What is the primary goal of an information security policy?

The primary goal of an information security policy is to protect organizational assets. This encompasses safeguarding both physical and digital resources, including sensitive data, systems, and infrastructure, from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction. An effective information security policy provides a framework to identify, assess, and mitigate risks to these assets, ensuring their availability, integrity, and confidentiality.

While compliance with regulations, defining user roles, and managing employee behavior are important aspects of information security, they serve as means to achieving the overarching objective of asset protection. Compliance ensures that the organization adheres to legal and regulatory standards, which in turn supports the protection of assets. Defining user roles helps in enhancing security by delineating responsibilities and access controls, which ultimately aids in protecting assets. Similarly, managing employee behavior through guidelines and training contributes to a security-conscious culture that reinforces the protection of organizational assets. However, the fundamental aim remains centered on securing these valuable resources from potential threats and vulnerabilities.