Tier 2, Mission/Business Processes
Activities at tier 2 are associated with those activities that occur at the mission or
business process level. This level in the organization has specific goals and tasks that
ensure that the organization continues to function and key tasks are completed, thus
ensuring that the organization remains viable. An example of a mission or business
process level many readers are familiar with is the human resources (HR), or personnel,
division of an organization. Activities typical at tier 2 include defining the
mission or business need; prioritizing the mission or business processes; defining
required information types; and incorporating and establishing technology solutions
with required security components, which are integrated early in the process and
incorporated into the enterprise architecture. Enterprise architecture decisions made
at tier 2 determine the acceptable technology solutions that can be implemented at
tier 3. Activities from tier 1 impact tier 2, activities at tier 2 impact tier 3, and tier 2
provides feedback to tier 1. This feedback could, and often does, result in changes to
the organization’s risk frame. Organizational leaders at tier 2 influence the allocation
of certain security controls to specific components or information systems once they
are implemented at tier 3, based on the organization’s information protection needs.
Leaders at this level may determine and define what technologies are acceptable for
processing information that is derived from a specific business function. For this to
be most successful, the selection of approved and prohibited technologies should be
well-documented and distributed throughout the business unit and to information
system owners, developers, and administrators who support the business function.
Tier 3, Information System
Tier 3 activities include categorizing the information system; allocating security
controls; and managing the selection of allocated security controls, including continuous
monitoring of these controls. The information system in this tier is central to the
risk assessment process and is dependent on the correct and consistent allocation of
security controls, including common controls, across each of the tiers in order to
operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. These functions are normally
completed by system owners, common control providers, system administrators,
information system security engineers, and information systems security officers.
Controls not allocated to tier 1 or tier 2 will be levied to the information system
at tier 3. Operations at this tier provide feedback to tiers 1 and 2 and, like tier 2
activities, this feedback can drive changes to the organization’s risk frame.