This article explains the key stages of ISO 27001, the top certification for information and data security management in organizations. It also points out the security controls that the ISO 27001 audit process covers in the compliance check.
When wanting to protect the vital information assets including stakeholders and client data, businesses need to get the ISO 27001 certification, an internationally established accreditation for information security management systems (ISMS). The ISO 27001 standard defines the key requirements for designing, implementing, and operating the ISMS which organizations need to fulfill for ensuring the protection of their valuable and private information.
With the ever-increasing threats to privacy in the business segment, the importance of this certification has grown manifold times. These are the prominent reasons organizations seek to get their ISMS certified:
• Avoid data breaches and protect confidentiality of their clients, employees, suppliers, investors, and other stakeholders.
• Build trust of the stakeholders and strengthen the business relationship with them
• Gain an advantage over the competitors and get more opportunities in the market
• Avoid hefty fines for customer data breaches or noncompliance with data privacy laws
Achieving the ISO 27001 certification should be the strategic objective for businesses to secure their integrity and retain the confidence of the stakeholders in their ISMS. However, achieving the certification is not a plain-sailing process but requires a significant contribution of the organizational management along with continuous employee participation.
The entire ISO certification process is lengthy involving several steps, but we have classified them into 3 critical stages for easy understanding.
• Hire a certification agency: You need to find a certification consultancy or agency which can help in complying with the ISO 27001 requirements by reviewing your ISMS thoroughly. They first review the documentation of your implemented ISMS to check whether all requirements of the standard are fulfilled. After that, they meticulously check the ISMS to ensure it matches with the documented procedures.
• Get an internal audit done: The certification consultancy then performs a comprehensive internal audit. In the audit, professional assessment officials are going to check whether all information security processes and policies properly support the control objectives of the standard. A thorough internal audit can provide you insights into the effectiveness of your ISMS, pointing out the major areas where improvements are required.
• Follow-up the internal audit: Following up the audit is necessary before the certification body is appointed for the final certification stage. A follow-up process ensures all the changes or suggestions are correctly executed in the ISMS and ISO compliance is still maintained.
Clearly, an internal audit is a vital stage for achieving the certification for information security. Audits are required to check whether all independent controls of ISO 27001 are in place in the ISMS. The following are the information security controls that internal audit covers:
• Information security policies
• Organization’s responsibilities in information security management
• Human resource security i.e., efficiency in protecting employee details
• Data asset management
• Access control to information systems and digital devices
• Best practices for encryption of sensitive data including passwords
• Processes for ensuring the security of internal building security equipment
• Operations security i.e., processes for collecting, using, and storing data
• Communications security implies securing company’s communication systems and process of sharing information from one department to another
• Securing the processes through which organizations interact with suppliers and third-party service providers
• Best practices for assessing information security risks and mitigating them
• Contingency plans and actions to handle operational disruptions quickly and restore operations
• Identify major governmental regulations regarding data security and maintain compliance with them
The management of the organization should take complete responsiblity for preparing their organization for the ISO 27001 certification. This overview of the steps and audit controls is likely to help you in implementing the ISO standard. These are key steps that you need to complete to get your ISMS improved or reformed and comply with the standard. The audit controls explain the key aspects that your ISMS must include in the context of your organization to get certified.
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