30+ Sample Security Management Plan

What Is a Security Management Plan?

A security management plan provides a comprehensive framework that indicates all the necessary functions leading to organizational security. The security management plan aims to manage, staff, guide, and control corporate safety plans and protocols. It serves to inform internal security personnel and external stakeholders that include the board of directors, executives, and managers of security processes in the organization. It is critical to be aware that the security management plan does not provide explicit instructions or functions to follow. Instead, it serves as a guide to a procedure that utilizes and incorporates numerous and diverse operations for company protection. The security management plan is a critical component of many security strategies for organizations and industries. It is the responsibility of security managers to initiate and further develop security management plans to protect organizations from internal and external threats. Setting up a security plan helps with security risk assessments and hazard assessments for better and more efficient strategies to apply to potential hazards.

According to the gathered data in Statista about cybercrime breaches on record from 2005 to 2020 published by Joseph Johnson in March 2021, an occurrence of over one thousand cases of security data breaches during 2020 happened in the United States. During these data breach events, over 155.8 million individuals were affected. These include data exposures of confidential and sensitive information about the users.

Components of a Security Management Plan

Before writing a security management plan, you must know what goes into it to make a comprehensive document that the company can use. Since the system is a necessary tool to guarantee the safety and protection of the company, the elements that must be present are essential to the success of the security plan. Below are the components that must reflect in it.

Policy statement: Security management is a critical part of a company, and creating a policy statement in the plan must be put into consideration. The policy statement of the security management plan must be disseminated to all employees through an employee handbook or the company’s website to inform employees of security measures and processes.Compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and standards: Some laws and regulations exist, and the security management plan must detail its efforts of compliance and how it plans to disseminate them. Particular jurisdictions in the United States require companies to include elements that are part of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), for example, the General Duty Clause. Ensure that the plan contains these elements as necessary.Definitions: Indicate definitions that define the terminologies present throughout the document, not readily understandable by readers. Including a list of the definition of terms will help individuals comprehend and disseminate the information and assist in any training efforts that follow. Management commitment and responsibilities: Draft in a brief narrative or outline the responsibilities of the management team and their superiors, differentiating their duties from one another. The responsibilities of one group from another can be preceded as necessary by the internal use management commitment provision. Aside from management responsibilities, the section can also include duties of employees, especially those holding significant roles and responsibilities.Threat assessment and analysis: One of the essential elements in the security management plan is identifying internal and external threats to the business. The processes and methods that lead to the specification of hazards are in this section of the document. It details the exact method of risk assessment to use, the individuals working on identifying threats, and the possible modification of information for future use.Role of the security program manager: Despite being a part of the existing security programs in the organization to guarantee a safe working environment and a functioning security department, it is necessary to integrate the security management plan into the working systems. It also helps to differentiate the functions that have identical terminologies to report to the corresponding entities.Employee education and training: The section helps with identifying the general awareness and education of participating individuals from the tactical responsibilities required by implementing security measures.Management and supervisor education and training: The supervising body and the management responsible for disseminating the emergency action plan will have a specific set of duties and expectations. These range from identifying and mitigating threats according to their role of responding to significant events. The responsibilities listed in the section show similarities with employees but are more specific when it comes to a threat response.Program Exercises and Drills: There are various training and education activities relating to the implementation of the security management program, namely case studies, tabletop exercises, and small to large scale exercises. The appropriate method of implementation is under the discretion of the program manager. A case study is a pen and paper exercise that serves as an excellent strategy to educate employees on the security management system, including responsibilities and response procedures. Follow-up discussions are essential when conducting case studies. The goal of using case studies is to guarantee that participants have a clear understanding of the plan, policy and procedures, and job functions in security management. It is also the initial educational activity for employees paired with training sessions. Tabletop exercises involve multiple scenarios and participants involving a single department or multiple. These types of exercises are rigorous and complex compared to case studies, intending to validate response and threat management capabilities in testing protocols in particular environments. Conducting review sessions after tabletop exercises is a must. Small scale drills or functional drills test the interaction of several departments in the organization, with the occasional involvement of outside partners. These exercises validate current response plans and company capabilities to implement them. It also seeks to address the availability of resources and materials when risks persist, including first aid kits and communication devices. On the other hand, large-scale drills test the entirety of the security management system. The exercises involve reporting, managing events and events communications, utilizing Emergency Operation Center (EOC), and interacting with business partners and agencies. Specific program considerations: The section holds company requirements for personnel, vendor, and guest identification through employee lists, client lists, and guestlists. It also identifies the prerequisites for site access and control implementation. Refrain from including code or password lists to prevent compromise.Threat mitigation, control, and response: After identifying and analyzing the possible threats, the security management plan must contain procedures to mitigate, control, and respond to them. A clear statement of the threat response must be present in the document.Incident review and analysis: This section of the security management plan contains all incidents and responses that management and other relevant personnel and representatives look over. The incident analysis and review include the procedures used to analyze the events, review and analysis process, documentation requirements, and integration of enhancements and revisions.Specific response protocols: There are instances wherein the company identifies unique threats, including bomb threats, terrorism, and even workplace violence. The section indicates the possible mitigation, response, and control plans for these dangers.Mutual aid: Mutual aid agreements are critical when handling security management plans, ensuring its overall success. List down the entities participating in the agreement, including the process of contacting them, together with their roles and obligations.Communications: The communications section intends to describe and identify the communication techniques, options, and equipment during threatening events. It also specifies protocols and supplies when implementing the EOC.Included programs as reference: In this section of the security management plan, identify existing security and safety systems that are relevant. Indicate workplace safety programs, especially the safety and health measures that apply to individuals responding to threatening situations. The emergency response plan must also be present as a reference to security management.Appendices: The appendices must contain critical information about the security management program, including training outlines and documentations, call logs and call-out lists, mutual aid agreements, mapping documents, blueprints, floor plans, evacuation maps, area maps, and government agency contact information.

