ISMS open source for SaaS: access control policy basics
An Access Control Policy can make or break your SaaS ISO 27001 journey. Learn the fundamentals and avoid common drafting mistakes
A robust Access Control Policy (ACP) is one of the key documents of any company’s Information Security Management System (ISMS). For SaaS companies seeking to obtain ISO 27001 certification, it represents one of the fundamental control policies that must be in place before attempting to achieve certification.
An ACP defines how access to company assets is granted, managed and reviewed across systems and data. A well-written ACP shouldn't just help you secure ISO 27001; it will also help maintain your certification throughout the years as your SaaS company inevitably evolves its technology stack.
This need to continuously evolve while maintaining a cloud-first posture represents one of the major challenges for SaaS companies building an ISMS. Often, SaaS companies begin building their ISMS using open-source software. However, many open source ISMS templates assume on-premise IT environments. Therefore, SaaS providers quickly discover the need to adapt these to cloud-native operations, remote teams and multi-tenant platforms to avoid audit gaps.
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Additionally, using open source ISMS software without expert guidance typically leads to scoping mistakes. Often, open source software leads SaaS companies towards trying to cover all ISO 27001 controls, inevitably driving up cost and complexity. SaaS startups should start with an intelligently defined (and cheaper) scope, focused on their core product and key systems, before expanding later.
In this post, we outline the essential building blocks every SaaS ACP should contain to achieve both audit-readiness and lasting compliance with ISO 27001; all without breaking the bank.
Purpose and Scope
The Access Control Policy should begin with a clear statement of its purpose and scope. It must explain why the policy exists and to which systems, services and users it applies. For SaaS companies, this typically includes all cloud platforms, applications, endpoints and devices that fall within the ISMS scope, as well as all employees, contractors and third parties who have logical access to company systems.
