's security posture. 
• Compliance Officer:  This position ensures that the organization meets legal, regulatory, and internal security requirements, coordinating efforts with the security management team to maintain compliance.
• Incident Response Coordinator / Incident Manager:  This role manages the response to security incidents and takes the appropriate steps to contain and resolve incidents while minimizing impact.
• Security Architect:  Responsible for designing and maintaining the security architecture, ensuring robust protection mechanisms are in place to defend against threats.
  

IT Security Management Activities and Tasks

Establishing a Security Management Framework

Create a comprehensive and adaptable structure to protect the organization's information assets.  Tasks include:

• Define Security Objectives: Establish clear security goals aligned with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and risk appetite to guide the development of the framework.
• Select Appropriate Framework(s): Choose one or more established security frameworks (such as NIST, ISO/IEC 27001, or COBIT) that best fit the organization’s needs, industry requirements, and compliance obligations.
• Develop Security Policies and Procedures: Create comprehensive policies and procedures that encompass all aspects of information security, ensuring they are clear, actionable, and enforceable.
• Establish Governance Structure: Define roles, responsibilities, and accountability within the security framework to ensure effective management and oversight of security activities.
• Integrate Risk Management: Integrate a robust risk management process to identify, assess, and mitigate risks, ensuring that security measures are proportionate to the identified risks.
• Promote Security Culture: Foster a security-conscious culture by embedding security considerations into everyday business practices and emphasizing the importance of security at all levels of the organization.
• Mandate Training and Awareness Programs: Establish and enforce policies requiring all employees to complete security training and awareness programs. These programs will educate staff about security policies, potential threats, and best practices, reinforcing their role in maintaining the organization's security posture.
• Continuously Monitor and Review: Establish mechanisms for continuous monitoring and regular review of the security process to ensure its effectiveness and adapt to evolving threats and organizational changes.

Risk Management and Assessment

Continuously identify, evaluate, and mitigate security threats.  Key tasks include:

• Risk Identification: Systematically identify potential security threats, vulnerabilities, and risks to information assets by reviewing system architectures, business processes, and external threat intelligence. 
• Risk Assessment: Analyze and evaluate identified risks to understand their likelihood and potential impact on the organization. This involves quantifying risks and prioritizing them based on their significance to the organization's operations and objectives.
• Risk Mitigation Planning: Develop strategies to mitigate identified risks through the implementation of security controls, such as technological safeguards, policy changes, and process improvements, aimed at reducing risk exposure.
• Implementing Controls: Apply appropriate security measures and controls to address prioritized risks. This can include technical solutions (e.g., firewalls, encryption), as well as administrative and physical controls.
• Monitoring and Reviewing Risks: Continuously monitor the risk landscape to detect changes in threats or vulnerabilities. Regularly review and update risk assessments and mitigation strategies to ensure they remain effective.
• Incident and Response Planning: Develop and refine incident response plans based on risk assessments to ensure that the organization is prepared to respond effectively to security incidents.
• Communication and Reporting: Communicate identified risks and mitigation plans with key stakeholders, including executive leadership, to ensure awareness and alignment on the organization’s risk posture.
• Risk Acceptance and Transfer: Decide on how to handle residual risks that cannot be fully mitigated—whether to accept them, transfer them (e.g., through insurance), or further manage them with additional controls or strategies.

Identity and Access Management

Ensure only authorized users have access and control.  Key tasks include:

• Identity Provisioning: Establish and manage digital identities for users, devices, and applications, ensuring that each entity has a unique and verifiable identity.
• Access Control: Implement policies and mechanisms to restrict access to systems and data based on roles and permissions, ensuring compliance with the principle of least privilege.
• Authentication: Deploy multi-factor authentication (MFA) and other methods to verify the identity of users before granting access to resources.
• Authorization Management: Define and manage user roles and permissions to ensure users have appropriate access levels based on their role within the organization (RBAC - Role Based Access Control).  
• Access Review and Audit: Conduct regular access reviews and audits to ensure compliance with policies, detect anomalies, and identify and remove unnecessary or outdated access rights.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): Implement SSO solutions to streamline access to multiple systems with a single set of credentials, enhancing security and user convenience.
• Privileged Access Management (PAM): Secure and monitor access to critical systems by managing privileged accounts and ensuring that their use is justified and monitored.
• User Lifecycle Management: Manage the entire lifecycle of user identities, including onboarding, updating access rights, and de-provisioning when a user leaves the organization.
• Policy Enforcement: Ensure access management policies are enforced consistently across the organization to prevent unauthorized access and mitigate potential security risks.
• Incident Response: Develop procedures to quickly address and resolve unapproved access incidents, thereby minimizing potential damage and ensuring secure information flows.

