ISO 27001 is not something startups should think about for many years. A prospective enterprise client is contacted via email “Please send us ISO 27001 as part of our vendor review.”
Now, certification isn’t a thing to look at the next time. It’s because of an agreement the business is trying to close.
For a lot of growing businesses, that’s the practical beginning point for ISO 27001 for small business. It’s a challenge to determine what must be done without turning an easily manageable project into a strict compliance program for large corporations.
This week, focus on Scope and not on Shopping
It’s commonplace to evaluate compliance platforms and consultants. The best place to start is to determine what Information Security Management System, or ISMS should cover.
It is important to know the scope because trying include unneeded systems, locations or procedures can result in additional documentation and requirements for evidence.
For instance, a smaller SaaS company might be operating in an environment largely focused on cloud infrastructure including employee devices, customer information. It may be also dominated by a small number of major suppliers. Understanding the context helps determine what the certification project actually needs to address.
Take a list of the security features you already have
A few companies who are studying ISO 27001 as a startup suppose that they have to establish a new security operations.
That may not be true.
Modern startups may already use cloud services, and require multi-factor authentication and restrict employee access. They may also keep the system logs and backups. The current procedures must be compared against ISO 27001 requirements. However, starting with the things that work will prevent unnecessary duplication.
The remaining work includes preparing policies, performing risk assessments, making decisions about Annex A controls applicable, creating Statements of Applicability (SOA) and obtaining evidence.
You now know the invoices that pay what.
The ISO 27001 cost becomes much easier to understand when expenses aren’t lumped into a single number.
If you take into account the costs of an independent certification audit, compliance tools, and time spent by staff The first year of a small-sized business’s cost could be anything from $10,000 to $30,000. A consulting fee can be included, but it isn’t a major expense.
The ISO 27001 Certification Cost charged by a certification organization that is accredited is crucial to differentiate from the software fees. While compliance platforms can aid in the organization of process, it is not able to issue a certificate. The independent auditing process is the one that certifies the certification.
Then comes the evidence
A policy that states that employee access is removed after departure isn’t enough. Auditor needs proof that the procedure is working.
ISO 27001 is based on the distinction between showing and saying.
CertAssist is designed to manage this process without connecting directly to live systems in a company. It displays all 93 ISO 27001-2022 Annex A control templates on a single board. An editable policy as well as an evidence templates are also offered.
Templates are a great tool for small groups to avoid the tedious task of creating each policy from scratch.
Certification Day is Not the Final Line
Depending on the company’s existing security procedures and capabilities depending on their security policies and resources, it can take a new company between three and six months to prepare for certification. The certification body conducts audits in Stage 1 and Stage 2.
After you have passed the audits, you shouldn’t simply put aside your ISMS. The ISMS has to continue to keep track of controls and records. Following certification, surveillance audits are performed.
This is a crucial aspect to be considered when creating the program. It’s not enough for a small-sized business to simply use an ISMS that they can afford. It should have an ISMS that the team can access after the project is over.
It’s rare to find that the biggest company is the one with the best ISO 27001 program. The best ISO 27001 program is one that conforms to the requirements, has genuine security practices, and can endure scrutiny from outsiders and be manageable after everyone returns to work.