As cited in a variety of sources, people are often described as the weakest link in any security system. It is important to build security into the entire Human Resource (HR) process, from pre-employment, during employment, and through termination, to ensure that policies and procedures are in place to address security issues. Consistent training throughout the entire process ensures that employees and contractors are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities and understand the criticality of their actions in protecting and securing both information and facilities. In collaboration with Human Resources staff, evaluate HR department policies and procedures to verify whether institutional supervisors and employees:
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Employees handling personal data in an organization need to receive appropriate awareness training and regular updates in an effort to safeguard the data entrusted to them. Appropriate roles and responsibilities assigned for each job description need to be defined and documented in alignment with the organization's security policy. The institution's data must be protected from unauthorized access, disclosure, modification, destruction or interference. The management of human resources security and privacy risks is necessary during all phases of employment association with the organization. Training to enhance awareness is intended to educate individuals to prevent data disclosure, recognize information security problems and incidents, and respond according to the needs of their work role.
Safeguards include the following:
The objective of Human Resources Security is to ensure that all employees (including contractors and any user of sensitive data) are qualified for and understand their roles and responsibilities of their job duties and that access is removed once employment is terminated. The three areas of Human Resources Security are:
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Objective: To develop a comprehensive process that includes identification of job roles and responsibilities, identify the corresponding candidate screening level for those roles and responsibilities and establish terms and conditions of employment. |
Prior to hiring or contracting employees or companies, security roles and responsibilities should be clearly articulated in job descriptions or well defined in contract terms and conditions. These roles and responsibilities should be defined in accordance with the institution's security policies.
Careful attention should be paid to validation of references and the appropriate level of background checks as determined by the security roles and responsibilities of the position or contract. Consideration should be given that the receipt of affirmative references and the successful completion of a background check at a level commensurate with the position's roles and responsibilities be a condition of hire.
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Objective: To ensure that employees are aware of and understand their roles and responsibilities; to ensure that they understand information security threats and; to ensure they have the necessary knowledge to mitigate those threats. |
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Objective: To develop an orderly exit process to ensure that access is removed and assets returned in an expedited time frame. |
Responsibilities for performing employee terminations must be clearly defined and assigned to ensure actions are taken as quickly as possible. A checklist listing actions to be taken and the person responsible for the execution of that action allows for quick identification of any missed steps. (CSO offers this brief checklist for a secure employee departure.)
Specifically, there should be a process that validates that all the institution's assets are returned at termination.
Additionally, there should be a process that ensures access to information assets are removed at the time of termination.
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EDUCAUSE Resources EDUCAUSE Resource Center Pages
HEISC Toolkits/Guidelines
Initiatives, Collaborations, & Other Resources
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27002:2013 Information Security Management | 800-12: An Introduction to Computer Security - The NIST Handbook | APO01.06 | Req 6 | ID.GV-2 | 45 CFR 164.308(a)(3) |
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