Network and Endpoint Security

Protect infrastructure and devices from vulnerabilities and threats.  Key tasks include:

• Deploy Firewalls and IDPS: Implement and configure firewalls and intrusion detection and prevention systems to monitor, filter, and block unauthorized or malicious network traffic, ensuring perimeter and internal security.
• Install Endpoint Protection: Use comprehensive antivirus, anti-malware, Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions, and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools on all devices to detect, isolate, and remediate threats, keeping endpoints secure.  
• Patch and Update Systems: Regularly apply security patches and updates to all network devices and endpoints to address and remediate vulnerabilities, ensuring systems are protected against the latest threats.
• Apply Secure Configuration: Enforce security configurations and hardening measures on all devices by disabling unnecessary services and applying best practices, reducing the risk of exposure to threats.
• Network Segmentation: Implement network segmentation to isolate critical assets and control data flow, limiting lateral movement of threats across the network and containing potential breaches.
• Control Access: Establish strong access control policies, using tools such as network access control (NAC), to verify and ensure that only authorized users and devices can access the network and sensitive resources.
• Encrypt Communications: Use encryption technologies and virtual private networks (VPNs) to secure data transmission, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality, especially over public networks.
• Monitor and Respond: Continuously monitor network and endpoint activities for anomalies and suspicious behavior, utilizing real-time alerts and incident response protocols to swiftly address and mitigate security incidents.

Protection Against Malware

Implement measures to detect, prevent, and respond to malicious software.  Key tasks include:

• Deploy Advanced Security Solutions: Implement comprehensive antivirus, anti-malware, and endpoint protection platforms across all devices to detect and neutralize threats in real time.
• Enable Automated Updates and Regular Scans: Set all security software and operating systems to update automatically and schedule regular scans to ensure protection against the latest threats.
• Implement Email and Web Filtering: Use email security solutions to prevent phishing attacks by filtering malicious attachments and links, and deploy web filtering to block access to harmful websites and prevent malware downloads.
• Utilize Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Tools: Implement DLP technologies to identify and protect sensitive data from being compromised or exfiltrated by employees, contractors, or by malware.
• Conduct Simulated Phishing Attacks: Test and educate employees by conducting regular simulated phishing attacks to assess their ability to recognize threats and reinforce safe computing practices.
• Establish and Refine Incident Response Plans: Develop robust incident response procedures for malware attacks to ensure rapid containment, eradication, and recovery from infections.

Incident Response and Monitoring

Develop processes for proactively handling security incidents and monitoring systems. Key tasks include:

• Establish Incident Detection and Monitoring: Implement continuous monitoring systems to detect unusual activities and recognize potential security incidents promptly.
• Develop and Implement Response Plans: Create detailed incident response plans that outline steps for handling different types of security incidents, ensuring preparedness and consistency in response.
• Conduct Forensic Analysis: After detecting an incident, perform forensic investigations to understand the breach's scope, cause, and impact, preserving evidence for potential legal action.
• Maintain Chain of Custody: Document the handling and storage of evidence collected during an incident to maintain its integrity and ensure admissibility in legal proceedings, if necessary.
• Define and Enforce Escalation Procedures: Specify criteria for escalating incidents to higher management or specialized response teams based on severity and impact.
• Notify Affected Parties and Stakeholders: Develop protocols for timely notification of affected customers and stakeholders, ensuring transparency and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with External Entities: Engage with external experts, such as law enforcement or cybersecurity consultants, when necessary, to assist in managing and resolving incidents.
• Review and Update Response Plans: After an incident, conduct a thorough review to capture lessons learned and update response plans and processes to improve future incident handling.

