Logging, Monitoring & Audit
Organization: {{COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME}} Document owner: {{POLICY_OWNER_ROLE}} Approved by: {{APPROVER_NAME}}, {{APPROVER_TITLE}} Version: {{VERSION}} · Effective: {{EFFECTIVE_DATE}} · Next review: {{REVIEW_DATE}} Classification: Internal
1. Purpose
This policy gives {{COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME}} trustworthy evidence for security, troubleshooting, and compliance by collecting and analysing the right logs from {{CRITICAL_SYSTEMS}} and the services that handle {{DATA_TYPES}} across {{GEO_SCOPE}}.
2. Scope
This policy covers application, system, network, authentication, and cloud-provider logs across all environments. It applies to the {{LOCATION}} workforce, and only managed {{DEVICE_TYPES}} may reach the central logging tools.
3. Policy statements
3.1 Collection and centralisation
Logs are forwarded to a central, access-controlled log platform. Security-relevant events carry a timestamp, user, event type, and source address, and are tagged with the environment and application so they can be traced.
3.2 Retention and protection
We keep security logs available online for immediate use and archive them for a longer period, storing archives within {{GEO_SCOPE}} where required. Write access to the logging system is restricted, and tampering with or deleting logs is prohibited and monitored.
3.3 Real-time alerting
We alert on the events that matter most: failed administrative logins, privilege escalations, critical errors, and anomalous access to {{CRITICAL_SYSTEMS}} or {{DATA_TYPES}}. Alerts route to an on-call channel backed by documented runbooks, with clear escalation paths.
3.4 Audit and review
Each month we review alert metrics and a random sample of logs, including sources tied to {{CRITICAL_SYSTEMS}} and {{DATA_TYPES}}, and produce a periodic report summarising anomalies and the actions taken. Confirmed anomalies are investigated under our incident response process.
3.5 Clock synchronisation
Servers and {{DEVICE_TYPES}} synchronise to a trusted time source, and we alert on meaningful clock drift so that timestamps across systems stay consistent for investigations.
3.6 Incident reporting
Personnel report suspected security or privacy incidents promptly so they can be triaged, and lessons learned feed back into how we log and alert.
4. Roles and responsibilities
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Executive sponsor | Accountable for the program; approves this policy |
| {{POLICY_OWNER_ROLE}} | Maintains this policy and its procedures |
| Managers | Enforce the policy within their teams |
| All personnel | Comply; report issues promptly |
5. Compliance and exceptions
The central platform should receive the large majority of target logs and the alert queue should be triaged within agreed timeframes; for teams larger than {{EMPLOYEE_COUNT}} we widen sampling across {{CRITICAL_SYSTEMS}} tiers. Systems that cannot forward logs must export and upload them daily, noted in the asset list with any {{GEO_SCOPE}} constraints. Logging gaps or unreviewed alerts are escalated to incident response. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action. Exceptions require documented risk acceptance by {{APPROVER_TITLE}} and are time-limited and reviewed.
6. Review
This policy is reviewed at least annually and when significant change occurs. We add new log sources and refine alert logic based on incident learnings, {{INDUSTRY}} risks, and any changes affecting {{GEO_SCOPE}}.
Aligned to ISO/IEC 27001:2022. {{COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME}} is not affiliated with or endorsed by the relevant standards body; full standard text is copyrighted and is not reproduced here.