SMART Goals

Developing and establishing goals for an information security strategy can be a very difficult task. Furthermore, information security managers in the organization should thus need to create goals that help and motivate the organization to succeed, move the organization towards the desired security state, and are reasonable to achieve within some time interval and resources. To create quality and clearly articulated goals, organizations employ SMART framework to describe the characteristics of each goals.

According to SMART framework, each goal should be:

• Specific: describes clearly what the organization intends to achieve
• Measurable: includes clear criteria by which the organization can measure success
• Attainable (Achievable): Describe whether the organization can realistically achieve the goal within the specified time period
• Relevant: If achieved, the goal will advance the strategic objectives of the organization
• Timely: includes a specific deadline for achievement