Today’s business world is highly competitive. Here, to thrive and grow, you will have to maintain high-quality standards. As such, as a business owner, you should follow strict guidelines to ensure customer security. This is where the ISO 27001 certification process comes in handy. This is an international standard for information security management systems (ISMS). Let’s figure out how you can get one.
Achieving ISO 27001
ISO 27001 is a rigorous standard. You may find it pretty tricky to tackle if you are receiving it for the first time. The process has a few distinctive phases:
Phase 1
The first phase is all about drafting a project plan. Here, you must figure out who will oversee the entire project and manage milestones. You will also have to understand how you will get buy-in from leaders. Besides, figure out if you would require an ISO quality management system to manage the entire thing smoothly. Remember, understanding 114 controls of ISO 27001 is tricky. Thus, you can’t overlook the necessity of making a top-notch plan.
Phase 2
The second phase requires you to figure out the scope of your ISMS. Start with determining exactly what information you need to protect. Do you want your entire organization to be a part of your ISMS Or you want it for a few specific departments?
Phase 3
In the third phase, you will have to perform a risk assessment. A gap analysis should follow. Here, you will check all data and document the volume of vulnerability. You should always start with the baseline for security. Carefully analyze what contractual, legal, or regulatory obligations your company has. If you find the job way too daunting, you may hire an ISO consultant.
Phase 4
In the next step, you will have to design different policies and controls. Besides, you will have to implement them. Figure out which risks you can tolerate and which you cannot. Ask your internal auditor to review your decisions. Also, make a statement of applicability that will serve as evidence. It should outline the controls your organization should have in place. Furthermore, you may have to write a risk treatment plan. This is an essential element of ISO 27001. Here, you will have to mention how your organization handles threats. Once you identify the risks, you will have to suggest controls in response.
Phase 5
Now is the time to train your employees about data security. This phase helps ensure that your organization holistically pays importance to secure customer data. This is important for ISO 27001 compliance.
Phase 6
When it comes to getting this certification, you will have to prove to your external auditor that your company has put all effective policies and controls in place. Not only that, those controls and policies perfectly work as per the requirement of the ISO 27001 standard. Remember, this step is highly time-consuming. To wrap it up quickly and precisely, you can deploy compliance automation software.
Phase 7
This is the final phase. Here, an external auditor will come to check your ISMS. They will thoroughly analyze if your company meets all the requirements. Then, they will conduct the certification audit. The said audit has two stages. First, reviewing ISMS documentation and second, reviewing your business process and controls.
Once both stages are successfully verified, you will get your certification. It will remain valid for the next three years. However, you will have to keep reviewing your ISMS. This way, you will be able to remain up-to-date about your certificate’s effectiveness. You can arrange internal audits and monitor them to avoid future hassles.
What are the Evidence Requirements?
So now you know how you can get the ISO 27001 certification. But, do you know a little mistake in producing the evidence can turn the scene upside down? Therefore, you should be aware of the evidence requirement to save the game. Here’s a baseline:
- ISMS Scope: This document should define the boundaries and implementability of the ISMS.
- Information Security Policy: Here, you will have to submit a documented and approved policy outlining your company’s thoughts about information security.
- Risk Assessment Methodology: These documents should clearly describe how you have identified the risks. It should be followed by detailed records of different risk assessments.
- Information Security Risk Treatment Process: These documents should contain the measures you have taken to eliminate the identified risks. It should also include implementable controls.
- Evidence of Competence: In this document, you will have to detail experience, qualifications, training, etc.
- Security Awareness Training Program: In these documents, you will have to outline the training records of security awareness programs. You will have to provide the details of each session you have conducted.
- Monitoring and Measurement Records: These are the documents of performance monitoring. They should also include measurement activities like KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
- Internal Audit Reports: How many audit sessions have you conducted? What are your scheduled audit plans? Is there any documentation of the overall program? Do they include scope, criteria, frequency, and objectives? Figure out and prepare a document that you can produce in front of the external auditor.
- Management Review Minutes: This refers to the records of management review meetings. They should include discussions, action items, decisions, and so on.
- Annex A Control Activity: These are the documents for selecting Annex A control. They should show how you have implemented the control and what results it’s producing. This evidence may include information security policies, human resource security, access control, asset management, cryptography, communication security, and so on.
Wrapping Up
To sum it up if you are in a business that deals with a huge volume of customer data, you will have to be compliant with ISO 27001. If you haven’t initiated the process of getting the certification, do it now. Not sure where to start? Reach out to an adept consultant like SYNC Resource. With their customized systems and unique methodology, they have helped many companies achieve certification in just ninety days. So what are you waiting for? Fast forward to the process with SYNC Resource.
