The Policy Paradox
You download a security policy template. It references your "Security Operations Center," requires approval from "Department Heads," and assumes you have an "Information Security Steering Committee."
You have 10 employees. The founder handles IT. Nobody has those titles.
This is the policy paradox: the templates available are designed for enterprises with dedicated security teams, while the companies that most need practical guidance have none of those resources. The result? Either you adapt policies that don't fit your reality, or you skip them entirely.
Neither option works.
The Minimum Viable Policy Stack
Here's the good news: you don't need 50 policies. You need 5-7 that actually match how you operate. Here's what matters, in priority order:
That's your core five. Two more are important but can come later: Vendor Management (how you vet third parties) and Business Continuity (how you recover from disruptions).
Information Security and Acceptable Use policies are the first things auditors and enterprise prospects request. Get those two right first—they cover the most questionnaire questions and demonstrate baseline maturity. Everything else builds from there.
What Each Policy Actually Needs
Let's break down the core five:
Information Security Policy
Statement of commitment to security. High-level security objectives. Roles and responsibilities (even if one person wears multiple hats). Requirement to comply with other policies. This is your "master document"—it establishes that security matters and who owns it.
Acceptable Use Policy
Approved use of company devices and accounts. Prohibited activities (unauthorized software, sharing credentials). Password and authentication requirements. Physical security basics (locking laptops). Consequences for violations. Have employees sign acknowledgment during onboarding.
Access Control Policy
Access request and approval process (even if it's "founder approves via Slack"). Principle of least privilege. Onboarding and offboarding procedures. Privileged access requirements. Access review frequency (quarterly for critical systems, annually for others).
Data Protection Policy
Data classification scheme (what's sensitive, what's not). Encryption requirements (at rest and in transit). Data retention and deletion rules. Transfer and sharing guidelines. Customer data handling. Align this with your privacy policy and any customer contracts.
Incident Response Policy
Definition of what constitutes a security incident. How to report (who to contact, through what channel). Response steps: contain, investigate, remediate, communicate. Notification requirements (customers, regulators). Post-incident review process. Include specific contact information.
Policies You DON'T Need (Yet)
Skip these until you're larger or have specific requirements:
Skip For Now
Physical Security Policy: Unless you have an office with servers. Change Management Policy: Formal change boards are overkill for small teams. Asset Management Policy: A spreadsheet is fine. Cryptographic Controls Policy: Covered in Data Protection.
Add When Needed
Vendor Management: When you have 10+ vendors with data access. Business Continuity: When you have enterprise customers or regulated data. Remote Work Policy: When remote/hybrid is formalized. Mobile Device Policy: When BYOD becomes an issue.
Making Policies Actually Work
A policy nobody follows is worse than no policy—it's a documented control failure. Here's how to create policies that stick:
The biggest mistake we see: policies that describe what companies wish they did, not what they actually do. Write for reality first. Improve reality. Then update the policy. The reverse order creates audit findings and security theater.
Match Reality
If you don't have MFA everywhere yet, don't require it in policy. Document what's true. Then improve both together. Aspirational policies create gaps auditors will find.
Keep Them Short
2-4 pages per policy. Nobody reads 20-page documents. Get to the point. Use bullet points. Remove corporate fluff. If it doesn't change behavior, cut it.
Use Plain Language
Bad: "Personnel shall ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets..." Good: "Protect company and customer data. Don't share passwords. Lock your laptop when you walk away."
Review Annually
Set a calendar reminder. Policies decay as your company evolves. What was true 12 months ago may not be true now. Make updates a lightweight process—validate, don't rewrite.
Policies buried in a shared drive nobody checks are useless. Put them in your company wiki, onboarding checklist, and employee handbook. Reference them in regular reminders. When someone asks "do we have a policy for X?", the answer should be instant.
The Universal Policy Structure
Every policy should follow this format—it's what auditors expect and makes documents consistent:
Why this policy exists. Who and what it applies to. (2-3 sentences each)
The actual rules—this is the bulk of the document. Be specific and actionable.
Who owns what. How to request exceptions. When last updated (critical for audits).
Responding When You Don't Have a Policy
Questionnaires will ask about policies you haven't written yet. Here's how to handle it:
The Bottom Line
A 10-person company needs 5-7 core policies, not 50. Each should be short (2-4 pages), real (matching actual practices), readable (plain language), and reviewed (at least annually).
Start with Information Security and Acceptable Use—they're the most frequently requested and cover the most ground. Add Access Control, Data Protection, and Incident Response when you have bandwidth. Vendor Management and Business Continuity can come later.
The goal isn't comprehensive documentation. It's demonstrating that you take security seriously and can prove it when asked. Five real policies beat 50 templates nobody follows.