WatchDog Security Help Center
    Admin Guide
    • Docs Home
    • Admin Guide
    • User Guide
    • MSP Guide
    • Getting Started
    • Create Your Free Organization
    • Domain Reservation
    • Company Management
      • Manage Branding
      • Delete Organization
    • Notification Center
      • Organization Events
      • User Events
      • Configure Notification Settings
      • User Notification Override
    • Posture Management
      • View Integrations
      • Configure Automated Integrations
      • Manage Automated Monitors
      • Configure Manual Integrations
      • Manage Manual Monitors
    • WatchDog University
      • Assigning Courses using WatchDog University
      • Auditing Course Completion
      • Downloading a Certificate of Completion
    • Policy Management
      • Create Policy
      • Publish Policy
      • Track Policy Acceptance
      • Send Policy Reminder
      • Update Policy
      • Download Policy Version
      • Delete Policy
      • Retire Policy
    • Risk Management
      • Perform A Risk Assessment
      • View and Manage Risks in Risk Register
      • Create Manual Risk
      • Edit and Manage Risk
      • Manage Risk Tasks
      • Manage Risk Lifecycle
    • Vendor Management
      • Add Vendor
      • Track Security Events
      • Manage Vendor Documents
      • Perform Vendor Assessments
      • Classify Vendor Risk
    • Inventory
      • Add Inventory Item
      • Update Inventory Item
      • Auto Populate Inventory
    • Compliance Center
      • Add Compliance Framework
      • Edit Compliance Framework
      • Assigning Control Owners
      • Pause Monitors and Documents
      • Manage Compliance Documents
      • Schedule Audit
      • Automated Monitoring
      • Cross-Framework Reuse
      • Progress Tracking
    • Trust Center
      • Customize Trust Center
      • Manage Trust Center Access
      • Monitor Access Activity (Events)
      • Custom Domain Setup
    • Vulnerabilities
      • Centralized Vulnerability Tracking
      • Import Vulnerabilities
      • Create Manual Vulnerabilities
      • Assign And Collaborate On Vulnerabilities
      • Configure Time To Remediate (TTR)
    • Control Panel
      • Manage Support Access
      • Phishing Campaigns
        • Creating an Allowlist for Phishing Simulations in Microsoft 365
        • Configure Google Workspace Allowlist for Phishing Simulations
    • User Management
      • Add Users
      • Configure Directory Sync
      • Manage User Access
      • Assign Licenses
      • Manage Invites And Users
      • Change Account Owner
      • Reset 2FA
    • Integrations

    Policy Management

    Policy Manager enables organizations to create, manage, publish, and track internal policies across users. It provides full lifecycle control from drafting policies to enforcing user acknowledgement and maintaining version history.
    This feature ensures organizations can enforce compliance requirements, maintain audit trails, and keep policies up to date as business processes evolve.
    Who can use this feature?
    All Account Owners, Security Admins and End Users
    Available on the Free, Core and Business plans

    Key Features#

    Create Policies
    Create policies using WatchDog templates or build fully custom policies.
    Publish Policies
    Publish policies to users and enforce acknowledgement requirements.
    Track Acceptance
    Monitor which users have accepted policies for audit and compliance.
    Update Policies
    Create new versions of policies while maintaining historical records.
    Policy Reminders
    Send reminders to users who have not yet accepted policies.
    Download Policies
    Download policy versions for audit evidence, offline review, or record keeping.
    Delete Drafts
    Permanently remove draft policies that are no longer needed before publishing.
    Retire Policies
    Deactivate published policies while preserving them for audit and historical reference.

    How Policy Manager Works#

    Policy Manager follows a structured lifecycle:
    1.
    Policies are created using templates or custom content
    2.
    Policies are saved as drafts and edited
    3.
    Policies are published to users
    4.
    Users receive notifications and must accept policies
    5.
    Acceptance is tracked for audit purposes
    6.
    Policies can be updated and re-published as new versions
    7.
    Reminders can be sent to users who have not accepted policies
    8.
    Policies can be retired or deleted depending on status

    Policy Lifecycle States#

    Policies move through defined states:
    Draft
    Policy is being created or edited
    Not visible to end users
    Can be modified or deleted
    Published
    Updated Version (Draft)
    Retired

    Troubleshooting#

    Users Cannot Accept Policy
    If users cannot accept a policy:
    Ensure the policy is in Published status
    Verify the user has scrolled through the entire policy
    Confirm the user has access to Policy Manager
    Policy Not Visible To Users
    Users Not Receiving Notifications
    Changes Not Reflected In Policy
    Modified at 2026-03-17 17:12:03
    Previous
    Downloading a Certificate of Completion
    Next
    Create Policy
    Built with