ISO 27001 Standard

ISO 27001 Standard: An Overview

The ISO 27001 Standard is the only internationally recognized security standard that specifies requirements for an Information Security Management System (ISMS), enabling all organizations to implement and maintain information security in a measured, controlled, and documented manner. ISO 27001 standard sets out a clear set of criteria and processes intended to minimize risk, meet regulations, and improve your response in the event of a cyber security attack.

ISO 27001 Standard

ISO 27001 Standard: What is an Information Security Management System?

A company’s Information Security Management System (ISMS) is a set of regulations that must be implemented in order to:

  • Determine who your stakeholders are and what they anticipate from the organization in terms of information security.
  • Determine which information-related threats exist.
  • To achieve the defined requirements and manage risks, develop controls (safeguards) and other mitigation strategies.
  • Set clear goals for what needs to be accomplished in terms of information security.
  • Put in place all of the controls and other risk-reduction strategies.
  • Measure whether the established controls are performing as planned on a regular basis.
  • Make continual improvements to improve the overall performance of the ISMS

The Importance of Adopting ISO 27001 Standard

Implementing ISO 27001 standard demonstrates to all stakeholders that your company takes information security seriously and goes to great lengths to:

  • Carry out detailed risk assessments in a practical manner.
  • Reduce the hazards that have been identified to a manageable level.
  • Effectively manage cyber security threats.

The following are some of the advantages of adopting ISO 27001 standard:

  • ISO 27001 standard decrease the threats to your company’s information security and data protection
  • ISO 27001 standard aid in attracting new customers and retaining existing customers while conserving time and resources
  • ISO 27001 standard enhance your company’s reputation on a global level 

ISO 27000: A Family of Standards

The ISO 27000 family of information security management standards is a set of interconnected security standards that can be used to create an internationally recognized framework for best-practice information security management. The series’ core is ISO 27001, which specifies the requirements for an ISMS (information security management system). There are currently around 40 standards in the ISO 27000 series, with the following being the most widely used:

  • ISO/IEC 27000 explains the terminologies and definitions used in the ISO 27000 family of standards.
  • ISO/IEC 27002 standard specifies how to implement the controls mentioned in ISO 27001 Annex A. It can be quite beneficial because it explains how to put these restrictions in place.
  • ISO/IEC 27004 is a set of rules for measuring information security, and it complements ISO 27001 standard by explaining how to decide whether an ISMS has met its objectives.
  • ISO/IEC 27005 is a set of guidelines for managing information security risks. It’s a great supplement to ISO 27001 standard because it explains how to do risk assessment and risk treatment, which is perhaps the most difficult part of the process.
  • ISO/IEC 27017 provides information about security in cloud environments.
  • ISO/IEC 27018 standard establishes rules for the security of personal information in cloud settings.
  • ISO/IEC 27031 standard specifies what should be taken into account when designing business continuity plans for information and communication technologies (ICT). This standard establishes a strong relationship between information security and business continuity.

What are the objectives of the ISO 27001 Standard?

ISO 27001 standard’s primary purpose is to safeguard three types of data:

  • Confidentiality: Only permitted individuals have access to information.
  • Integrity: Only permitted individuals have the ability to alter the information.
  • Availability: The information must be available to permitted individuals at all times.

Is ISO 27001 Standard Enforceable by Law?

Compliance with ISO 27001 can be defined as a legal requirement in contracts and service agreements between public and private enterprises. Furthermore, nations might enact laws or regulations that make the implementation of the ISO 27001 standard a legal necessity for enterprises operating inside their borders.

ISO 27001 Standard: A Way to Prevent Your Company from Becoming Outdated

If you’ve worked in a company for a few years or more, you’re certainly familiar with how new initiatives/projects function: they appear lovely and shiny at first, and everyone (or at least the majority of people) is trying their hardest to make everything work. However, over time, passion and zeal dwindle, and with them, everything associated with such an endeavor deteriorates as well.

For example, you may have had a classification policy that functioned OK at first, but as technology, the organization, and people changed over time, the policy became obsolete if no one bothered to update it. And, as you are well aware, no one will wish to comply with an out-of-date document, resulting in a deterioration in your security.

To counteract this, ISO 27001 standard has outlined a few strategies for preventing such deterioration. Additionally, those approaches are used to improve security over time, making it even better than it was when the project was at its peak. Monitoring and measurement, internal audits, corrective actions, and so forth are examples of these procedures. Adopting the ISO 27001 standard can be a very valuable strategy for resolving a variety of security issues in your firm. Furthermore, it can make your job easier and help you gain more acknowledgment from top management.

Contact IAS today to learn more about ISO 27001 Standard, or visit our ISO 27001 Standard frequently asked questions page!