What Is Info Security ISO/IEC 27001?
All ISO standards are designed or created for a specific area and part of a company. You might be familiar with some of them such as ISO 9001, which is focused on the quality management system of the company.
It helps you to improve your processes, the quality of your products or items, as well as the entire production. And just like this ISO, others come with requirements in specific to boost the system of your business.
Now, which ones should you implement?
There are ISO standards that are mandatory, which means you have to implement them no matter what and get certified in order to show clients and customers you meet with the normative. However, some standards are optional and instead of being a formal regulation, they are more for the improvement and growth of the company.
In simpler words, people choose to implement them due to their benefits and the support they provide in certain areas according to the standard itself. This is what happens with ISO 27001.
It is a standard that focuses on the information security management system of your company in order to improve the security controls, organize and join them to create a reliable safeguard system. For companies from all industries, this is crucial if they want to protect not only their personal information as businesses but also guarantee clients their information won’t be leaked.
Nor can it be accessed for anyone who enters a computer of the company. Information and data are a bit difficult to handle due to the amount of it. We all know that dozens or hundreds of gigabytes are not enough to store them.
And the main problem or issue isn’t to save the information but rather encrypt it and make sure only authorized people can access it. When you are not familiar with your ISMS (information security management system), implementing this standard will turn out to be a few times more difficult than usual.
But before moving onto that aspect and topic, allow us to explain to you more extensively what ISO/IEC 27001 is all about.
Is it a unique ISO?
All standards are unique, so if you are wondering if this one was created for information security only the answer is yes and no.
ISO 27001 can be used in everything related to information technology, but security controls and your management system are the main focus of the standard.
That being said, it is indeed special for the objectives you want to achieve: create, maintain, and improve your security system.
And this includes data security but also, physical information. This normative comes from the ISO 27000 family, which is a standard that has a general focus on security management systems.
From it, you can obtain and access dozens of ISOs that focus on a specific area of the security of your company. In the case of the one we are discussing right now, you need to know that this normative not only aims for IT as we mentioned before.
It is also useful for paperwork and every information that isn’t in a computer or digital file. This is why we have mentioned it just a few moments ago, and when you decide to implement ISO 27001, you will need this relevant detail.
Otherwise, it is normal for companies that are implementing the standard to miss the tools and steps necessary to protect every single piece of information that isn’t only digital.
How does it protect your information and data?
The process involves a lot of steps in the management of your system, starting with the examination of your information security risks, impacts, vulnerabilities, and everything that represents a threat to security. One of the main and first actions to take when dealing with ISO 27001 is to handle the security controls and create new ones if needed.
All companies have several and dozens of security controls that need organization and to be joined with a perfect or proper ISMS. Therefore, this is the main task you should go for to guarantee and make simpler the rest of the processes.
This is why designing and implement the perfect security management system for the company will be part of the journey. This standard won’t create everything for you but rather guide you when it comes to answering the question: how can I protect my information?
The parameters established in the document show the elements to pay attention to, how the ISMS should be, the security controls you need or not, and how you can organize and join them. Also, the standard has a specific cycle that helps with the process and allows your company to improve continuously its system: the PDCA Cycle. It goes for Plan-Do-Check-Act and identifies all the steps and processes in having an optimum ISMS and how your company will be moving forward thanks to it.
You will establish policies, objectives, and every procedure that will take place to manage the risks and information of your company. Then, you will start to implement and exploit everything you have established so far to move to the third part: assess everything you have done and determine if there’s something that needs to change or improve.
The final step is all about taking action and corrective solutions that will solve the issues found in the previous phase. There’s a lot involved in ISO/IEC 27001, and we are sure you will have a bit of a hard time trying to make everything happen without issues. Just make sure to go step by step, follow every parameter, and meet every requirement for your company to get certified as well.
For more information, support, and certification, make sure to contact us at ISO Pros. We are experts and a validated company specialized in ISO standards, their implementation and we validate and certificate companies that meet with the requirements of one or more ISOs. We are always available and waiting to know more about your needs.