This policy establishes clear, simple rules for managing who gets access to your company's information. It enforces the 'least privilege' principle, ensuring employees can only see and use the data they absolutely need for their job, a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity.
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Prevent Data Breaches: Stop unauthorized access to sensitive data by implementing formal approval processes for all systems and applications.
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Implement 'Least Privilege': Reduce your attack surface by ensuring users only have the minimum level of access required to perform their duties.
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Simplify User Management: Streamline the process of adding, changing, and removing user access when employees join, change roles, or leave the company.
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Pass Audits with Confidence: Meet key requirements for ISO 27001:2022, GDPR, and other regulations with documented access reviews and controls.
Read Full Overview
The Access Control Policy tailored for SMEs is an essential cybersecurity document designed to protect sensitive information and ensure compliance with international standards such as ISO 27001:2022 and GDPR. This policy outlines a comprehensive framework for managing access to organizational systems, networks, and data, emphasizing the principles of least privilege and need-to-know. By implementing role-based access controls, it ensures that users only have access to the data necessary for their job functions, reducing the risk of data breaches and insider threats. For SMEs, this policy is particularly valuable as it offers a structured approach to managing access without requiring extensive IT resources. By ensuring that access controls are consistently applied across all devices and locations, including BYOD and remote access, it helps maintain operational security and data integrity.
What's Inside
- User Access Lifecycle (Joiners, Movers, Leavers)
- Principle of Least Privilege
- Privileged Access Management
- Authentication & MFA Rules
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Periodic Access Reviews & Audits
- Remote & Physical Access
- Enforcement & Violations
Built for Leaders, By Leaders
This policy was authored by a security leader to provide a practical, step-by-step framework to manage user access effectively, giving you control and peace of mind without needing a large IT department. It is designed to be a defensible tool that stands up to auditor scrutiny.
Authored by an expert holding:
Framework Compliance
🛡️ Supported Standards & Frameworks
This product is aligned with the following compliance frameworks, with detailed clause and control mappings.
| Framework | Covered Clauses / Controls |
|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | Clause 5.15 |
| ISO/IEC 27002:2022 | 5.155.165.17 |
| NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5 | AC-1AC-2AC-3AC-4AC-5 |
| EU GDPR | Art. 32 |
| EU NIS2 | Art. 21(2)(b) |
| EU DORA | Art. 9 |
| COBIT 2019 | APO07DSS01 |
Part of a Complete ISMS Toolkit
This policy is one of 37 documents in our complete toolkit. When implemented as a set, our framework helps you achieve comprehensive compliance across major standards.
100%
ISO 27001:2022
95%
NIST
88%
NIS2
75%
DORA
70%
GDPR
Related Policies
This foundational policy is directly linked to the following organizational security policies to ensure comprehensive alignment and traceability across the ISMS.
P3S - Acceptable Use Policy
Ensures users understand acceptable behavior with granted access.
P5S - Change Management Policy
Ensures access rights are aligned with approved system changes.
P7S - Onboarding and Termination Policy
Defines triggering points for provisioning and de-provisioning user access.
P17S - Data Protection and Privacy Policy
Ensures access controls align with personal data safeguards.
P30S - Incident Response Policy
Defines how access-related incidents are managed and investigated.
About This Policy
An Access Control Policy is a fundamental component of any cybersecurity strategy, essential for protecting an organization's sensitive information. For Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), this policy provides a structured approach to managing who has access to what data, systems, and networks. It is built on the core security principle of 'least privilege,' which dictates that users should only be granted the minimum access rights necessary to perform their job responsibilities. This significantly reduces the risk of data breaches from both internal and external threats.
This policy outlines the complete lifecycle of user access—from initial provisioning for new employees (joiners), to modifications for role changes (movers), and timely revocation upon termination (leavers). It establishes requirements for formal approvals, regular access reviews, and the use of strong authentication methods like MFA. By implementing this ISO 27001:2022-aligned access control policy, your SME can ensure a secure, compliant, and auditable environment, giving you control over your data and building trust with customers and partners.
