How ISO 27001 will help your business
This article outlines the benefits of achieving certification to the international information security management standard, ISO/ IEC 27001.
Accredited certification to ISO 27001 demonstrates to existing and potential clients that an organization has established and implemented best-practice information security processes.
Safeguard your valuable, sensitive, and confidential information assets
Data is one of the most valuable assets any business has today. Keeping your data secure—whether intellectual property, customer data, personal staff records, or paper-based copies of strategic plans—is critical to most businesses. ISO 27001 provides the means of protecting your data from a comprehensive range of threats, ranging from cyber attacks to staff negligence, from natural disasters to fraud. ISO 27001 helps organizations take data security seriously, putting systems and processes in place to guard against the risk of information security breaches or the misuse of data.
Win new business and retain your existing clients
Following recent high-profile data breaches affecting many household brands your clients will have concerns about the safety of their personal and confidential information. ISO 27001 certification proves that you are serious about cybersecurity and have implemented international best practice to mitigate your cyber risks.
Nowadays, compliance with ISO 27001 can be the difference between winning and losing business. In fact, it is increasingly difficult to do business in many markets without ISO 27001 certification, as more and more organizations are demanding it in the supply chain. In some countries, such as Japan and India, it is even a legal requirement. That is why leading global brands such as Google, Cisco, Microsoft, and Verizon have all achieved ISO 27001 certification.
Expand into global markets.
ISO 27001 is an international standard, which means that your global clients and customers will recognize the advantages that certification provides. In recent years the US saw a 78% growth in ISO 27001-certified organizations.
In 2015 alone, nearly 1,500 US organizations obtained certification to ISO 27001, which shows they rely on implementing an information security management system (ISMS) to gain competitive advantage in the market place, meet supplier chain demands and prevent the ongoing and evolving cyber threats, this growth continues at approximately 28% annually.
Avoid penalties, protect your reputation, and improve your brand
The framework applied by ISO 27001 has been proven to protect your information assets and help you avoid costly damage to your brand. Loss of customer confidence can have far more serious consequences for an organization than the fines levied by regulatory authorities due to a data breach. With cyber attacks increasing in volume and magnitude, no organization is immune.
Build stakeholder loyalty and trust
The holistic approach of ISO 27001 covers the whole organization, not just IT, and encompasses people, processes, and technology. This enables employees to readily understand information security risks and to embrace security controls as part of their everyday working practices.
ISO 27001 is particularly popular in the legal and healthcare industries in the US, where workers have a legal obligation to protect clients’ personal information.
Demonstrate legislative, contractual, and regulatory compliance
ISO 27001 is the only auditable international standard that defines the requirements to manage and measure an information security management system (ISMS) effectively. The Standard is designed to ensure the selection of relevant security controls to help to protect an organization’s information. By implementing an ISO 27001-compliant ISMS, your organization will meet numerous information security-related legal and regulatory compliance requirements, including state data breach notification laws and federal regulations – such as FISMA, the GLBA, HIPAA, and SOX- and international standards like the PCI DSS.
Meet security audit requirements and avoid cyclical security questionnaires
ISO 27001 certification delivers a globally accepted method of evaluating the effectiveness of an organization’s information security. As a result, companies that are registered to ISO 27001 will be able to reduce or eliminate the number of client requests for repeat security audits, thereby avoiding lengthy questionnaires and paperwork.
Initiate your ISO 27001 implementation project today
Find out how to get started with ISO 27001 by scheduling a complimentary consultation here.
