STGRC Governance Playbook: Phase 1 – Foundation

Strong cybersecurity begins with governance. Before diving into technical controls or incident response, every business must first establish the foundation: leadership direction, clear accountability, core policies, and defined risk boundaries. Phase 1 of the STGRC Governance Playbook walks leaders through these essential first steps, aligning cybersecurity with business priorities from the very beginning.

Post 1: Why Cybersecurity Governance Matters

Governance ensures cybersecurity is not a reactive IT expense but a structured business decision. Learn how leadership sets direction, defines accountability, and integrates cybersecurity into enterprise risk management.

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Post 2: Crafting a Core Information Security Policy

Every program needs a constitution. The Information Security Policy is the high-level document that defines your commitment to protecting information and sets the framework for all supporting policies.

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Post 3: Defining Cybersecurity Roles and Responsibilities

Cybersecurity is not only IT’s responsibility. From the boardroom to employees and vendors, every role must be documented and enforced. A Roles and Responsibilities Charter ensures accountability is clear across the organization.

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Post 4: Setting Risk Appetite and Tolerance

Businesses cannot eliminate every risk. Risk appetite and tolerance statements define which risks are acceptable and which require action. These statements give leadership a framework for consistent, defensible decisions.

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Closing
Phase 1 creates the foundation of your governance program: policies, accountability, and risk decisions driven from the top. With these in place, your business is ready to move into Phase 2 – People and Operations, where governance extends into HR, training, and day-to-day execution.