ISO 27001 is not something that a startup should think about for many years. An email comes in from a promising enterprise customer: “Please provide your ISO 27001 certificate as a part of our vendor security review.”
Certification is no longer something you need to be thinking about the year ahead. It’s related to an agreement that the company is trying to end.
ISO 27001 can be a good starting point, especially for growing companies. The problem is to figure out what’s actually required without turning a manageable compliance program into an enterprise-sized security project.
The first week of the week should be focused on Scope, not shopping
It may be instinctive to evaluate compliance platforms and consultants. An alternative is determining what the Information Security Management System, or ISMS must cover.
It is important to consider the scope, since adding systems, locations, and procedures that aren’t essential can result in the need for the need for additional documentation or evidence.
For instance, a smaller SaaS company might have an environment that is largely focused on cloud infrastructure including employee devices, customer information. It could also be dominated by a few key vendors. Knowing the specifics of your environment will help you decide what your certification plan should be addressing.
Create a list of all the security you have
A few companies who are studying ISO 27001 as a startup believe that they need to create an entirely new security program.
This could not be the instance.
Modern startups might already have established cloud providers, and may require multi-factor identification, limited employee access and system logs for managing the onboarding process and documentation for offboarding. Existing practices still need to be assessed against ISO 27001 requirements, but beginning with what is being used can stop unnecessary duplicates.
The remainder of the work involves establishing policies, conducting the risk assessment, finding the applicable Annex A controls, completing the Statement of Applicability, and gathering evidence.
Which invoice is credited for what?
When costs are not combined into one number and are not bundled into one number, it’s easier to see the ISO 27001 cost.
When you look at the cost of an audit by an independent certifier, tools for compliance, and time for staff The first year of a small-sized business’s expenditure may be anywhere between $10,000 and $30,000. Consulting fees can be added, but this isn’t a major expense.
The ISO 27001 certification cost charged by an accredited certification body is especially important to distinguish from software fees. A compliance platform is a great tool to with the task, but it’s not able award the certificate. The independent auditing process is what certifies the certification.
Then Comes the Evidence
It’s not enough simply to draft an policy that states employees are denied access upon their departure. Auditors require proof that the procedure is functioning.
This distinction between saying and demonstrating is central to ISO 27001.
CertAssist is designed to facilitate this process without connecting directly to live systems of a company. It lists all ISO 27001:2022 Annex A controls on one screen, provides editable policy and evidence templates, supports the Statement of Applicability, and allows auditor access that is read-only.
Templates can be utilized by small groups to avoid the lengthy process of creating every policy by hand.
The Line to the Finish Line isn’t Certification Day.
A business that is beginning from scratch might need to take between three to six months getting ready to be certified. This is contingent upon their security policies and procedures, as well as available resources. The body that certifies will then carry out Stage 1 and Stage 2 auditories.
It isn’t enough to completely forget about the ISMS. Controls and evidence need to be maintained and surveillance audits must be conducted after the certification.
It is important to consider this when developing the program. Small businesses don’t just need an ISMS it can afford to build. It needs an ISMS to ensure that the team will be able to work effectively when the initial project has been completed.
Rarely is the ISO 27001 programme for smaller businesses the most efficient. The best ISO 27001 program is one that adheres to the standards, is based on genuine security practices, and can endure scrutiny from outsiders and be manageable after everyone returns to work.