How To Create a Proactive Security Management Plan

One of the problems with security and safety planning is that organizations tend to be more reactive than preventive when it comes to threats. Predicting possible risks and trying to prevent them from happening will prove to be more effective. Below are helpful steps in writing a security management plan for your organization.

  • 1. Identify Possible Threats

    Together with the members of the security management team, relevant personnel and entities, classify and highlight potential risks for the plan. Each member must consider scenarios in line with the roles and responsibilities and indicate possible threats, events, and situations. During this step, encourage individuals to be active in discussing risks, and ideas must be available for consideration. The security management manager will include and finalize the list of items for inclusion in the plan.

  • 2. Evaluate and Assess the Threats

    Organize the list of possible hazards and organize them according to likelihood and gravity. The compiled information is often called a risk register. While the risk register is not to be a part of the whole, it is a document that needs editing throughout the planning process. Communication is a big contributor to the success of a proactive security management plan.

  • 3. Assign Individuals Responsible for Handling Specific Threats

    Assign team members with the responsibility to oversee the risk, creating a priority list with descriptions of the resources you need to mitigate and prevent it. Designate individuals who are part of implementing emergency action plans. Uphold risk ownership in the security management plan to guarantee that there is someone who looks after the problem while resolving them efficiently.

  • 4. Develop Preemptive Protocols

    Together with the project manager, the team members assigned to each risk work together to develop appropriate responses when the threat becomes dangerous. Decide whether to avoid, transfer, mitigate, or accept the threat as necessary. In avoiding, you can change current plans and approaches to eliminate the hazard. When transferring, the member responsible for handling the task assigns it to someone else, whether within the team, organization, or external entities. Mitigation focuses on reducing the possibility of the threat being more harmful. Lastly, acceptance is a response that allows the risk to happen while facing the possible consequences afterward. Remember that the plan must be available to all team members to help identify all probable threats and the person to contact if it persists.

  • 5. Continuous Monitoring of Threats

    Aside from the identified threats at the beginning of the plan’s formation, there are new risks that arise. Since there are always new threats that are waiting to develop, the security management plan ensures continuous monitoring and controlling of hazards. Security management tracks and reports events that impact the organization to know when security management teams initiate response plans. Having a security management system in the company helps mitigate newer threats before they become harmful to the organization. Anticipating threats also encourages team members to continue finding possible risks and fitting solutions to combat them.

FAQs

What does a good security management plan include?

Every security management plan must have six essential elements to make them effective. It must have program management, prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and training components.

What is a safety management plan?

A safety management plan is a important business document that provides the organization with strategies, techniques, and measures so organizations can continually identify and manage potential safety and health risks, reducing the possibility of accidents or illnesses.

How do you implement a security management plan?

Implement security management plans by determining and implementing assets, whether they are physical, information, or people. Afterward, perform a risk analysis and identify the effect it has on the organization. The next step is to specify and perform security practices. It is also essential to monitor whether violations are present and take the necessary actions. Lastly, reevaluate all assets and threats.

Individuals prioritize their safety above all else. Many homes, phones, laptops, personal computers, and bank accounts have passwords or codes to guarantee their security. The same applies to business establishments. Each company has safety and security protocols to protect company assets and revenue. No company will want to encounter threats and having a security management plan in place saves the time and effort to handle these types of situations. Download the sample security management plans available and start protecting your company today!