Startups can go for years without even thinking about ISO 27001. An email from a business customer requests your ISO 27001 certification as part our vendor security review.
Certification is suddenly not something you need to be thinking about next year. It’s related to an agreement the business is trying to terminate.
ISO 27001 is a good start for many small-scale enterprises. It’s difficult to figure out the steps to take without turning a manageable project into a compliance program that is geared towards enterprises.
Week One Should Be About Scope, Not Shopping
The first reaction could be to start comparing compliance platforms and consultants. The best place to start is to figure out what the Information Security Management System, or ISMS, needs to cover.
It is important to know the scope because trying include unnecessary systems, locations or processes may result in additional documentation and evidence requirements.
Small SaaS businesses, for example they may have an environment that’s centered around cloud infrastructures and employee devices, as well as client information, and just a few critical vendors. Understanding this environment will help establish the issues that the certification program will need to focus on.
List the security that you have already
Companies looking into ISO 27001 for startups sometimes think they will need to create an entirely new security operation.
It might not be the scenario.
Modern startups may already require multi-factor authentication, limit the access of employees, keep system logs, manage backups as well as document onboarding and offboarding procedures, and make use of established cloud providers. Practices in place must be evaluated against ISO 27001 requirements, but beginning with what is effective can avoid unnecessary duplicates.
The remainder of the job includes preparing policies, performing risk assessments and finding Annex A controls applicable, complete Statements of Applicability (SOA) and collecting evidence.
Be aware of which invoices are paid for What?
The ISO 27001 cost becomes much easier to understand when expenses aren’t lumped into a single number.
The first year costs for a small business may be as low as $10,000-$30,000 according to the amount of time required by employees, the use of software to guarantee compliance, and independent audits of certification. Consulting costs are an additional expense, but it’s not an obligation.
The ISO 27001 Certification Cost charged by a certification organization that is accredited is particularly significant to distinguish from software-related fees. The compliance platform is a tool that allows for the organization of work but cannot issue the certification. The process of independent auditing is what certifies the certification.
Then Comes the Evidence
A policy that says employees’ access to company resources will be revoked following their departure does not suffice. The auditor needs to be able to verify that the procedure is put in place.
ISO 27001 is concerned with the distinction between stating something and demonstrating it.
CertAssist facilitates this process without the need to connect directly to a live system. It displays all 93 ISO 27001:2022 Annex A controls on one board It also provides editable policy and evidence templates It also supports the Statement on Applicability and also allows auditing access only for read-only.
For a small team, template templates can be a great way to avoid the inefficient task of writing each policy from the beginning of a blank document.
Certification Day Isn’t the Finish Line
A new company can spend anywhere from three to six months preparing for certification based on its current security practices and resources. The body that certifies will then perform the Stage 1 and Stage 2 auditories.
The fact that these audits are passed isn’t a reason to ignore the ISMS. The controls and evidence should be maintained and surveillance audits are conducted after the certification.
This is an important factor to take into consideration when developing the program. Small businesses don’t only need to possess an ISMS they can afford. It must have an ISMS its staff can access after the project is completed.
It’s rare to find the ISO 27001 programme for smaller organisations the most intelligent. It’s one that is in line with the standards, has real security practices, stands up to independent scrutiny, and remains easily manageable after everyone has returned to their regular jobs.
