Security Governance Memo¶

Category: Policy and Governance Writing

Purpose¶

Defines or clarifies security governance: roles, committees, escalation paths, and accountability. Ensures everyone knows “who decides what” and how security is overseen.

Audience¶

Leadership, security team, and governance participants. Internal; can be shared with auditors.

Typical structure¶

• Purpose — Why governance is being defined or updated.
• Governance model — Board/committee structure; reporting lines.
• Roles — CISO, security leadership, risk owners, and their authority.
• Committees — Security/risk committee charter, membership, and cadence.
• Escalation — When and how issues escalate (incidents, risk, exceptions).
• Policies and standards — How they are set, approved, and updated.
• Review cycle — How often governance is reviewed and by whom.

When to use¶

• New or reorganized security function.
• After regulatory or audit focus on governance.
• Clarifying accountability across business units or partners.

Evidence linkage¶

Governance memo should align with charters, org design, and policy approval records. Supports “tone at the top” and evidence of oversight.