Product Overview

Summary: This SOP provides a structured, repeatable process for developing a robust business security strategy tailored to Australian operating conditions. It guides organisations to assess risks, define security objectives, and implement practical controls that protect people, assets, data, and reputation while aligning with WHS and regulatory obligations.

Australian businesses are facing an increasingly complex risk landscape, from physical break-ins and vandalism to cyber incidents, social engineering, and insider threats. Without a clear, documented approach, security decisions are often reactive, inconsistent, and difficult to justify. The Business Security Strategy Development Standard Operating Procedure establishes a disciplined, step-by-step method for assessing your organisation’s specific risk profile and translating it into a coherent security strategy that supports both operational continuity and WHS obligations.

This SOP walks you through identifying critical assets, analysing threats and vulnerabilities, and prioritising controls across physical security, information security, and people-focused measures. It embeds Australian legislative and standards context, ensuring that security planning complements your WHS duties, privacy requirements, and industry regulations. By implementing this procedure, your organisation gains a defensible, auditable framework for security decision-making, enabling better investment choices, clearer roles and responsibilities, and a stronger culture of security awareness across the workforce.

Whether you are formalising security for the first time or seeking to standardise practices across multiple sites, this SOP provides a practical blueprint. It supports alignment between senior leadership, WHS, IT, and facilities teams, reducing duplication, closing gaps, and ensuring that security controls are proportionate, cost-effective, and regularly reviewed in line with changes to your operations or the threat environment.

Key Benefits

• Establish a consistent, organisation-wide process for assessing security risks and setting priorities.
• Align physical, information, and personnel security controls with Australian WHS, privacy, and regulatory requirements.
• Improve decision-making on security investments by linking controls directly to identified risks and business objectives.
• Strengthen organisational resilience by integrating security strategy with business continuity and incident response planning.
• Demonstrate due diligence to regulators, clients, and insurers through a documented, auditable security planning framework.

Who is this for?

• Business Owners
• Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)
• General Managers
• Operations Managers
• WHS and Risk Managers
• Security Managers
• IT and Cybersecurity Managers
• Compliance Managers
• Facilities Managers
• Business Continuity and Resilience Managers
• Practice Managers (medical, legal, professional services)
• School and Campus Administrators
• Local Government and Council Managers

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose, Scope and Objectives
• 2.0 Definitions and Key Concepts
• 3.0 Legislative and Standards Framework (Australia-specific)
• 4.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Governance Structure
• 5.0 Security Context and Business Environment Analysis
• 6.0 Asset Identification and Criticality Assessment
• 7.0 Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Methodology
• 8.0 Development of Security Objectives and Risk Criteria
• 9.0 Security Controls Framework (Physical, Information, Personnel)
• 10.0 Integration with WHS, Privacy and Business Continuity Management
• 11.0 Strategy Development Process and Documentation Requirements
• 12.0 Implementation Planning, Resourcing and Budgeting
• 13.0 Training, Awareness and Communication Plan
• 14.0 Performance Measures, Monitoring and Reporting
• 15.0 Review, Audit and Continuous Improvement
• 16.0 Incident Learning and Strategy Adjustment
• 17.0 Appendices – Templates, Checklists and Risk Assessment Tools

Legislation & References

• AS ISO 31000:2018 Risk management – Guidelines
• AS ISO 22301:2020 Security and resilience – Business continuity management systems – Requirements
• AS ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection – Information security management systems – Requirements
• AS 3745:2010 Planning for emergencies in facilities
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and harmonised state and territory WHS legislation
• Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Work-related violence and aggression guidance material