Security Policy Guidelines 1. Overview Information Security provides protection to the information assets owned and managed by the government of Lebanon. It seeks to support the government’s vision of delivering services that are effective, efficient and which add tangible value to Lebanon. The application of Information Security allows the government to promote an environment of trust that supports the transaction of the government’s business. The achievement of effective Information Security requires active awareness and on-going participation on the part of government entities, citizens, residents and business partners. The modern world is one in which there is an ever growing use of information assets and an ever increasing dependency on the information systems on which those assets reside. The Lebanese government has actively embraced that reality via a continuing program of eGovernment initiatives. Such initiatives present a range of potential benefits but also bring with them new, complex risks that must be identified in a timely way and managed effectively (Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre, 2013). 2. Introduction An IT Security Policy is the most critical element of an IT security program. A security policy identifies the rules and procedures that all persons accessing computer resources must adhere to in order to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and resources. Furthermore, it puts into writing an organization’s security posture, describes and assigns functions and responsibilities, grants authority to security professionals, and identifies the incident response processes and procedures (Albright, 2002). An information security policy document should be approved by management, and published and communicated to all employees and relevant external parties. Information is an asset that, like other important business assets, is essential to an organization’s business and consequently needs to be suitably protected. This is especially important in the increasingly interconnected business environment. As a result of this Lebanese National Security Policy Guidelines v1.7 Page 9|