What this control covers
Develop, document, and disseminate an access control policy addressing purpose, scope, roles, responsibilities, management commitment, coordination, and compliance with laws and regulations. Establish procedures to implement the policy and controls. Designate an official to manage policy and procedures. Review and update them periodically or after events like audits or incidents. This control supports the Governance capability within the Access Control family.
Why it matters
Risk is the language an executive team understands; this control connects technical reality to board-level decisions and budget allocation.
How to implement
AWS
Codify the policy intent as SCPs, AWS Config conformance packs, and Security Hub standards so the cloud enforces what the document says.
Azure
Codify in Azure Policy initiatives (built-in regulatory compliance for CIS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA) and assign at management-group level.
GCP
VM Manager (OS patch + config management) and Artifact Registry vulnerability scanning integrate with Cloud Build to block vulnerable images.
GitHub
Dependabot security updates + version updates, plus CodeQL for SAST and a renovate bot for major-version drift management.
On-premises
Maintain a policy library with a documented review cadence (annual minimum); store in your GRC tool with attestation tracking. Map each policy to controls so an audit pull cites the exact policy clause.
Evidence to collect
policy_document— A signed, version-controlled policy stating leadership intent and the named owner.
Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Policy And Procedures.
Quick checklist
- Policy — Procedures / Management
- Access — Procedures / Management
- Review — Procedures / Management
- Access Control — Procedures / Management
- Compliance — Procedures / Management
- Coordination — Procedures / Management