ISO 27001 Controls – What is the ISO 27001 Standard?
What is the ISO 27001 standard? How many ISO 27001 controls are there? More importantly, could your UK business benefit from certification?
ISO 27001 is an international certification standard which demonstrates that your business has put in place controls for the safe handling and storage of sensitive business and consumer data.
Here, we’ll look at what controls are covered by ISO 27001. We’ll also look at whether or not certification might be beneficial for your organisation.
What is the ISO 27001 Standard?
ISO 27001 is designed to standardize the control measures that international organisations use when handling and sharing sensitive data. ISO 27001 controls, therefore, outline several Information Security Management System (ISMS) best practices.
Are you a business that regularly shares sensitive data with other organizations? If so, implementing ISO 27001 controls will give consumers and businesses you work with more confidence in your ability to safely handle data on their behalf.
ISO 27001 Controls – A Brief Overview
In total, there are 114 controls in 14 clauses and 35 control categories outlined by ISO 27001. The 14 chief control sets outlined in Annex A of the Standard are as follows:
- Information Security Policies – 2 controls outline how organization security policies should be written and reviewed.
- Organisation of Information Security – 7 controls outline how responsibilities for managing different security tasks should be assigned to different employees.
- Human Resource Security – 6 controls outline how employees should be trained to safeguard data and what their obligations will be both during and after employment.
- Asset Management – 10 controls outline how organisations should identify different types of information assets and implement appropriate security measures accordingly.
- Access Controls – 14 controls outline how organisations should manage and restrict access to data as per employee job roles.
- Cryptography – 2 ISO 27001 controls outline how encryption should be used to safeguard sensitive data.
- Physical & Environmental Security – 15 controls specify how physical workplaces and IT equipment should be managed to maintain data security.
- Operations Security – 14 controls outline how organisations should ensure that data processing facilities are kept secure.
- Communications Security – 7 ISO 27001 controls dictate how internal and external network communications should be kept secure.
- System Acquisition, Development & Maintenance – 13 controls specify how data security should be preserved as organisations acquire, develop, and maintain new IT systems.
- Supplier Relationships – 5 controls outline how organisations should work with third-party suppliers to ensure the safe processing of shared data.
- Information Security Incident Management – 7 controls outline how businesses should report and respond to potential data breaches.
- Business Continuity Management – 4 controls outline how businesses should address business disruption arising from data breaches.
- Compliance – 8 controls outline how organisations should ensure ongoing compliance with the ISO 27001 standard.
What are the Benefits of ISO 27001 Certification?
The benefits of ISO 27001 Certification are simple. Adhering to an internationally ubiquitous security standard makes it possible for your business to bid successfully on contracts tendered by foreign businesses, governments, and other large organisations.
ISO 27001 Certification also reduces the risk of data breaches, fines, and associated business disruption. Adherence to ISO 27001 controls also helps businesses grow faster, by eliminating confusion concerning large scale data processing and handling.
ISO 27001 Certification Alternatives
One problem with ISO 27001 Certification rests with the fact that certification can be expensive, depending on the size of your businesses . However, there is a viable alternative to the ISO 27001 standard available to smaller UK businesses.
IASME Governance is a standard that is similar to ISO 27001. However, certification is both easier and less costly. IASME Governance Certification also includes Cyber Essentials Certification and covers basic GDPR data security best practices.
How to Get ISO 27001 Certification
To gain ISO 27001 Certification, your business will first need to reach out to experts like ourselves at Defensity.
As UK cyber security experts, we can help you prepare for ISO 27001 Certification. More importantly, we can work alongside ISO 27001 assessors who can certify your organization with the ISO 27001 standard when you can demonstrate adherence to all 114 ISO 27001 controls.
Build more trust locally and internationally in your business. Find out more about ISO 27001 certification & IASME Cyber Assurance, by reaching out to Defensity today.
Important Note: We cannot provide ISO 27001 Certification, you will need to approach an ISO 27001 accreditation body.
FAQ
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This depends on the scope and company size. Please contact us for a live chat – we can provide a quotation within 24 hours.
For a business with technical expertise on hand, this could be achieved in 3 months.
Yearly reassessment is required to maintain your ISO Status
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