Data Protection and Privacy

Secure sensitive information throughout its lifecycle.  Key tasks include:

• Develop and Enforce Data Protection Policies: Establish comprehensive policies guiding data management and protection practices to ensure alignment with standards like GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Implement Access Controls: Use role-based access controls and conduct regular audits to restrict data access to authorized personnel only, preventing unauthorized access and potential data breaches.
• Data Encryption: Apply encryption technologies to secure data both at rest and in transit, thereby ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information. This can include using tools like AES encryption for data storage and TLS for secure communications.
• Conduct Data Privacy Impact Assessments (DPIAs): Regularly assess how data processing activities affect privacy to identify risks and implement strategies to mitigate them, ensuring compliance with various legislations and safeguarding against fines and breaches.
• Categorization, Retention, and Disposal of Data: Implement clear guidelines for categorizing data based on sensitivity and legal requirements, alongside establishing retention periods and secure disposal methods to ensure data is held only as long as necessary and disposed of securely to prevent unauthorized recovery. Secure disposal methods can involve techniques like data shredding or degaussing.
• Monitor and Audit Data Usage: Continuously monitor and audit data processing activities to detect unauthorized access or misuse, using tools like Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, ensuring adherence to established policies and privacy standards.

Training and Awareness  

Cultivate a culture of security awareness and responsibility across the organization.  Key tasks include:

• Develop a Comprehensive IT Security Training Program: Create a structured training program that covers essential security topics, such as password management, data protection, phishing recognition, and safe internet practices, tailored to different roles within the organization,
• Conduct Regular IT Security Training Sessions: Schedule recurring training sessions to keep employees updated on the latest security threats, best practices, and policy changes, ensuring that security remains a priority.
• Use Simulated Attacks: Implement phishing simulations and other types of controlled security exercises to assess employee responses and provide practical learning experiences that enhance their ability to identify and counteract threats.
• Make IT Security Resources Accessible: Provide easy access to security resources, including policy documents, best practice guidelines, and informative materials, allowing employees to educate themselves on security-related matters.
• Evaluate and Update  IT Security Training Materials: Regularly assess the effectiveness of training materials and sessions, updating content to reflect new security challenges and technologies.

Continuous Improvement  

Regularly update and enhance security practices to adapt to evolving threats and business needs.  Key tasks include:

• Regular Assessments and Audits: Conduct regular security assessments and audits to evaluate the effectiveness of existing security measures and identify areas for improvement.
• Incident Analysis and Lessons Learned: After security incidents, perform detailed analyses to understand their causes and impacts, using these insights to refine policies and processes to prevent future occurrences.
• Benchmarking Against Standards: Continuously compare the organization’s security practices with industry standards and best practices to identify gaps and areas for enhancement.
• Feedback Mechanisms: Establish channels for receiving feedback from employees, stakeholders, and customers about security practices, using this input to drive improvements.
• Technology and Tool Updates: Stay informed about the latest security technologies and tools, evaluating and implementing them to enhance the organization's security posture.
• Process, Policy and Procedure Refinement: Regularly review and update the IT Security Management process, security policies and procedures to ensure they address current threats and align with organizational changes.

Process Relationships

Process relationships refer to the interactions and dependencies between different business processes within an organization. Understanding these relationships is crucial for ensuring that processes are aligned, efficient, and contribute to broader organizational goals. 

I'd go as far as saying virtually every IT Service Management process has a IT Security Management element.  Learn more about these relationships in our article on Boosting Cyber Resilience with IT Security Assessments and ITSM Processes.  

Here is a summary of some of the key process relationships. 

• Risk Management: IT Security Management is closely linked with the Risk Management process to identify, assess, and mitigate security risks that could impact the organization's assets and operations.
• Infrastructure and Platform Management:  Supports IT Security Management by ensuring secure, stable IT operations.  The process implements security controls and standards, manages vulnerabilities through patches, enforces access controls, monitors the infrastructure, and plays a role in incident response and implementing changes. 
• Service Continuity and Disaster Recovery:  Implements measures to protect and restore critical information assets in the event of security breaches or disruptions.
• Compliance Management:  Ensuring adherence to legal, regulatory, and contractual security requirements is a critical relationship, helping align security practices with external standards.
• Monitoring and Event Management:  Enables threat detection, generates real-time alerts for rapid response, and supports incident analysis and compliance through comprehensive security logs.
• Incident Management:  IT Security Management connects with incident management processes to effectively detect, respond to, and recover from security incidents, minimizing damage and disruption.
• Change Management: Security processes must be aligned with change management to ensure that any changes to IT systems are tested and do not introduce new vulnerabilities.

