Secure Development Policy - SME
An 8-page, SME-focused policy mapped to 7 frameworks to embed security into your software development life cycle and prevent vulnerabilities.
This policy ensures that all software, scripts, and tools created or modified by your organization or its partners are developed securely, minimizing the risk of vulnerabilities and unauthorized data access.
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Build Secure Software from Day One: Prevent security flaws by integrating secure coding practices and vulnerability prevention into every phase of your development lifecycle.
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Manage Supply Chain Risk: Reduce risks from open-source or third-party code by mandating proper vetting, security scanning, and continuous tracking of all external components.
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Pass Audits & Meet Compliance: Create software that passes security audits and meets legal requirements for GDPR, NIS2, DORA, and ISO 27001:2022 certification.
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Formalize Your Development Process: Require and document formal code reviews, application security testing, and security sign-offs before any code is released to production.
Read Full Overview
The Secure Development Policy - SME is a comprehensive framework designed to instill robust security measures across all stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Tailored for small to medium enterprises, this policy ensures that every aspect of software and system development, whether conducted internally or outsourced, complies with stringent security standards like ISO 27001:2022, GDPR, and NIST SP 800-53. The policy mandates secure coding practices aligned with industry benchmarks such as OWASP and SANS CWE, ensuring that vulnerabilities like injection flaws and insecure authentication are proactively mitigated. It emphasizes the importance of secure design, threat modeling, and architectural risk analysis, requiring all code to undergo rigorous peer reviews and automated security testing before deployment. Development teams, product owners, and IT managers will find this policy invaluable for managing risks associated with third-party integrations and open-source components. By enforcing compliance across development environments—ranging from internal scripts to third-party software—this policy not only fortifies system security but also enhances team awareness through role-based training and continuous updates on emerging threats. As a cornerstone of an organization’s cybersecurity strategy, the Secure Development Policy - SME offers peace of mind, knowing that your software development practices are resilient and compliant with global standards.
What's Inside
- Purpose, Scope, and Objectives
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Secure Development Governance
- Secure Coding Practices
- Code Review & Security Testing
- Third-Party & Open-Source Controls
- Deployment and Change Control
- Enforcement and Compliance
Built for Leaders, By Leaders
This policy translates a highly technical control into a practical and manageable process, giving you the visibility you need to protect your business. It was authored by a security leader to be a defensible framework that is practical to implement and stands up to auditor scrutiny, empowering you to take control of your security.
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 8.1 |
| ISO/IEC 27002:2022 | Controls 8.25-8.27 |
| NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5 | SA-3-SA-15, SI-10 |
| EU GDPR | Article 25 |
| EU NIS2 | Article 21(2)(a), (e), (h) |
| EU DORA | Articles 6(7), 9(1)(c), 10(2)(c) |
| COBIT 2019 | BAI03 |
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 SME security policies to ensure comprehensive alignment and traceability across your security program.
Governance Roles & Responsibilities Policy (P2S)
Establishes accountability for development security controls.
Access Control Policy (P4S)
Provides rules for limiting access to development environments.
InfoSec Awareness & Training Policy (P8S)
Ensures developers understand secure coding responsibilities.
Data Protection and Privacy Policy (P17S)
Clarifies how personal data must be handled to stay GDPR compliant.
Incident Response Policy (P30S)
Defines how to report and remediate development-related incidents.
About This Policy
The Clarysec Secure Development Policy provides SMEs a clear, actionable framework for embedding security into every stage of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Whether your code is built in-house or by third-party contractors, this policy establishes mandatory rules for secure coding, vulnerability management, and change control. It ensures that security is a core consideration from design to deployment, not an afterthought, helping you protect customer data and build resilient applications.
By implementing this policy, your business can confidently manage the risks of modern software development, including those from open-source components and complex integrations. It provides the structure needed to satisfy auditor and customer demands, and aligns with the "data protection by design and by default" principle of GDPR. This document is an essential tool for creating a verifiable, secure, and compliant development process that safeguards your digital assets and reputation.
