Data Access and Control Policy Template| Data Governance Framework

by Poorva Dange

The Data Access and Control Policy templates important aspects extend past data access regulation and protection to include complete data integrity and regulatory compliance.  An organization enables business to operate smoothly through data protection and maintenance of data reliability. One should give complete attention to their essential asset that is data. 

Data Access and Control PolicyUser Access Management

The security of critical systems depends on correct user access management at all times and regulatory compliance needs. Data access procedures can be started, modified and ended according to business preferences. Here's how to approach it:

  • User Account Provisioning offers user data access by following the principles of least privilege and need-to-know basis for authorization. The system provides users with precise access rights which exclusively cover their work responsibilities.

  • Deactivate user access rights of employees and contractors and third parties at once after their departure from the organization or when their job functions shift.

  • User Account Suspension and Reinstatement becomes necessary when they identify security incidents or seek evidence of malicious activity for a temporary period. They return the accounts to operation after resolving the issue.

User Role Management

User role management is one of the principles of access control which defines the access rights depending on the roles and responsibilities in the organization. The following components will be used to make the user role management effective:

  • User Role Assignment: It is assigned to the user based on his job function and responsibility. It will follow the principle of least privilege and need to know. As user is granted only requires access to function on the responsibilities.

  • User Role Modification: In case users have job changes, maintain the user role and all the rights of information systems. Changing the user role is made on time in accordance with the data access procedures.

 Privileged Access Management

  • Privileged Access: Is an elevated access provided to employees who need more rights to perform data operations. Such employees may include system administrators, database administrators, network engineers, or others. The following principles will be set up in order to manage privileged access effectively.

  • An Approval for Privilege Access: Formal approval process will be put in place to grant privilege access to users. The process will involve multiple tiers of data owners and data custodians to review in order to ensure access is granted based on business need or regulatory requirement.

  • Surveillance of the Use of Privileges: Information about the activity of the User under the privileges entered in the system will be recorded and monitored. Log files are kept in accordance with the regulatory documents and the needs of the organization, which allows for retrospective analysis of access control and, if necessary, investigation of errors or malicious actions.

  • Removal of Privileged Access: When privileged access is no longer necessary, such as when an employee changes roles or if their engagement with the company ends, privileged access will be removed promptly.

Access Reviews and Recertifications

It's essential to check access usage and recertifications to confirm that access is used by the relevant employee and is based on company security principles and regulatory requirements. The following access review and recertification principles will be applied:

  • Reviewing Periodic Access Rights: Access rights will be reviewed every quarter. It aims to test whether the access rights meet the ‘least privilege’ and ‘need-to-know’ principles. This review will be carried out by analyzing user access listings, interviewing users and their managers and spotting anomalies in access logs.

  • The Access Recertification Process: It is based on periodic access reviews, the results of which access recertification is performed to align access rights with the least privilege, and the need-to-know principles.

    Data Access and Control Policy

Access Requests and Approvals

In the process of user access management, all requests for access are recorded and authorized by the responsible data owner or data custodian to ensure that access is provided to employees only on the basis of a relevant business need. The following principles will be applied in the course of processing access requests and authorizations:

  • Access Request Process: It will establish formal procedures for the management of user access requests to the company data. This will include the procedure of assessing risks in the rights required by the employee to perform his/her duties. All user access requests shall be formulated in writing and regularly audited to ensure that the requests meet the security principles of company and the regulators.

  • An Approval Workflow for Access: Will be created to assess the validity of requests for access, and to verify that requests for access will be approved in accordance with the company's security policies and regulations.

 Data Access Logging and Monitoring

Data access logging and monitoring is an important component of the access management as this allows to learn about security incidents and compliance violations and to react to them timely. The following principles will be applied in the access logging and monitoring process:

  • Access Logging Requirements will consist of specification of what types of events should be logged, the format of the log data and how long it will be kept. Access logging should be enabled for all systems and applications in which sensitive data is stored or processed.

  • Real-Time Monitoring log access will be actively monitored in real-time to detect potential security incidents and compliance violations. This may involve using intrusion detection systems.  Security Information Event Management (SIEM) tools, or other security technologies, to identify issues as they arise, enabling a rapid response.

Purpose of Data Access and Control Policy

Access Control Requirements is defined as the needs for strong control safeguards to manage data access. These control safeguards may include logical user and administrative data access controls, and physical access controls.

1. Authentication: Technical measures should exist to guarantee users and user access to systems and data, confirming that data is only accessed by authorized users via secure channels.

2. Authorization: Access to data should be based on the role of the individual. Users must access the data with the minimum rights (least privileges) to perform the job duties and access the data to know the data.

3. Recording and Tracking Data Access: Logging of the data access in the system is a must. Logs must be stored in accordance with the regulations. Control of the data access should be performed regularly to detect the possibility of any security threats and compliance violations in a timely manner.

4. Deleting The Data Access: The access to the data should be taken away without any delays, because the relevance is not there due to change of job duties, due to the termination of a job, due to the termination of a contract with a third party.

5. Compliance: In the context of data protection, tighter access control mechanisms must be put in place. These mechanisms should comply with the relevant regulations. The regulations should in turn comply with the industry

6. Awareness Training: Conduct regular awareness trainings for employees and third parties related to data access principles. This is in order to ensure that the principles of this Data Access Policy are understood and effectively operated throughout the organization.

Summary

All entities within the company must properly handle and safeguard data by following both state and federal and EU regulatory guidelines. The regulations instruct to protect data based on its sensitivity levels and to respect personal privacy for every person affiliated with the network including customers employees partners and affiliates. Through these measures create trust while preserving the most ethical standards related to information management.