ISO 27001 Certification
For many organisations, ISO/IEC 27001 certification is the end goal when deciding to develop their Information Security Management System (ISMS). ISO/IEC 27001 certification demonstrates that an organisation’s ISMS has been scrutinised by an independent Certification Body who deems it both effective in its operation, and applicable to the standard.
Certification is often enough to ensure organisations gain competitive advantage in a congested market place, or meet their clients’ requirements to join a roster or participate in a project.
Other benefits of obtaining certification include…
Improved Cyber Security Posture
Security certifications provide a framework that SMBs can use to enhance their cybersecurity posture and protect their sensitive data.
Certification can help businesses effectively manage and reduce risks to the organisation.
Compliance with best practice
The certification process assesses an organisation’s compliance with a set of security controls and best practices.
Competitive advantage
Achieving a security certification demonstrates reliability and enhances credibility for potential clients and suppliers.
Business opportunities
ISO 27001 can open doors to lucrative opportunities such as bidding for government contracts, which often require security certification to handle sensitive data securely.
Legal compliance
There are legal requirements that businesses need to adhere to, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Payment Card Industry Standard (PCI DSS). These regulations aim to ensure organisations secure personal data.
What’s involved in ISO 27001 certification?
Some considerations
Accredited Certification Bodies
First of all, you should opt for a fully accredited Certification Body (CB). In the UK, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the only national accreditation body recognised by the UK Government. Using an accredited CB provides credibility and trustworthiness as well as global recognition. There are many Certification Bodies who are not accredited – obtaining certification from these may result in business objectives not being totally fulfilled (e.g. end clients may refuse certifications from non-accredited CBs), and a need to spend money all over again with an accredited Certification Body. InfoShelter has an established network of accredited Certification Bodies.
Get in contact to discuss more.Certification isn’t a one-off exercise.
It’s important to be aware that once your ISMS is certified, you will need to maintain it effectively in order to benefit from continued certification. As can be seen in the diagram above, there is a certification cycle of 3 years with surveillance audits undertaken by CBs in between. It’s important to consider the resources needed to ensure your ISMS is maintained and operated effectively so as to generate the evidence required in external CB audits. Plus – it is important that your ISMS works as expected to mitigate your business security risks. InfoShelter can help with ISMS maintenance if you find yourself a little light on existing resource.
Get in contact to discuss an ISMS maintenance packages.How we add value
Outsourcing to a consultancy like InfoShelter instead of keeping the implementation in-house offers several advantages that can significantly improve the quality, efficiency, and success of achieving certification. Here are key reasons why using our services can be more beneficial than doing it yourself:
Expertise and specialised knowledge
Deep understanding of ISO 27001: InfoShelter has in-depth knowledge and experience with the standard, having worked with lots of organisations to achieve certification. We understand the intricacies of the requirements, which helps avoid common pitfalls.
Industry-specific expertise: InfoShelter has experience in specific industries, particularly the market research industry. This allows us to tailor the ISMS to meet industry-related regulatory requirements and risks – and speak your business language.
Faster Implementation
Accelerated process: InfoShelter has a well-defined, structured approach and can help speed up the ISO 27001 implementation process by guiding you through each step efficiently.
Pre-built templates and tools: We have spent time developing our documentation templates, risk assessment tools, and gap analysis frameworks so that they are accurate, applicable to the standard, and ready to go.
Objectivity and Fresh Perspective
Impartial assessment: Consultants typically bring an outsider’s perspective to the organisation and can identify risks, weaknesses, and areas for improvement that internal teams may overlook due to familiarity with existing processes.
Unbiased advice: Being external to the company, we provide impartial advice, which is often more objective than decisions made by in-house teams with internal biases.
Reduction of Internal Workload
Freeing up resources: ISO 27001 implementation requires substantial time and effort. InfoShelter can take on the bulk of the work, allowing your internal team to focus on core business activities rather than becoming overwhelmed by compliance tasks.
Expert project management: We can, if required, handle the entire project lifecycle—from initial gap analysis to certification—reducing the need for in-house employees to manage complex project phases.
Tailored Approach
Customized implementation: We pride ourselves on designing a tailored ISMS specific to your organisation’s needs, structure, and risk profile. This ensures that the security measures are relevant and practical for your specific environment.
Scalability: Our aim is to help create a system that not only meets your current needs but is scalable and adaptable to future growth, technology changes, or regulatory updates.
