Vanta policy template instructions
This Vanta policy template represents a complete, compliance-ready policy with placeholders for company specific text. Each policy section represents a policy-specific topic that you should consider and/or modify to match your company’s practices.
For each policy section
Consider if this section and its corresponding risks applies to you. If it does not, remove it and/or replace it with your organization’s corresponding practices.
Replace any highlighted text in angled brackets < >1 with your own language
Rewrite the policy language such that it reflects the practices of your organization
Policy completion checklist
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More questions?
A good rule-of-thumb is to keep your language high enough level such that it stays representative for at least a year. If you have more questions about how to use this template, please reach out to support@vanta.com or your auditor for additional guidance.
Human Resource Security Policy
Policy Owner: <Policy owner>
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Owner: Managing Director
Effective Date: 2023-03-21
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To ensure that employees and contractors meet security requirements, understand their responsibilities, and are suitable for their roles.
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This policy applies to all employees of <Company Name>CloudCard, consultants, contractors and other third-party entities with access to <Company Name> CloudCard production networks and system resources.
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Screening
Background verification checks on <Company Name> CloudCard personnel shall be carried out in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and shall be proportional to the business requirements, the classification of the information to be accessed, and the perceived risks. Background screening shall include criminal history checks unless prohibited by local statute. All third-parties with technical privileged or administrative access to <Company Name> CloudCard production systems or networks are subject to a background check or requirement to provide evidence of an acceptable background, based on their level of access and the perceived risk to <Company Name>CloudCard.
Competence & Performance Assessment
The skills and competence of employees and contractors shall be assessed by human Human resources staff and the hiring manager or his or her designees shall assess the skills and competence of employees and contractors as part of the hiring process. Required skills and competencies shall be listed in job descriptions and requisitions , and/or aligned with the responsibilities outlined in the Roles and Responsibilities Policy. Competency evaluations may include reference checks, education and certification verifications, technical testing, and interviews.
All <Company Name> CloudCard employees will undergo an annual performance review which will include an assessment of job performance, competence in the role, adherence to company policies and code of conduct, and achievement of role-specific objectives.
Onboarding
The following are required for employees upon starting employment at CloudCard and before being granted access to customer data:
A multi-state criminal background check
Sign a non-disclosure agreement
Review all relevant policies
Once the above activities are completed, the employee can be granted access to systems according to the following process:
Access requests are submitted for the systems for which the employee has a business need, and at the lowest level of privilege the employee needs to accomplish their duties.
System owners approve the access requests and grant the access.
An employee is typically issued a laptop, and the device volumes are encrypted.
Employees also receive annually refreshed Security Awareness training.
Terms & Conditions of Employment
Company policies and information security roles and responsibilities shall be communicated to employees and third-parties at the time of hire or engagement, and employees and contractors are required to formally acknowledge their understanding and acceptance of their security responsibilities. Employees and third-parties with access to company or customer information shall sign an appropriate non-disclosure, confidentiality, and appropriate code-of-conduct agreements. Contractual agreements shall state responsibilities for information security as needed. Employees and relevant third-parties shall follow all <Company Name> CloudCard information security policies.
Management Responsibilities
Management shall be responsible for ensuring ensure that information security policies and procedures are reviewed annually, distributed and available, and that employees and contractors abide by those policies and procedures for the duration of their employment or engagement. Annual policy review shall include a review of any linked or referenced procedures, standards or guidelines.
Management shall ensure that information security responsibilities are communicated to individuals , through written job descriptions, policies, or some other documented method which that is accurately updated and maintained. Compliance with information security policies and procedures and fulfillment of fulfilling information security responsibilities shall be evaluated as part of the performance review process wherever applicable.
Management shall consider excessive pressures , and opportunities for fraud when establishing incentives and segregating roles, responsibilities, and authorities.
Information Security Awareness, Education & Training
All <Company Name> CloudCard employees and third-parties with administrative or privileged technical access to <Company Name> CloudCard production systems and networks shall complete security awareness training at the time of hire and annually thereafter. Management shall monitor training completion and shall take appropriate steps to ensure compliance with this policy. Employees and contractors shall be aware of relevant information security and data privacy policies and procedures. The company shall ensure that personnel receive security and data privacy training appropriate to their role and data handling responsibilities2.
In order to maintain a robust level of security awareness, the company will provide security-related updates and communications to company personnel on an on-going basis through multiple communication channels as needed.
Information security leaders and managers shall ensure appropriate professional development occurs to provide an understanding of current threats and trends in the security landscape. Security leaders and key stakeholders shall attend trainings, obtain and maintain relevant certifications, and maintain memberships in industry groups as appropriate.
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The above security awareness training will include (but not be limited to) identification of social engineering, including phishing and spear phishing.
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Employees must be physically located in the United States or Canada in order to access Customer Data or CloudCard Confidential Data. Employees must not perform any work for CloudCard from outside the United States and Canada without prior written approval from management. Even when approval is granted to work from outside the United States and Canada, employees must not access customer data from these locations.
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Employee and contractor termination and offboarding processes shall ensure that physical and logical access is promptly revoked in accordance with company SLAs and policies , and that all company-issued equipment is returned.
Any security or confidentiality agreements which that remain valid after termination shall be communicated to the employee or contractor at the time of terminationof offboarding to ensure their is no breach of confidential information by a former employees or contractors after their employment.
When offboarding, the employee’s laptop is returned to CloudCard and erased prior to disposal or reuse. The employee’s access is reviewed, and system owners are instructed to revoke access, which must be done within 24 business hours.
Disciplinary Process
Employees and third-parties who violate <Company Name> CloudCard information security policies shall be subject to the <Company Name> CloudCard progressive disciplinary process, up to and including termination of employment or contract.
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Requests for an exception to this policy must be submitted to the <role responsible for approving exceptions to this policy, e.g., Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO)> Managing Director for approval.
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Any known violations of this policy should be reported to the <role responsible for receiving notifications of violations to this policy, e.g., CHRO>Managing Director. Violations of this policy can result in immediate withdrawal or suspension of system and network privileges and/or disciplinary action in accordance with company policies up to and including termination of employment.
Version | Date | Description | Author | Approved by |
1. |
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2023- |
03- |
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<First Version>
<OWNER>
<APPROVER>
1 All fields in this document marked by angled brackets < > and highlighted must be filled in.
2 Training appropriate to roles added for v2
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First Version | Ryan Heathcote | Luke Rettstatt | ||
1.1 | 2024-07-02 | Second Version | Luke Rettstatt | Luke Rettstatt |
1.2 | 2024-08-17 | Add Onboarding / Offboarding sections | Ryan Heathcote | Luke Rettstatt |