ISO 27001 explained: What it can (and can't) do for your business

With the continued rise in cyber attacks—particularly those targeting supply chains—there’s been growing pressure within the industry for organisations to demonstrate information security to clients, partners and regulators.

ISO 27001 is one of the most popular and globally recognised frameworks for demonstrating that your company takes information security seriously. However, it’s important to understand that ISO 27001 certification doesn’t automatically mean your company data is completely secure.

ISO 27001 provides a framework for implementing an Information Security Management System (ISMS), but it's not a prescriptive standard. It doesn’t tell you exactly what controls your individual business needs to implement, or how to do it. That part is down to your organisation's risk assessment and risk appetite.

To build true resilience, it’s essential to pair ISO 27001 with other complementary standards and frameworks, like Cyber Essentials, that provide you with practical, standardised security controls. This provides assurance to you, and your partners, of your true baseline level of security.

The benefits of ISO 27001

Although ISO 27001 certification alone doesn’t protect you from cyber-attacks or data breaches, it provides lots of benefits to your business, including:

• Embedding risk management: ISO 27001 requires a risk-based approach to identify information security risks within the business context and develop appropriate treatment plans, using Annex A as a starting point for selecting controls. These then become part of normal operations.
• Improving resilience: The framework can support proactive planning for security incidents so you can respond effectively and recover faster from disruption. (If the appropriate controls are deemed in scope from the risk assessment.)
• Demonstrating due diligence: ISO 27001 demonstrates that your organisation takes proactive steps to secure information and manage risks within its risk appetite.
• Assuring the supply chain: Many clients require suppliers to provide evidence of strong information security practices. ISO 27001 certification provides independent verification through annual audits, meaning individual clients don’t necessarily need to conduct audits of their own. They can simply request evidence of certification and policies to review if it’s in line with their own risk-appetite.

Read more about how to maintain ISO 27001 compliance over the long term from PGI's Head of Governance, Risk & Compliance.

Common misconceptions about ISO 27001

Despite its popularity, there are often misunderstandings about how ISO 27001 actually supports information security. 

“ISO 27001 makes our data completely secure”

ISO 27001 provides you with a framework to manage and reduce information security risks, but this is just the start.  In line with the standard’s principles, your organisation should continuously work to improve its security posture as part of a broader strategy.

“ISO 27001 certification is the same for all organisations”

Each ISMS is unique to the organisation. Certification reflects adherence to your own defined ISMS scope and controls – so two companies who are certified could actually have very different levels of security.

“ISO 27001 replaces other security frameworks”

Different frameworks serve a different purpose. ISO 27001 provides you with an ISMS framework but not specific controls or how to implement them. Schemes like Cyber Essentials provide measurable, fundamental security controls, which complements ISO 27001 well, by helping to establish your organisation’s baseline level of security.  

So, is ISO 27001 the right fit for your business?

ISO 27001 is a flexible framework which allows you to define the scope of your ISMS in line with your individual business objectives and risk appetite. 

ISO 27001 isn’t the right fit for every organisation: it takes time and allocation of resources to maintain compliance over the long term. You can outsource ISO 27001 to external consultants for guidance and to facilitate implementation, but your organisation ultimately needs to take ownership of the ISMS you have in place to really maximise its value.  

For organisations just starting out in their cybersecurity journey, frameworks like Cyber Essentials are the ideal first step to implementing fundamental controls, which provides the foundation you can build on with more advanced frameworks as your organisation matures. 

Implementing ISO 27001 brings lots of benefits to your organisation, clients and partners. Whether you’re just starting out on your security roadmap, or ready to advance to a mature Information Security Management System (ISMS), the right guidance can help you to maximise your investment. 

Get in touch with us  today to find out how we can help you implement the right information security framework for your specific business needs.