Create a User Policy Create a report detailing user access policies based on your research. Explain the details of user policy creation in organizations. Scenario You work for a large, private health care organization that has server, mainframe, and remote user access. Your organization requires identification of the types of user access policies that should be provided to its employees.

QUESTION

Create a User Policy

• Create a report detailing user access policies based on your research.
• Explain the details of user policy creation in organizations.

Scenario

You work for a large, private health care organization that has server, mainframe, and remote user access. Your organization requires identification of the types of user access policies that should be provided to its employees.

Sean, your manager, just came into your office at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and asks you to write a report detailing these user access policies. He needs you to research a generic template and use that as a starting point from which to move forward. He wants you to complete this task over the weekend as he has just been given a boatload of tasks in the management meeting which ended a few minutes ago. He is counting on you to take some of the load off his shoulders. The report is due to senior management next week.

Assignment Requirements

Look for existing policy templates and examples from organizations of similar type (look at SANS.org for examples). Write a report detailing these user access policies based on your research, and place them into a table with an introduction explaining the following: who, what, when, why. Be sure to add a conclusion with a rationale for your selection. Reference your research so Sean may add or refine this report before submission to senior management.

Self-Assessment Checklist

•  a professional report.
• a table listing policies for the given scenario.
•  references.
• I provided a rationale and conclusion.

• ANSWER

• **User Access Policies for XYZ Healthcare Organization**

  **Introduction:**

  In today’s digital age, user access policies play a crucial role in ensuring the security, privacy, and integrity of sensitive information within organizations. XYZ Healthcare Organization recognizes the importance of implementing robust user access policies to protect patient data, maintain regulatory compliance, and safeguard the organization’s infrastructure. This report outlines a set of user access policies based on research and analysis of existing templates and best practices within the healthcare industry.

  **Who**

  User access policies are applicable to all employees, contractors, and authorized personnel who access the organization’s systems, servers, mainframes, and remote resources (Mosadeghrad, 2014). This includes individuals across various departments, such as healthcare providers, administrative staff, IT personnel, and third-party vendors who interact with sensitive data.

  **What:**

  User Authentication

     – All users must authenticate themselves using unique, confidential credentials (e.g., username and password, multi-factor authentication) to access the organization’s systems and resources.

     – Passwords must meet specific complexity requirements, including length, character types, and regular renewal.

  User Account Provisioning

     – User accounts must be created following a standardized procedure, involving appropriate approvals and verification of identity.

     – Access privileges should be granted based on the principle of least privilege (PoLP), ensuring that users only have access to the resources necessary to perform their job functions.

   User Account Management

     – Regular reviews of user accounts should be conducted to ensure appropriate access levels are maintained and unnecessary accounts are promptly disabled or removed (Unified Compliance, 2023).

     – Account lockout policies should be implemented to prevent unauthorized access through brute-force attacks or repeated login failures.

   Remote User Access

     – Employees accessing the organization’s resources remotely must use secure methods, such as virtual private networks (VPNs) or secure remote desktop protocols (RDP).

     – Additional security measures, such as multi-factor authentication and session timeouts, should be implemented for remote access.

  Data Access Controls

     – Access controls should be implemented to restrict user access to sensitive data based on job roles, responsibilities, and the principle of least privilege.

     – Encryption and other security measures should be employed to protect data during transmission and storage.

  **When**

  User access policies should be enforced at all times to ensure continuous protection of sensitive information. Regular reviews, updates, and audits should be conducted to assess compliance with the policies and adapt to changing security requirements.

  **Why**

  The implementation of comprehensive user access policies is essential for several reasons

  Data Security: User access policies help protect patient data and sensitive organizational information from unauthorized access, breaches, and misuse.

  Regulatory Compliance: Adhering to user access policies ensures compliance with industry regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Cole, 2022).

  Risk Mitigation: User access policies minimize the risk of internal threats, accidental data leakage, and social engineering attacks by defining proper access controls and authentication mechanisms.

  Operational Efficiency: By assigning appropriate access privileges and streamlining user account management processes, user access policies contribute to efficient workflow management and reduced administrative overhead.

  **Conclusion**

  Based on research and analysis of existing user access policies within the healthcare industry, the policies outlined in this report provide a strong foundation for XYZ Healthcare Organization’s user access framework. These policies address user authentication, account provisioning and management, remote access, and data access controls. By implementing and adhering to these policies, XYZ Healthcare Organization can enhance data security, maintain regulatory compliance, and minimize the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.

  **References**

  Cole, B. (2022). regulatory compliance. CIO. https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/regulatory-compliance 

  Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2014). Factors Influencing Healthcare Service Quality. Factors Influencing Healthcare Service Quality, 3(2), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2014.65 

  Unified Compliance. (2023, April 27). Simplifying Compliance Management | UCF. https://www.unifiedcompliance.com/products/search-controls/control/00517/