Experience with Certification Audits
Audit preparation: We will prepare your organisation for the certification audit, ensuring all requirements are met, documentation is complete, and controls are implemented properly. This increases the likelihood of passing the audit on the first attempt.
Avoiding costly mistakes: We are familiar with the typical mistakes organisations make when preparing for ISO 27001 audits, helping you avoid non-conformities or deficiencies that could delay or prevent certification.
Cost Efficiency in the Long Run
Reduced learning curve: Internal teams may spend considerable time learning the details of ISO 27001. InfoShelter can eliminate this learning curve, allowing faster implementation and reducing the overall cost.
Fewer resources wasted: The risk of missteps or having to redo work due to a lack of experience is reduced, which can save costs related to rework, failed audits, or inefficiencies in implementation.
Avoiding hidden costs: In-house implementation may seem cheaper upfront but can incur hidden costs such as extended timelines, additional training, and potential delays. Using InfoShelter will provide more predictable budgeting.
Access to Best Practices and Benchmarking
Proven best practices: We are well-versed in industry best practices for information security. We can offer valuable insights and recommendations based on what has worked for other organisations, ensuring your ISMS aligns with proven strategies.
Benchmarking: We work across various industries and sectors, so we can benchmark your organisation’s security posture against others, helping you identify areas of improvement and competitive advantage.
Enhanced Risk Management
Thorough risk assessment: We bring proven methodologies for identifying, assessing, and managing security risks. We can guide your organisation in conducting a more comprehensive risk assessment than an internal team might be able to do.
Control selection: With a deep understanding of the ISO 27001 Annex A controls, InfoShelter can help ensure that appropriate, cost-effective security controls are selected, avoiding over-implementation or under-protection.
Ensuring Continuous Improvement
Long-term security strategy: InfoShelter not only helps with initial implementation but also with establishing a framework for continuous improvement, ensuring that the ISMS evolves with emerging threats and changing business requirements.
Post-certification support: We also offer post-certification support, helping organisations maintain compliance and prepare for surveillance audits, thus ensuring the ISMS remains effective over time. See our ISMS maintenance page for more details.
Minimising Disruption
Seamless integration: Our skilled consultants can help integrate ISO 27001 processes into your existing business operations smoothly, ensuring minimal disruption to day-to-day activities.
Change management: We can assist with change management by effectively communicating and rolling out new policies and procedures to employees, making the transition more seamless.
Training and Knowledge Transfer
Upskilling internal teams: We provide training and knowledge transfer to internal staff, equipping them with the necessary skills to manage the elements of the ISMS you wish to keep internal.
Awareness programs: We are very happy to provide security awareness programs tailored to your organisation, ensuring that employees understand their roles and responsibilities in maintaining information security.
What they say
"John is a highly talented ISO 27001 professional with both deep understanding of the standard as well as the convivial character that allows it to be understood and implemented both in the business and the technical areas of his clients. During his time with me, he was my "go-to" consultant for delivery as he could rapidly understand a complex set of requirements and turn them into actionable outcomes for our clients. I have no hesitation in recommending John as he is an outstanding consultant in whom I have always had the most faith and always knew he would deliver a top rate service."
"I got back in touch with John to request help with Illuminas' preparations for GDPR and an upcoming ISO 27001 re-certification audit. After knowing and working with John for a number of years the Illuminas Partners and I were confident he would be ideally placed to help us with both of these projects. We were not disappointed. John's in-depth knowledge of ISO 27001, thorough auditing skills, and strategic thinking helped us sail through our re-certification. John also became our DPO and trusted advisor on all things privacy after his pragmatic, flexible approach to helping us meet the requirements of the Regulation in full. I would have no hesitation in recommending John to any company, particularly any research agency, looking to become ISO 27001 certified."
"Thanks to the work of John and his team we were successful in our ISO 27001 extension to the whole of the Firefish group. This means that we would have had nearly 5 years of successful ISO 27001 certification with InfoShelter’s help. They collaborate intimately with our team and are always available to offer assistance with both security questions and in their capacity as Data Protection Officer"
"I have worked with John and the Infoshelter team for a few years now across a couple of different businesses and would wholeheartedly recommend. Approachable, flexible, explain what's needed well in non-tech terms, made our Cyber Essentials and ISO27001 processes stress free and have also helped on BCP plans, data protection advice and other areas."