Ad Hoc, Structured or Automated?

About this interactive

Documentation is how a security program stops depending on memory. A task done once and never written down has to be worked out again next time, mistakes included. Written down, the task is done the same way each time, weak spots can be found and fixed, others can see what is being done, and it gets faster. The lesson describes three levels of maturity: Ad hoc. The work is improvised, done from memory, a little differently by each person and each time. That can be fine for a small startup that needs to be agile, but it does not scale. Structured. The process is written down, as a checklist, procedure or runbook, and everyone follows it the same way. This is what larger organizations work toward. Automated. Because the process is documented, the repetitive parts can be handed to a script or tool, which does them the same way every time and frees people from the mundane tasks. The same six tasks appear at each level, so read how the work gets done, not what the work is.

What you'll learn

Place a team's way of doing a task on the documentation maturity scale: ad hoc (improvised from memory), structured (written down and followed the same way each time) or automated (a script or tool carries it out)

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+

5.1 Summarize elements of effective security governance.

ISC2 CISSP

1.6 Develop, document, and implement security policy, standards, procedures, and guidelines

Key terms

Procedures: Step-by-step instructions that describe how to carry out a specific task or process within a security program.
Configuration Management: The process of tracking and controlling changes to hardware, software, and documentation throughout a system's lifecycle.
Baseline: A documented set of minimum security standards or performance metrics used as a reference point.

Topics

Documentation Security Program Process Maturity Interactive Categorize

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