ISO 27001 is not something that startups need to be thinking about for years. When an email arrives from an enterprise client who is promising: “Please provide your ISO 27001 certification as part of our vendor security assessment.”
Then, it’s not something to look at next year. It’s tied into a contract that the company is looking to end.
ISO 27001 can be a good starting point, especially for growing businesses. The issue is understanding the actual requirements without turning a manageable security project into a massive compliance program.
The first week of the week should be focused on Scope, not Shopping
It is common to look at compliance platforms and consultants. An alternative is to identify what the Information Security Management System, or ISMS must cover.
The scope of the project is vital, as adding unnecessary procedures, processes, or locations to the documentation could cause additional evidence or documents requirements.
A small SaaS firm, for example it may have a focused environment built around cloud infrastructure, employee devices, customer information, and a handful of important vendors. Understanding the surroundings will assist in determining which certification is required.
Check out the Security You Already Have
Many companies that are researching ISO 27001 to start ups believe they’ll need to develop a completely new security program.
It could be that it isn’t.
A modern-day startup may require multi-factor authentication, limit the access of employees, keep system logs, manage backups, document onboarding as well as offboarding, and also use the most well-known cloud providers. The current procedures must be assessed against ISO 27001 requirements. However beginning with the elements that work already will prevent unnecessary duplication.
The remainder of the work involves establishing guidelines, conducting the risk assessment, determining applicable Annex A controls, completing the Statement of Applicability and obtaining proof.
It is now possible to identify which invoices are paid for by what.
The ISO 27001 cost becomes much easier to understand when expenses aren’t lumped into a single number.
First-year spending for a small-sized business could range from $10,000 to $30,000 once the independent certification audit, compliance software, and internal staff time are considered. Consulting is an additional cost, but it is not a requirement.
The ISO 27001 Certification Cost charged by a certified certification body is particularly important to distinguish from software charges. Although a compliance platform can aid in the organization of process, it is not able to issue certification. Certification is granted by an independent audit.
Next, the evidence
In the event of a written policy stating that access to employees is terminated upon the departure of an employee isn’t enough. A auditor must be able to demonstrate that the process actually operates.
That difference between proving and saying is the defining factor of ISO 27001.
CertAssist helps to manage this work without needing to connect directly to an actual system. It offers all the 93 ISO 27001 Annex A controls in one board. It also provides editable templates for policy and evidence as well as a Declaration of Applicability.
In a small team template will eliminate the inefficient process of writing every policy on an unfinished page.
Certification Day Isn’t the Finish Line
Based on the current security policies and resources depending on the company’s security practices and resources, it could take a brand new business between 3 and 6 months to prepare for certification. The certification body then conducts Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits.
It isn’t enough to completely forget about the ISMS. The ISMS must be able to keep track of controls and records. Following certification, surveillance audits are performed.
This is an important aspect to take into consideration when designing the program. Small businesses don’t just need an ISMS it can afford to build. It needs one its team will be able to run after the initial project has ended.
It’s not often that even an organization with the most employees is the one with the best ISO 27001 program. It’s one that complies with ISO 27001 standards and reflects true security practices, endures independent inspection and is manageable after everyone is back to their regular jobs.
