How–to Achieve ISO 27001 Certification, and Why You Should
ISO 27001 certification is what makes it possible for an organisation to have documented proof of its compliance with the ISO 27001 standard for Information Security Management.
Though certification is not compulsory, it is certainly recommended for organisations that want to trade internationally as trading partners, and clients want the assurance that their information is kept safe. Certification shows that the organisation has taken the necessary steps to ensure this, and is committed to ongoing improvement in its information security management.
ISO 27001 certification provides the assurance to stakeholders and clients that the organisation has superb control over data security management and risk control.
As with many other ISO standards, ISO/IEC 27001 can be integrated with the organisation’s existing management systems, such as the ISO 9001 standard for quality management systems.
Setting up and managing an ISO 27001 information security management system should not be done for certification purposes only. Instead, certification should be to confirm the organisation’s compliance with the standard, since complying with the requirements of the standard holds several benefits for the organisation.
Compliance enables the organisation to effectively manage information security risks, protect its information assets, and ensure adequate protection of client-sensitive data.
How to Get an ISO 27001 Certification
Use WWISE to help your organisation prepare for certification. We set up the initial meeting, and appoint an account manager that works with your firm towards certification. The GAP analysis is performed, which is an assessment of your organisation’s existing information security management system, and a comparison with the requirements for ISO 27001 certification.
The GAP analysis helps to identify shortcomings in your organisation’s information security management. It is essential to perform this, in order to save your company time and money regarding the formal assessments. By knowing exactly what must still be done or changed to ensure compliance for certification purposes, your resources and energy can be focussed on the right aspects.
The formal assessment is carried out once all aspects of your organisation’s information security management system has been addressed. It takes place in two phases. In the first phase, your organisation’s readiness for IS0 27001 certification is assessed. The findings of the assessment are shared with you, and once the corrective steps have been taken to address problem areas, the implementation of the procedures and controls is assessed to determine compliance with ISO 27001 for certification purposes.
Once the formal certification audit has been done, your organisation receives ISO 27001 certification. The certification is valid for a period of 36 months. However, since ISO compliance is an ongoing process, you will need to maintain the information security management system. To this end, we can assist through the maintenance plan, which includes monthly management reviews. It is not just about staying compliant. Your organisation’s system should improve, and the management reviews help to identify areas where improvement is needed to ensure ongoing compliance.
What is ISO/IEC 27001:2013?
In order to understand why compliance with the standard is beneficial for your organisation, you need to know more about ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS (Information Security Management Systems). In essence, such an ISMS is a framework for the identification, analysis, and management of information security risks.
The compliant ISMS helps the organisation to keep track of changes in security threats, as well as the impacts of such threats. This is important, since information security threats change with time, and while the organisation might have been protected against a particular threat in the past, the sophistication of threats change. This means the organisation must address the new levels of risk, as well as new threats to ensure ongoing protection against threats and vulnerabilities. ISO/IEC 27001 follows a risk-driven approach, which provides enough flexibility for the organisation to manage the changes in the various threats.
The standard is applicable to any size organisation and industry. As such, even a small company benefits from the implementation of the standard. Every organisation that operates in the modern business environment has data that must be protected. The data can be customer information, or it can be product-driven, but the risk of data loss, theft, or malicious changes to the data should be addressed on an ongoing basis.
Organisations that implement ISO 27001, regardless of whether they just comply or go through the certification process, can choose which security controls in the standard are applicable to them. However, choosing the relevant controls is essential, and this is why audits must be performed regarding the various information security risks. This is also where the assistance of WWISE comes in.
Organisations can choose to avoid, accept, or transfer the relevant information risks, instead of mitigating the risks through the relevant controls. As such, the ongoing treatment of risk forms an integral part of the management of risks.
Origin of ISO 27001
The standard comes from the British Standard (BS) 7799 Part 2, which was revised in 2002 to incorporate the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. The ISO/IEC standard underwent extensive revision in 2013 to keep up with changing threats, and to align it with other ISO standards. A major change was the reference to the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.
Structure
The standard consists of various sections, including the introduction, scope, normative references, terms and definitions, and context of the organisation. Leadership forms a prominent part of the standard, as top management must show a commitment to the implementation of a compliant ISMS through policy creation and the assignment of roles and responsibilities.
The planning section provides the framework for identification, analysis, and planning for information risk treatment, while the support section is about the assignment of resources, awareness development, documentation, and control of risks. Operation details the assessment and treatment of information risks, the management of changes in risks, and the documentation of such.
The final two sections cover performance evaluation and improvement. Organisations must monitor, measure, and evaluate the information security controls and processes for the purpose of ongoing improvement. The standard also includes Annex A, which details the control objectives and controls.
Save time and money. Let us help your organisation implement and prepare an ISMS for ISO 27001 certification through our training, auditing, consulting, and template services.