When establishing an information security program, conducting a risk assessment is key to identifying the needs of the organization and developing a security strategy. Defining security metrics, performing a gap analysis and procuring security tools are all subsequent considerations.

Explanation/Reference:
Explanation:
A brief explanation of the benefit of expenditures in the budget helps to convey the context of how the purchases that are being requested meet goals and objectives, which in turn helps build credibility for the information security function or program. Explanations of benefits also help engage senior management in the support of the information security program. While the budget should consider all inputs and recommendations that are received from the business, the budget that is ultimately submitted to management for approval should include only those elements that are intended for purchase. TC'O may be requested by management and may be provided in an addendum to a given purchase request, but is not usually included in an annual budget. Baseline comparisons (cost comparisons with other companies or industries) may be useful in developing a budget or providing justification in an internal review for an individual purchase, but would not be included with a request for budget approval.

Section: INFORMATION SECURITY GOVERNANCE
Explanation:
Prior to assessing technical vulnerabilities or levels of security awareness, an information security manager needs to gain an understanding of the current business strategy and direction. A business impact analysis should be performed prior to developing a business continuity plan, but this would not be an appropriate first step in developing an information security strategy because it focuses on availability.

Explanation/Reference:
Explanation:
There should be documented standards- procedures for the use of cryptography across the enterprise; they should define the circumstances where cryptography should be used. They should cover the selection of cryptographic algorithms and key lengths, but not define them precisely, and they should address the handling of cryptographic keys. However, this is secondary to how and when cryptography should be used.
The use of cryptographic solutions should be addressed but, again, this is a secondary consideration.