Monitoring and Logging Policy

Monitoring and Logging Policy

Overview & Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to define how [Company Name] monitors systems and logs key activities to detect, investigate, and respond to potential security threats, performance issues, and unauthorized behavior. Effective monitoring and logging are essential for ensuring operational reliability and meeting security compliance requirements.

Scope

This policy applies to all company-managed systems, applications, infrastructure, and cloud services that store or transmit company or customer data. It includes employee actions on company-owned and authorized personal devices used for work.

Policy

1. System Monitoring

• Systems must be monitored to ensure availability, integrity, and performance.
• Monitoring must include key indicators such as uptime, resource usage, authentication events, and network traffic patterns.

2. Security Event Logging

• Logs must capture the following types of activity:
  • Successful and failed login attempts
  • Privileged account usage
  • Changes to system configurations or permissions
  • File access related to sensitive or regulated data
  • Security alerts and incidents
• Logging must be enabled on all production systems, cloud environments, and key internal tools.

3. Log Retention and Storage

• Logs must be retained for at least 90 days for operational use and 1 year for security and audit purposes.
• Logs must be stored in a centralized and secure location with restricted access.

4. Log Integrity and Access Control

• Logs must be protected from unauthorized access, tampering, or deletion.
• Only authorized personnel (e.g., DevOps, Security, Engineering Managers) may access logs, and access must be reviewed periodically.

5. Alerting and Incident Detection

• Monitoring systems should be configured to trigger alerts for suspicious activities, such as brute-force login attempts or unusual data access.
• Alerts must be triaged and responded to in accordance with the Incident Response Plan.

6. Review and Audit

• Logs must be reviewed at least monthly or upon discovery of a security event.
• System monitoring configurations must be reviewed quarterly to ensure they remain aligned with business and compliance needs.

7. Vendor and Cloud Monitoring

• Cloud providers and key vendors must offer appropriate logging and monitoring capabilities.
• These logs must be integrated into the organization’s central monitoring process where possible.

8. Employee Awareness

• Employees are notified that monitoring is in place on work systems and networks to ensure security and compliance.
• Monitoring does not extend to personal, non-work activity unless explicitly authorized.

Compliance

All personnel must comply with this policy. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action. Exceptions to the policy must be formally reviewed and approved by the Executive Team.

Review History