The First Step in Developing an Information Security Plan

B.

Prior to assessing technical vulnerabilities or levels of security awareness, an information security manager needs to gain an understanding of the current business strategy and direction.

A business impact analysis should be performed prior to developing a business continuity plan, but this would not be an appropriate first step in developing an information security strategy because it focuses on availability.

The first step in developing an information security plan should be to perform a business impact analysis (BIA). A BIA is a systematic approach to identify, analyze and evaluate the potential impact of an unexpected interruption to critical business operations. This process helps organizations to understand the potential impact of a disruptive event on their operations, services, and reputation, and to prioritize the recovery of critical business functions.

By conducting a BIA, organizations can identify their critical business processes and the dependencies among them, as well as the potential impact of an interruption to these processes. This information is critical to the development of an effective information security plan that is aligned with the organization's business objectives and priorities.

Analyzing the current business strategy is also an important step in developing an information security plan, but it should be done after conducting a BIA. This analysis can help to identify any changes in the organization's business objectives or priorities that may require changes to the information security plan.

Assessing the current levels of security awareness is also important, but it should be done as part of a broader risk assessment process, after conducting a BIA. This assessment can help to identify areas where employees may need additional training or education to improve their understanding of information security risks and best practices.

Performing a technical vulnerabilities assessment is also an important step in developing an information security plan, but it should be done after conducting a BIA and a risk assessment. This assessment can help to identify vulnerabilities in the organization's IT infrastructure and applications, and to prioritize the implementation of security controls to mitigate these risks.

In summary, the first step in developing an information security plan should be to perform a business impact analysis to identify critical business processes and the potential impact of an interruption to these processes. This information is critical to the development of an effective information security plan that is aligned with the organization's business objectives and priorities.