For more information check out are article on The Benefits of Having a Strong Foundation of ITSM Processes. 

IT Security Management Definitions

IT Security Management has a language of its own.  Here are 25 of the top definitions used in IT Security Management:

• Access Control:  Mechanisms that restrict who can view or use resources in a computing environment, ensuring only authorized users have access to certain data or systems.
• Authentication:  The process of verifying the identity of a user or system, typically through credentials such as passwords, biometrics, or tokens.
• Authorization:  Determining if a user has the right to access certain resources or perform specific actions within a system.
• Botnet:  A network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group without the owners’ knowledge, often used to send spam or conduct DDoS attacks.
• Data Breach:  An incident involving unauthorized access, disclosure, or retrieval of sensitive, protected, or confidential data.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP):  Strategies and tools used to prevent data loss by unauthorized endpoints and to ensure that sensitive data is not accidentally or maliciously shared.
• Degaussing:  The process of eliminating a magnetic field to erase data from magnetic storage devices, such as hard drives or tapes.  This method is often used for secure data destruction before disposing of or repurposing storage devices.
• DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) Attack:  A malicious attempt to disrupt the normal operation of a server, service, or network by overwhelming it with a flood of internet traffic.
• Encryption:  Converting information into a code to prevent unauthorized access, ensuring confidentiality.
• Firewall:  A device or software that monitors and controls network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
• Incident Response:  A structured approach for handling and managing the aftermath of a security breach or attack.
• Intrusion Detection System (IDS):  A system that monitors network or system activities for malicious actions or policy violations and generates alerts when such activities are detected.
• Least Privilege:  Limiting access rights for users to the bare minimum permissions they need to perform their work.
• Malware:  Malicious software designed to harm, exploit, or compromise devices, networks, or data, including viruses, worms, and ransomware.
• Non-repudiation:  Ensuring that an individual cannot deny having performed a particular action, such as sending a message.
• Patch Management:  The strategy of maintaining and updating software applications to fix vulnerabilities and ensure security.
• Penetration Testing:  Simulated cyberattack against a system to evaluate security and uncover vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them.
• Phishing:  A cyber attack where attackers masquerade as legitimate entities to trick individuals into providing sensitive information.
• Ransomware:  A type of malware designed to block access to a computer system or data until a ransom is paid, typically in cryptocurrency.
• Risk Assessment:  Identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing risks to an organization's assets and infrastructure.
• Security Audit:  An evaluation of how well an organization's security policies are being implemented, identifying weaknesses and recommending improvements.
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM):  A solution that aggregates, analyzes, and manages security data from across a network to detect and respond to potential threats.
• Security Policies:  Organizational rules and procedures aimed at protecting information assets and guiding security practices.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):  A security process where a user provides two different authentication factors to verify themselves.
• Vulnerability:  A weakness or flaw in a system that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access or cause harm.
• Zero Trust Architecture:  A security model that requires strict identity verification for every user and device attempting to access resources, regardless of network origin. 

In Conclusion 

We hope you found value in this comprehensive guide to building an effective IT Security Management process. By implementing the strategies and best practices outlined in this post, your organization can enhance its security posture, mitigate risks, and protect valuable assets.

Remember, continuous improvement is key in the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and prioritize security in all aspects of your IT operations.

We wish you success in securing your digital environment. If you're interested in developing an IT Security Management process, feel free to contact us to learn how the Navvia Process Designer can assist you.

A robust IT Security Management process is vital for protecting an organization’s information assets. By combining risk management, incident response, monitoring, compliance, and continuous improvement, organizations can ensure a proactive and resilient security posture, comply with regulatory requirements, and foster stakeholder trust.