Countywide IT policies, standards, and guidelines

The purpose of the technology governance process and OIRM countywide programs is to develop and promote standards, policies, guidelines and methodologies for privacy, security, project management, application development, wireless, messaging, remote access, outside contractors, and disaster recovery. The following definitions provide the distinction between policies, standards, methods and guidelines:
  • Policy: Set of countywide organizational rules and practices that regulate how an organization manages, protects and uses its information system assets and data. These are required and must be complied with. Any exceptions to these must be documented, reviewed and approved. Policies are reviewed only when business operation changes dramatically.
  • Standard: Rules indicating how and what kind of software, hardware, databases, and business processes must be implemented, used and maintained to meet policy objectives. Standards are required and must be complied with. Any exceptions to these must be documented, reviewed and approved. Standards are based in part on technology and as technology changes, standards may need to be updated.
  • Method: A means or manner of procedure that indicates a regular and systematic way of accomplishing a business process or procedure. Methods will be updated as business processes change.
  • Guideline: Recommended actions and/or industry best practices that should be used to guide King County practices by users, IT staff and others. Guidelines are not compulsory. Guidelines are based largely on the technologies used therefore guidelines may change frequently as technology changes.

IT governance approved countywide IT policies, standards, methods and guidelines

Policies:

Enterprise Information Security Policy 2/28/05
King County IT Business Continuity Policy 1/25/2005
Password Management Policy 2/22/2005
Privacy Policy, Privacy Notice 1/31/06
Network Administration Policy 10/3/2007 
Network Infrastructure Policy 11/7/2006
Vulnerability Assessment and Management Policy 11/1/2007
External Network and Systems Connectivity Policy 6/12/2007
Network Service and Performance Policy 7/25/2007
Remote Access Policy 10/3/2007

Standards:


Guidelines:

Agency Technology Plans 01/05/06

Contact information:

Director of Service Development and Management (acting): Jim Keller, jim.keller@kingcounty.gov