The UK is rapidly becoming an information society not just an information economy. Across all walks of life, new information-based ways of working are emerging. Armed with good information and the expertise to use it to the full, organisations can surge ahead and become increasingly successful.

But with opportunity comes risk. Shareholders, customers and citizens place high expectations on the organisations they engage with to provide them with reliable information, to make good use of that information, and to protect that information, especially when it is personal. There are a wide range of threats, malicious and accidental, technical and non-technical, which have a bearing on an organisation’s information, and realisation of these threats can lead to significant reputational damage, operational inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. Ensuring that controls are in place to protect information is a central concern for any organisation, public or private sector, regardless of size or field.

The purpose of these guides is to help directors ensure their organisation manages its information risks well. These guides will help directors understand the challenges presented by information risk, position their organisation to address those challenges, and make sure their organisation’s information risk management arrangements are holistic and strong.

The Guides can be downloaded below in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) file format - however, they are laid out mainly for electronic use.