Drafted by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 27001 is designed specifically to help build an information security management system (ISMS).
An ISMS is a framework of policies and procedures that includes all legal, physical, and technical controls involved in an organization’s information risk management processes.
“The most notable thing about ISO 27001 is that it is the only internationally-accepted and recognized information security standard in existence,” said Darrin Maggy, Integris’s Practice Manager.
“An awful lot of the information security (compliance) guidelines in existence today borrowed heavily from ISO 27001 which is one of the many reasons Integris is so bullish on the standard.”
ISO 27001 is such a flexible standard that it can be implemented in any organization (regardless of size), in any vertical. Retail, Finance, Healthcare, Education, Public Infrastructure, you name it, ISO 27001 fits the bill.
How does ISO 27001:2013 accomplish this?
“It’s purposefully designed to accommodate what your organization does,” Maggy said. “It’s mostly concerned with the assets you have in your organization that enable you to do business, the value of those assets, and how those assets may be at risk.
“It’s both context-based and risk-based. This means you can better achieve balanced information security spend while vastly improving your information security posture.
“The flexibility of ISO 27001 makes it an ideal umbrella framework beneath which you can manage multiple requirements. Once you have implemented the ISO 27001 ISMS you can easily nest everything else beneath it,” Maggy said.
“SSAE 16, SOC 2, GDPR, PCI, HIPAA, we can document an organization’s alignment and compliance to all of these and more by using cross-mappings. It’s a very cost-effective and powerful approach.”
How is ISO 27001:2013 implemented?
ISO 27001 uses a top-down, risk-based approach and is technology-neutral. The specification defines a six-part planning process:
- – Define a security policy.
- – Define the scope of the ISMS.
- – Conduct a risk assessment.
- – Manage identified risks.
- – Select-control objectives and controls to implement.
- – Prepare a statement of applicability.
“After we implement the Information Security Management System (ISMS), a third-party auditor (certification body) comes in to validate everything. That certification body ultimately determines ISO 27001 suitability and issues the certification,” Maggy said.
What are the benefits of having an ISO 27001 certification?
There are many benefits to holding an ISO 27001 certification. Some of those benefits are:
- – Helps protect and manage confidential information
- – Helps improve and streamline third-party vendor interactions
- – Helps improve reputation and gives your business a competitive edge
- – Helps avoid financial losses from data breaches
- – Helps your business establish a workable information security management system
- that’s followed by employees from the C-Suite to the Front Desk
- – Helps decrease the need for customer audits
- – Helps increase customer retention
Is ISO27001 an Information Security miracle cure?
Not exactly, but it is a large part of a healthy, balanced Information Security diet.
“There’s no such thing as a 100% foolproof security posture, but ISO 27001 gives you a very real blueprint from which you can ultimately build your security defenses practically and effectively which enables an organization to safely conduct business amidst dynamic threats.”
Interested in finding out more about ISO27001 and how Security7 helps businesses implement a good Information Security posture? Please visit our Security Advisory Services page or send us a message.
If you think you’re ready to start your ISO 27001 journey please schedule a free ISO 27001 readiness consultation with one of our experienced implementation experts now. You can use this link to schedule your consultation.
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