What is ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 is the internationally recognised standard for information security management. The certification is implemented to improve and regulate processes that you may already have in place to ensure secure storage of information and documents as well as confidentiality.
ISO 27001 offers many benefits for a variety of industries; however, some industries need it more than others as they may deal with more sensitive information, take the healthcare sector for example.
Big Consequences for Small Errors
Thousands of companies become a victim of data breaches each year and this is due to many reasons, one reason being weak passwords. Ensuring your passwords are made up of capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols and are changed every 30, 60, or 90 days can be the next step to protecting your business. ISO 27001 will guide your business by following other vital procedures that will keep your information assets safe.
Hundreds of phishing emails are sent every day, and many can look legitimate. These harmful emails open the door for hackers to access confidential information. ISO 27001 ensures efficient training so that employees are aware of the dangers which could simply be sat in their emails.
Compliance with Legislation
The requirements of ISO 27001 mean your business will be compliant with government legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR is a framework for data protection laws and gives people more control over how their information is being used. It ensures that data protection is stronger so that personal and confidential information is not being exploited. Those who are unable to comply with GDPR could be hit with a costly fine but with the guidance of ISO 27001, your business will have less worry.
Industries that ISO 27001 Applies to
Cyber-attacks can pose a significant threat to any company’s revenue and business continuity, regardless of its activity or industry. ISO 27001 certification, therefore, is of increasing importance to any organisation that handles or deals with sensitive information. It is crucial that your company is continually assessing its security risks to avoid security breaches. It can seem like there are so many aspects that need to be considered in order to ensure adequate protection, but fortunately, the ISO 27001 framework makes this much easier to tackle.
Information technology – although this one may seem obvious; it is surprising how many companies operating in this industry do not have sufficient information security processes. IT support companies, software development companies, and cloud companies are arguably the biggest beneficiaries of the standard. The reason for this is because they deal with large amounts of customer data and often must demonstrate that they are effectively safeguarding this data. Most IT companies implement the standard to comply with contractual requirements from clients, but also for best practice.
Financial – insurance companies, banks, and other financial institutions decide to implement ISO 27001 to comply with legislation and other regulations. Data protection legislation such as GDPR is the strictest for the financial industry, and luckily, policy writers have based their legislation mostly around ISO 27001. This means that ISO 27001 is an excellent framework to ensure compliance, avoiding substantial fines and other consequences.
Telecommunications – companies such as internet providers are extremely keen to protect the large amounts of data they handle and reduce the number of outages. Not only does this keep customers satisfied, but it also ensures that they are compliant with legislation such as GDPR, similar to the financial industry as there are growing laws and regulations for telecoms.
If you don’t see your industry listed above, then as long as you deal with sensitive data, then ISO 27001 is relevant to your business.
Overall, it is far cheaper to comply with the recommended standards than to deal with the consequences of data breaches.
Support with ISO 27001
Are you in need of support when it comes to information security management?
If you want to protect your company’s information assets, implement ISO 27001 into your company and receive the benefits.
Here at Candy Management Consultants, we have expert ISO 27001 consultants who can assist your organisation with implementing a bespoke information security management system, enabling you to obtain your certification. With our 100% success rate to date with all clients, you are guaranteed to achieve certification when you follow our guidance.
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