Cyber governance refers to the framework of policies, processes, and practices that an organisation implements to manage and mitigate cyber risks effectively. It involves the strategic oversight and decision-making processes that ensure an organisation’s digital assets, data, and systems are protected from cyber threats while maintaining compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards.
Why is cyber governance important?
Cyber governance is critical because it ensures that cyber security is treated as a strategic priority rather than a purely technical issue. By building a culture of security and accountability, organisations can proactively prepare for and respond to cyber threats. This includes practising incident response, ensuring business continuity and implementing recovery plans to minimise description during and after an attack. Effective governance not only strengthens an organisation’s resilience, but also reassures stakeholders—customers, partners, and regulators—that their data and systems are being protected with the highest level of commitment.
IASME Cyber Assurance (ICA) is a risk-based, cyber security standard and certification scheme. Built around 14 key themes, the standard covers everything from planning, policies and procedures to backing up and disaster recovery. These themes provide a structured framework for organisations to identify, manage, and mitigate cyber risks effectively, they also provide organisations of all sizes with a roadmap to achieve cyber resilience. True cyber resilience requires a holistic approach that integrates cyber governance into the very fabric of an organisation —something the IASME Cyber Assurance (ICA) standard is specifically designed to achieve.
The UK Government’s Cyber Governance Code of Practice, developed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), highlights the importance of board-level accountability and strategic oversight in achieving cyber resilience. The IASME Cyber Assurance standard is uniquely aligned with this Code of Practice, offering organisations a structured framework to meet these governance expectations.
IASME Cyber Assurance is available as Level One, a verified assessment reviewed by an independent Assessor. Organisations can then go on to achieve Level Two, which involves an audit of your processes, procedures and controls required by the IASME Cyber Assurance standard.
Find out more about IASME Cyber Assurance here.
