Primary Reason for Initiating a Policy Exception Process

B.

Exceptions to policy are warranted in circumstances where compliance may be difficult or impossible and the risk of noncompliance is outweighed by the benefits.

Being busy is not a justification for policy exceptions, nor is the fact that compliance cannot be enforced.

User inconvenience is not a reason to automatically grant exception to a policy.

The PRIMARY reason for initiating a policy exception process is when the risk is justified by the benefit.

A policy exception process is a formal mechanism to review and approve exceptions to established policies and procedures. It is used when there are legitimate reasons to deviate from the standard policies and procedures. Such exceptions should be rare and only granted when the benefits outweigh the risks.

A policy exception should never be initiated solely because operations are too busy to comply, policy compliance would be difficult to enforce, or users may initially be inconvenienced. These are not valid reasons to justify an exception, and compliance with established policies and procedures should always be a priority, regardless of the difficulties.

However, in some situations, there may be a compelling business reason to deviate from standard policies and procedures. For example, a new technology may provide significant business benefits, but it may not be fully compliant with the existing security policies. In such cases, a policy exception process can be initiated to evaluate the risks and benefits of the proposed exception and to determine if it can be approved with appropriate controls and mitigations.

In summary, the primary reason for initiating a policy exception process is when the risk is justified by the benefit, and all other alternatives have been considered and ruled out. The process should be used judiciously and only after careful analysis of the risks and benefits.