ISO 27001 is not something that a startup should be thinking about for years. A few days later, an email is sent from a prospective enterprise customer: “Please provide your ISO 27001 certificate as part of our vendor security review.”
The certification issue is no longer a subject that will be debated next year. It’s tied into a contract the company wants to close.
ISO 27001 is a good start for many small enterprises. It’s not easy to identify what needs to be done in order to turn a simple project into a compliance plan for enterprises.
Week One should be about Scope, not Shopping
The first reaction could be to compare compliance platforms and consultants. The best way to begin is to define what ISMS or Information Security Management System needs to include.
The scope of the document is important because trying to include unneeded systems, locations or procedures can result in additional documentation and evidence requirements.
For example, a small SaaS company might have an environment that is largely focused on cloud infrastructure including employee devices, customer data. The environment could also be dominated by handful of key vendors. Understanding the current environment can help you determine which certification is required.
Review the Security You Already Have
Many companies who are looking into ISO 27001 to start ups think they’ll have to create a brand new security operation.
This could not be true.
Modern startups may already have established cloud providers, and may require multi-factor identification, restricted access to employees, system logs to manage documents for onboarding and offboarding. It’s not enough to evaluate current practices against ISO 27001, but if you start with the practices that work currently, it could save unnecessary duplicate work.
The remainder of the task is preparing policies, completing risk assessments and finding Annex A controls applicable, making Statements of Applicability (SOA) and collecting evidence.
Know Which Invoice Pays for What?
It’s simpler to comprehend ISO 27001 costs when they don’t have to be summed into a single figure.
If you take into account the costs of an independent certification audit, compliance tools and staff time the first-year expenditure may be anywhere between $10,000 and $30,000. The consulting fee could be added, but this isn’t an essential expense.
The ISO 27001 certification cost charged by an accredited certification body is especially important to distinguish from software fees. A compliance platform may help organize the work, but it cannot award the certificate. The independent auditing process is the one that certifies the certificate.
Following the proof is presented, the accusation
In the event of a written policy stating that access to employees will be revoked after departure isn’t enough. The auditor must examine evidence to prove that the system is implemented.
The difference between proving and saying is the main point of ISO 27001.
CertAssist helps to manage this work without needing to connect directly to an actual system. It presents all ISO 27001:2022 Annex A controls on one screen It also provides editable policy and evidence templates It also supports the Statement on Applicability and also allows auditors to access the system in a read-only mode.
Templates can be employed by small groups to avoid the laborious process of drafting each policy by hand.
The Finish Line isn’t Certification Day.
A new company can spend anywhere from three to six months in preparation for certification, depending on its existing security practices and resources. The certification body conducts its audits at Stage 1 and 2.
The ISMS will not be forgotten simply because you have passed the audits. The ISMS must be able to monitor controls and provide evidence. After certification, surveillance audits are carried out.
This is an important aspect to consider when creating the program. It’s not enough for a small-sized business to simply have an ISMS which it can afford. It requires an ISMS its team will be able to function realistically once the initial project has concluded.
The most efficient ISO 27001 program for a smaller company is not always the biggest. The best ISO 27001 system is one that conforms to the requirements, has actual security practices, and is able to withstand independent scrutiny and still be manageable after everyone returns to work.