ISO 27001: what is it and why is it good for your cybersecurity strategy?

Cybersecurity is today a major concern. As systems become robust, cybercriminals look for the smallest loopholes and vulnerabilities to be exploited. In such a situation, businesses need a clear cybersecurity strategy to protect their precious data. For a business that wants to improve cybersecurity and prove their security credentials, ISO 27001 certification will prove to be a boon.

What is ISO 27001?

ISO/IEC 27001 is an international standard for information security management. As the definition suggests, the standard is meant for organizations that want to manage the security of their information in a more effective way. At this point, it is important to understand the concept of a standard.

A standard is a reference document that offers guidance to organizations on various topics. For example, the ISO 9001 standard offers guidance on implementing quality management. ISO 27001 is the standard that offers guidance for information security management. While it is not legally a requirement to follow standards, following it offers many benefits.

A regulation is usually a legal requirement set by Parliament, the state, or a local authority. Following regulations is a must. Certification is awarded to organizations as recognition for having complied with a standard. You can get ISO 27001 compliant by implementing the standard and its requirements. Once the implementation is complete, you can get certified. Being certified is an assurance to your clients that you are committed to follow the standard in all your activities.

How ISO 27001 helps your cybersecurity strategy?

Any company that is concerned about data protection whatever may be its size should consider ISO 27001. There has been an increase in security threats from hackers, malware, and ransomware. In such a situation, it is vital to prevent cyberattacks. This can be prevented by implementing strong security controls.

To ensure effective data security and also ensure data integrity, the ISO 27001 standard can be followed. The standard defines 114 security controls or measures. Following these measures helps to ensure confidentiality, availability, and integrity of your data.

Why get ISO 27001 certification?

There are multiple benefits an organization can get when they follow ISO 27001 and get certified.

• ISO 27001 helps businesses manage cyber risks better. It helps decide the information technology measures to follow to prevent risks.
• Implementing ISO 27001 helps a business follow the best practices in the industry. This ensures they follow systems that are proven.
• Getting certified offers marketing benefits for organizations. It sends a strong message to clients and other stakeholders about the importance you give to information security. Since this is an international certification, it adds value and is a marketing asset.
• Certification requires audits to be carried out by third parties. Such audits assure your clients that you are following systems that are being verified to ensure all controls are followed.
• You get a competitive advantage in the market by being ISO 27001 certified. It helps you score over others who are not certified.
• ISO 27001 ensures you mitigate financial risks that can occur due to cybersecurity threats like breach of data. Loss of client data can be very expensive and would lead to loss of reputation. Following stringent security protocols ensures your data is well-protected from such breaches.

How to get certified for ISO 27001?

Before discussing how to get certified, it is important to know about implementation. The standard needs to be implemented before the organization can get certified. Implementation can be done as follows:

1. The first step is to define the Information Security Management System (ISMS). This can be done by following the guidelines in the ISO 27001 and other related standards.
2. The scope of the ISMS should be defined.
3. Documented processes should be defined in line with the requirements of the standard. This includes defining controls for information security.
4. Once the controls are defined, they need to be followed throughout the organization. It is important to train people on how to implement controls.
5. A team of internal auditors need to be identified and provided training. These internal auditors will carry out audits across the organization to verify if controls are being followed. Reports of the audit need to be maintained.
6. In case of any problems in implementation, corrective measures need to be taken. It is also important to review the ISMS and make changes where needed, including improvements.
7. Once the system is effectively implemented, then it is time to get certified.

It is important to understand who awards the certification. There is a common perception that ISO or the International Organization for Standardization awards the certificate. This is not correct. ISO accredits other bodies to issue the certificates. They are known as accreditation bodies. For eg: UKAS is the accreditation body in the United Kingdom, while ANSI is the accreditation body in the US.

The accreditation bodies accredit certifying bodies to award certificates. Certification bodies have experienced auditors who do audits to verify compliance. The procedure to get certified is as follows:

1. Apply to a certification body to get certified and provide details.
2. The certification body will send auditors to carry out audits. Usually two rounds of audit are done.
3. In the first round, the documented procedures are audited to verify if it they are adequate.
4. The second round of the audit is where the auditors check if the controls and documented processes are being followed.
5. If the controls are being followed, then the auditors would recommend for certification. The certifying body then awards a certificate indicating that the organization is certified to ISO 27001.
6. The certificate is valid for three years. During this period, the auditors would carry out surveillance audits once a year to verify compliance.

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The next step

For all your ISO 27001 compliance needs, you can make use of compliance automation tools. These software tools will help you enhance your cybersecurity while ensure compliance to ISO 27001. Using these tools help to make your compliance work and certification easy. Some of the top tools in the market that you can consider using include:

1. Sprinto
2. Laika
3. Auditboard
4. HIPAA One
5. Skyflow
6. Very Good Security

Using a tool like Sprinto will help you not only be compliant to ISO 27001, but also to other standards/regulations like SOC 2, HIPAA, and PCI DSS.