The Importance of a Good Software Security Policy

The Importance of a Good Software Security Policy

Policy is Everywhere


Think of every company you have ever worked for. Whether it was a job in a warehouse, or employment in an office, there was always a policy to follow. In fact, when you think back to your earliest days, your family also had policies. Policies are the rules established to keep order within a group. Sometimes, policies are not followed, or are simply ignored. 


According to a report issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, one of the primary causes of policy failure is a lack of available, current, or well written documentation. That was followed by the difficulty of the task being performed; and concluded with work environments leading to failures to follow procedures. Sometimes, the failure is the result of the staff not understanding why a policy exists. 


When we think of aviation failures, we would assume that everyone would follow policies, as failure to do so could result in deaths, but as seen from the aviation report, even in a critically important environment, policies are not always followed. 


The problem of ignored or evaded policy is not limited to the aviation industry. Although the consequences are not as dire as a failed airplane part, failures in policy can have damaging effects in any industry. Damages can range from monetary penalties, to loss of consumer confidence.


The software industry is not excluded from the industries where policies are vital to success. In fact, a software failure was partially responsible for importance software security policy