Overview
This policy defines mandatory controls for outsourcing software or system development to external vendors, contractors, or agencies, ensuring secure practices are embedded throughout the development lifecycle.
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Enforce a Secure SDLC on Vendors: Ensure all external partners adhere to a secure development lifecycle, from planning to post-deployment.
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Secure Contracts and Protect IP: Embed mandatory clauses for data protection, secure coding, and intellectual property ownership in every contract.
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Control and Monitor Vendor Access: Define strict access control, monitoring, and audit requirements for all third-party developers.
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Mitigate Supply Chain Risk: Protect your organization from supply chain threats, legal violations, and reputational damage.
Read Full Overview
The Outsourced Development Policy is a comprehensive framework designed to ensure secure and compliant practices in outsourcing software and system development to external vendors. This policy is essential for organizations that engage external entities for development projects, including web applications, mobile apps, embedded systems, and more. By enforcing stringent security measures, the policy safeguards against potential vulnerabilities, data loss, and intellectual property exposure that can arise from external development engagements. This policy mandates the implementation of secure development lifecycle (SDLC) practices across all stages of outsourced engagements, from initial planning to post-deployment validation. It requires that contracts with external developers include clauses for data protection, secure coding, and intellectual property retention. By defining access control, monitoring, and audit requirements, the policy ensures third-party developers interact securely with internal systems, thereby protecting the organization from supply chain threats and reputational damage. Aligning with major security frameworks like ISO/IEC 27001:2022, NIST SP 800-53, GDPR, NIS2, and DORA, the policy provides a robust structure for managing outsourced development. It emphasizes vendor governance, requiring formal due diligence, technical skill evaluations, certifications, and jurisdictional assessments before engagement. A centralized Third-Party Development Register is maintained to document all engagements, ensuring transparency and accountability. The policy also lays out clear roles and responsibilities for executive management, CISOs, procurement and legal teams, project owners, and information security teams. It defines their duties in vendor onboarding, contract validation, deliverable oversight, and compliance monitoring. Outsourced vendors are obliged to comply with stringent security requirements, coding standards, and intellectual property clauses, submitting to regular reviews and audits. By implementing this policy, organizations can experience a sense of relief and confidence, knowing their outsourced development practices are secure, compliant, and aligned with international standards, ensuring the integrity and availability of developed software.
What’s Inside
Governance Requirements: Formal due diligence, risk assessments, and a central register for all outsourced development.
Minimum Contractual Controls: Mandatory clauses for secure coding, IP ownership, code reuse prohibitions, and audit rights.
Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Controls: Rules for threat modeling, SAST/DAST, and a strict prohibition on direct vendor deployment to production.
Source Code Management: Mandates for using enterprise-controlled repositories with enforced branch protection and peer reviews.
Third-Party Access Management: Time-bound, least-privilege, and monitored access for all vendor personnel.
Enforcement and Compliance: Clear consequences for policy violations, including project suspension and legal action.
Built for Leaders, By Leaders
This policy isn't just a template; it's an audit-defensible document crafted by seasoned cybersecurity leaders. Every clause is designed for practical implementation within complex enterprise environments, ensuring you can meet auditor requirements without disrupting operational workflows.
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 8.1 |
| ISO/IEC 27002:2022 | Controls 5.19-5.228.27 |
| NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5 | SA-4SA-9SA-10 |
| EU GDPR | Articles 2832 |
| EU NIS2 | Articles 21(2)(a)(h)23 |
| EU DORA | Articles 28(1)(2) |
| COBIT 2019 | APO10BAI03DSS05 |
Part of a Complete ISMS Toolkit
This policy is one of 37 documents in our complete toolkit, designed for comprehensive compliance.
100%
ISO 27001:2022
95%
NIST
88%
NIS2
75%
DORA
70%
GDPR
Related Policies
P24 - Secure Development Policy
Defines baseline requirements for internal and external software development practices.
P5 - Change Management Policy
Ensures all deployment-related changes from outsourced codebases are reviewed and approved.
P13 - Data Classification and Labeling Policy
Determines how sensitive data is identified before being exposed to development vendors.
P30 - Incident Response Policy
Governs how breaches or security issues involving outsourced development are handled.
Application Security Requirements Policy (P25)
Designed to prevent vulnerabilities and protect sensitive data across the application lifecycle.
Test Data and Test Environment Policy (P29)
Prevent data leakage and contamination from non-production environments.
About This Policy
The Clarysec Outsourced Development Policy provides mandatory controls for securely managing software development outsourced to external vendors, contractors, and agencies. Its primary purpose is to prevent security vulnerabilities, data loss, intellectual property (IP) exposure, and compliance breaches in third-party engagements. The policy enforces robust vendor governance, secure coding standards, and strict access management to uphold the confidentiality and integrity of all developed software, in line with ISO 27001:2022, GDPR, and DORA requirements.
This policy applies to all forms of outsourced development, including web and mobile applications, APIs, and custom system modules. It governs any external entity that accesses organizational source code, test environments, or CI/CD pipelines, regardless of contract type or the vendor's location. By mandating formal due diligence, security risk assessments, and contractual safeguards, this framework ensures that all external development activities are secure, compliant, and protected against supply chain threats.
