One way organizations assure partners around the world of their commitment to security and data privacy is by complying with international frameworks like ISO 27001. Complying efficiently requires scoping, implementation, and assessment—or an alternative path through mapping. Are you ready to achieve ISO 27001 certification? Schedule a consultation to find out!
How to Streamline ISO 27001 Certification
Compliance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) frameworks has been a hallmark of international business across industries for years. Organizations gearing up for growth on a global scale may need to become ISO 27001 compliant, which can be challenging.
Luckily, the ISO 27001 certification process can be streamlined by way of:
- Scoping out the framework to understand if you need it and if you’re ready for it
- Implementing policies and controls in compliance with the standard’s requirements
- Seeking out and securing an accredited audit to confer ISO 27001 certification
- Ensuring ISO compliance through other means, like an omnibus framework
Working with a compliance advisor will help you meet or exceed all requirements efficiently.
Understanding Scope, Readiness, and Applicability
The first and most fundamental part of an efficient ISO 27001 certification process is understanding what the program entails, whether it applies, and how ready you are for it.
To that effect, the ISO 27001 standard is one of many frameworks published by ISO. This one in particular is co-authored with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), hence its full official title, ISO/IEC 27001:2022. It exists to create uniform standards for cybersecurity across the world, and it is seen as a gold standard in many international business contexts.
In terms of readiness, ISO 27001 is most similar in scope to other comprehensive standards, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) or the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) SOC 2 standard.
If your organization complies with these or other all-encompassing frameworks, you may be prepared for ISO 27001 compliance. See below for a full breakdown of its requirements.
Do You Need to Become ISO 27001 Certified?
Aside from readiness, there are also questions of applicability to ask as you prepare for ISO (or any) regulatory implementation. Most regulations apply based on location or industry concerns.
ISO 27001 is not explicitly required by law in any territory in the US at present. However, as noted above, it is similar to NIST and other US-based regulatory frameworks that may be required per state or national law. Internationally, there are few if any countries that mandate ISO 27001 compliance for all organizations, but local business environments may demand it.
On an industry level, similarly, ISO 27001 is more often an expectation or gold standard rather than a strict legal requirement. In industries that require processing a plethora of sensitive data, such as international banking or SaaS provisions involving personal data, you may need to become ISO 27001 certified or elect to for the competitive advantage it provides.
Implementing Compliant Policies and Controls
As with other compliance frameworks, organizations need to implement controls up to specific requirements to secure ISO 27001 certification. However, unlike some other frameworks, ISO 27001 can be a bit harder to navigate. The earlier portions of the document detail context and logical underpinnings, whereas the requirements themselves are relegated to an Annex.
This is in part because ISO 27001 constitutes an information security management system (ISMS), and much of the framework’s focus is on top-down governance across the ISMS. A compliant organization needs to implement controls, but effective policies are equally critical to ensuring all data is protected from compromise and access to software/hardware is restricted.
Another key element is managing rather than neglecting risk—more on this below.
ISO 27001 Requirements (Updated in 2022)
In the most recent edition of ISO 27001, published in 2022, the list of controls was condensed from prior editions. ISO 27001:2013 comprised 114 controls spread across 14 categories. But ISO 27001:2022 comprises 93 controls, spread across just four categories in Annex A.
The controls required in ISO 27001:2022 break down as follows:
- Organizational Controls (Clause 5) – These are 37 requirements related to overall management and governance for security, including policy and resource allocation.
- People Controls (Clause 6) – These are eight requirements for personnel-level control via staffing, allocation, management, training, and behavioral guardrails for assurance.
- Physical Controls (Clause 7) – These are 14 requirements pertaining to physical and proximal safeguards applied across hardware and areas to control and monitor access.
- Technological Controls (Clause 8) – These are 34 controls governing technological safeguards, such as firewalls and software-level monitoring, applied across all systems.
In addition, organizations need to account for ISO 27001 risk management.
ISO 27001 Risk Management Processes
Another essential part of ISO 27001 compliance is creating a holistic plan for managing risks at the organizational level. In practice, even the strongest cyberdefense system will encounter risk; security is less about completely eliminating risks than managing them when they arise. To that effect, ISO 27001 requires regular risk assessments that quantify and prioritize risks based on how likely they are to impact an organization and how sever the impact would be if realized.
Once risks are identified, there are four possible ways of dealing with them per ISO 27001:
- Treatment through security controls that make the risk less likely to materialize
- Avoidance of circumstances that would allow the risk to occur or escalate
- Transfer of impact stakes through third-party mitigation or involvement
- Acceptance of risk when the costs to eliminate it outweigh its impacts
Ensuring all risks are accounted for is as critical as implementing the controls detailed above.
Conducting an Official ISO 27001 Audit
With a quality ISMS in hand and all controls implemented, organizations are ready to certify their compliance with the ISO 27001 framework. The biggest hurdle at this stage is finding an assessor who has received ISO 27001 accreditation and is eligible to confer certification.
There are several directories that list accredited assessors for ISO 27001 and other audits. The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) maintains an updated register of certification bodies that can be filtered by location; IAF is also specifically endorsed by ISO as a trustworthy source.
As you compare providers, be sure to inquire about the process and timeline for ISO audits.
The partner you work with, the length of your assessment process, and the number of times controls need to be re-checked are all major contributors to ISO 27001 certification costs.
Working with an advisor prior to your assessment will facilitate a swift, easy audit.
ISO 27001 Compliance by Other Means
As noted above, ISO 27001 is similar to several other all-encompassing frameworks that an organization based in the US may be more familiar with. This similarity allows for mapping from one standard to another and, in some cases, multi-faceted assessments that facilitate multiple certifications at once. One of the most promising frameworks in this regard is HITRUST.
The HITRUST CSF is an omnibus framework that combines controls from several other frameworks—ISO included—into a one-size-fits-all guide for compliance across industry, location, and other regulatory contexts. HITRUST CSF controls include Implementation Level standards that meet other frameworks’ requirements, including ISO. Implementing HITRUST and performing a HITRUST assessment allows organizations to “assess once, report many.”
Rethink Your ISO 27001 Certification Today
Achieving compliance with the ISO 27001 framework efficiently starts with knowing where you stand with respect to readiness and applicability and installing controls. Then, you’ll need to secure an official assessment—or achieve compliance through other means, like HITRUST.
RSI Security helps organizations achieve their compliance and certification goals efficiently, maximizing cybersecurity assurance while minimizing cyberdefense spend. We know the right way to protect your data is the only way, and we’re committed to helping you optimize for that.
To learn more about the process of 27001 certification for individuals and organizations, and how RSI Security will help you rethink your approach to compliance, contact us today!