This policy establishes mandatory principles and controls for managing access to all information systems, applications, physical facilities, and data assets. It enforces least privilege, need-to-know, and segregation of duties to ensure access is based on business need, minimizing risk and supporting compliance with standards like ISO 27001.
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Achieve Compliance Instantly: Mapped to ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR, DORA, and more, providing a clear path to audit readiness.
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Enforce Least Privilege: Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) that ensure users only have the access essential for their job functions.
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Secure the Full Identity Lifecycle: Integrate access controls with HR processes, from onboarding to timely deprovisioning for terminated users.
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Strengthen Security Posture: Mitigate risks from unauthorized access, privilege escalation, and outdated rights with clear, actionable rules.
Read Full Overview
The Access Control Policy is a comprehensive framework designed to manage and secure access to information systems, applications, and physical resources across an organization. Its purpose is to enforce fundamental principles such as least privilege, need-to-know, and segregation of duties, ensuring that access rights are granted based on business needs, job functions, and risk assessments. This policy plays a vital role in achieving compliance with ISO 27001 and other international standards, supporting logical and physical access management, user authentication, and access lifecycle management.
The scope of this policy encompasses all users, systems, and facilities within the organization's Information Security Management System (ISMS), including employees, contractors, and vendors. It covers both logical access to systems, networks, and applications, as well as physical access to buildings and data centers. The policy is integral to the entire lifecycle of identity and resource interaction, from onboarding and provisioning to role changes and termination, and includes provisions for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and remote access contexts.
What's Inside
- Purpose and Scope
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Governance Requirements
- Policy Implementation Requirements
- Risk Treatment and Exceptions
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Review and Update Requirements
Built for Leaders, By Leaders
This policy was authored by a security leader with 25+ years of experience deploying and auditing ISMS frameworks for global enterprises. It's designed not just to be a document, but a defensible framework that stands up to auditor scrutiny.
Authored by an expert holding:
Framework Compliance
🛡️ Supported Standards & Frameworks
This policy is aligned with the following compliance frameworks, with detailed clause and control mappings.
| Framework | Covered Clauses / Controls |
|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | Clauses 5.15, 5.17, 5.18 |
| ISO/IEC 27002:2022 | Controls 8.2, 8.3 |
| NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5 | AC-1 to AC-20, IA-1 to IA-8 |
| EU GDPR | Articles 5(1)(f), 32(1)(b); Recital 39 |
| EU NIS2 | Article 21(2)(c-e) |
| EU DORA | Articles 6, 9(2) |
| COBIT 2019 | APO07, BAI03, DSS01, DSS05, MEA03 |
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
95%
NIST
88%
NIS2
75%
DORA
70%
GDPR
Related Policies
This policy is functionally dependent upon, and must be interpreted alongside, other key documents to create a complete security program.
Information Security Policy (P1)
Defines the organization’s security commitment and high-level access control expectations.
Acceptable Use Policy (P3)
Sets behavioral conditions for access and user accountability for responsible system usage.
Change Management Policy (P5)
Governs how changes to access configurations, roles, or group structures must be implemented.
Onboarding & Termination Policy (P7)
Drives the initiation and revocation of access rights in accordance with user lifecycle events.
User Account & Privilege Management Policy (P11)
Operationalizes account-level controls and complements this policy with technical guidelines.
About This Policy
The Clarysec Access Control Policy is a comprehensive, 9-page document designed to meet the stringent requirements of frameworks like ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR, NIS2, and DORA. It provides a formal structure for managing logical and physical access, ensuring permissions are granted based on the principle of least privilege and business necessity.
This policy is essential for any organization looking to strengthen its security posture, streamline access governance, and demonstrate compliance to auditors. It covers the full identity lifecycle, privileged access management (PAM), remote work, and third-party access, mitigating critical risks associated with unauthorized data access.
