Developing Security Policies: Charting an Obstacle Course

Developing a security policy for an organization may seem like a daunting task. Developing such policies in an academic institution can add unique challenges. This paper discusses the issues faced by those at my educational institution in trying to develop security policies. Some highlights include battling the myth of security, deciphering the meaning of security, receiving mixed signals about the importance of security, trying to keep it simple, trying to get it done quickly and trying to prevent it from failing. Every process will have its obstacles. Knowing and understanding the challenges others have faced can be used as leverage when developing security policies in any organization.