Acquiring an ISO 27001 certification is a huge deal for an organization. It takes many years and demands a significant amount of involvement from all stakeholders, both internal and external, of the organization. You will have to do more than check off some boxes and submit a document for approval. There are some steps you should take as an organization before you attempt to receive your ISO 27001 certification.
First, you want to have a plan. You should think of the ISO 27001 certification as a project and treat it that way. It would be best if you managed it as you would any project with diligence and careful consideration.
It would be best if you had a risk assessment performed to help you create the scope of your report, which must include your threats, risks, and assets. Next, you should determine if you will fail or pass your assessment. Then, you want to create a security roadmap that addresses how you will fix your significant security risks.
Your roadmap should be a guide that helps you design, implement, and install the controls you determined you need. Documentation is critical. You want to document all of the steps you take because you will have to provide it to your auditor to show how you are meeting all of the requirements of ISO 27001. You must continue to monitor the process you put in place to ensure you are in alignment with the standards.
This will alert you to any problems, which could cause you to fail your audit. When you monitor your system, you are better able to correct concerns before it becomes too late. Once you ensure your documentation is mature enough and covers all aspects of potential risk, you may be ready to begin your certification process.
You can expect there to be phases within the certification process. The first is your company must hire a certification body. This body does a basic and preliminary review of your documentation, which should be contained in your information security management system (ISMS).
After the initial assessment, you will receive an in-depth audit that verifies the critical pieces of ISO 27001 are contained in your ISMS. In addition, there must be proof that all procedures and policies are being followed correctly. Next, there will be a lead auditor who is responsible for deciding if you should receive certification. Finally, you can expect to have follow-up audits to ensure that you are remaining compliant and that your security is still in place.
The ISO 27001 is broken up into 12 main sections. These sections include the scope, references, definitions, context, leadership, planning, support, and operation. In addition, there are sections on performance evaluation and operation.
It is essential that you and your company become incredibly familiar with these sections and how the standard is set up before you attempt certification. If you do not understand the criteria, it may be difficult for you to obtain certification because you may not be in alignment with the requirements. ISO 27001 courses can help you understand all of the criteria and prepare for your audit.