What are compliance documents?

Compliance documents are vital in ensuring that organizations adhere to laws, regulations, and established standards relevant to their industry. These documents encompass policies and procedures that outline the necessary actions an organization must take to achieve compliance.

Policies serve as high-level statements that set the direction for compliance efforts, while procedures provide detailed, actionable steps that employees must follow to align with these policies. Together, they create a framework for maintaining compliance, managing risks, and protecting sensitive information.

In contrast, reports on system performance metrics focus on the operational aspects of IT systems rather than regulatory adherence. Incident reports are specific to individual cybersecurity events and address responses and actions taken post-incident rather than overarching compliance mandates. Guidelines for software development practices, while useful for ensuring quality and security in software, do not specifically address compliance requirements that are often mandated by legislation or industry standards. Thus, the definition and necessity of compliance documents primarily revolve around outlining the policies and procedures required for observance of legal and regulatory obligations.