What is ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 is a globally recognized standard on information and cyber security. By being compliant with this standard, you are operating in accordance with globally identified best practices. By being ISO 27001 certified, you’re not only operating in accordance with it, but you will also receive a clear stamp as evidence to your customers and other stakeholders that you are working aligned with security best practices.
Common Trap When Pursuing ISO 27001
Often companies who want to pursue ISO 27001 will quickly drop the idea when they start looking into the standard – this is because, often companies fall into the trap of starting with the controls as specified in ISO 270002 . When you only focus on the controls and implementation guidance, it can feel overwhelming and be frustrating as you will notice a lot of the implementation guidance will not make sense to your company and you can be under the impression that you are required to follow all the implementation guidance in order to become compliant or go for the certification.
This is false!
Falling into this trap, you are missing out on the core purpose of the standard. It is not about implementing all the controls and all the guidance you get from the standard – it is about building a functional management system that is aligned with your company context – it is about understanding the issues and risks you as a company are facing, and taking the appropriate measures to protect your assets and information.
How To Go About It The Right Way!
You should always start by focusing on the standard clauses in ISO 27001 that provide clear guidance on how to build a functional management system, when this is done correctly the controls will fall into place in the correct order at the right time in accordance with your company context and the risks that you as a company need to manage.
When people say that small companies should not pursue iso because it is too complex and has too many requirements – the above is the reason why it does not have to be.
All companies should prioritize and have a functional management system on how they secure their own company and the company assets. Protecting your values is a crucial element to stay in business!
Make sure you understand your company, your needs, and please avoid looking at other companies and the measures they have taken to protect themself and think that you have to do the same. Make your management system your own, build it so that it isdesigned to protect your assets. This way, you will have greater success and security will not be something that is forced on your company, it will be a tool to help you work more efficiently and securely.
Summary
To sum it up, ISO 27001 is a great standard to pursue both for small and large organizations.
Make sure you understand the purpose of the standard, and as a result implement a management system that is a perfect fit for your organization for long term success. ISO 27001 done right will result in a more secure and effective company that will again support the main goal of business continuity.
Also See: DNS Recon- How To Use it for Information Gathering
