How to Maintain ISO 27001 Certification

How to Maintain ISO 27001 Certification


Maintaining ISO 27001: All standards belonging to the ISO/IEC 27000 family offer organizations help to keep their information assets more secure by minimizing risks. There are more than a dozen members of the ISO/IEC 27000 family.

By taking help from the ISO/IEC 27000 standard, one can secure data assets like intellectual property, personal data of employees, financial data, or any form of information that belongs to the third party.

ISMS (Information Security Management System) is one of the systematic approaches designed for small, medium, and large companies to secure their information, including processes, people associated with the procedures, and other IT systems that apply a risk management process.

Maintaining ISO 27001 Certification

It is a myth that getting ISO 27001 means getting your job done for a lifetime. However, this simply is not the case. Your real responsibility begins right after ISO 27001 certification as you now need to maintain it from then onward. The ISO 27001 certificate is only valid for three years, followed by a surveillance audit and re-certification. An organization must undergo the same audit process as was done initially at ISO 27001 certification.

1. Operating the ISMS

Ensure to perform all activities compliant with ISO 27001, which means all procedures/protocol and control being followed fulfill the requirements of ISO 27001 clauses and Annex A.

2. Updating Documentation

Conditions and business needs might change with time. Some new products/services will be created using innovative ways, and some old products or technologies can be abolished or transformed into something new.

Your policies and procedures will be updated, and there always be new requirements that you need to fulfill as we are all living in a competitive market world.

Updating the documentation should be a mandatory part of your management system. Periodic reviews lead to report-submission to higher management. This entire process makes the whole chain more effective.

3. Risk Assessment Review

Threats and risks will also change their forms or may become more intensive. Risk management strategies should also be upgraded in the same way as changes that impact are major or minor.

4. Measure, Monitor, and Review ISMS

How to know if you are on the right track or not? As far as monitoring is concerned, one must keep a close eye on developing and increasing threats and risks. Industry best-practice suggests recording incidents or security threats received from external sources to control risks on your radar. These real risks will assist you in making your system more secure and ultimately risk-free.

5. Perform Effective Internal Audits

If done correctly, internal audits can be of great help as it will highlight many loopholes existing in your current management system (although you will be ISO 27001 certified). Due to organizations’ advancement and continuous evolution, your team may overlook a few gaps as they have multiple things to focus on. Priorities may change with time.

6. Perform Successful Management Reviews

To make sure all management reviews lead to fruitful outcomes will be the top leadership team’s prime responsibility. You need to ensure that Management is updated with the most current information on ISMS performance, risks, and controls, and in case of deviation, the administration has taken action too.

7. Devise Efficient Corrective Actions

Corrective actions are essential to solving problems. Improvements should be part and parcel of your management system, and so are corrective actions that must be efficient.

A surveillance audit should be conducted every year by the certification body, and they will check all the above points mentioned to gauge your ISO 27001 compliance level.

Are you looking to get ISO 27001 certification for your business?

What questions do you have? How can we help? Contact us today to learn more about ISO 27001 certification.

Article Source : https://www.sync-resource.com/maintaining-iso-27001-certification/

 

Write a Comment