6 Compelling Reasons Why Companies Should Get the ISO 27001 Certification

When it comes to choosing a company for a product or services, data security is a top concern for customers. The incessant evolution of technologies and expansion of the digital landscape in the business world has no doubt eased their operations and extended their reach to more customers worldwide, but it should not be overlooked that it has also attracted cybercriminals and served as a good way to hack confidential details for monetary fraud or other crimes. An extensive information security management system (ISMS) should be at the core of every organization. The ISO 27001 certification specifies the best practices you should follow to create and operate your ISMS.  The standard provides a clear framework for your ISMS that will strengthen your organization’s ability to protect information assets of all forms.

The prime reason for having an ISO certified ISMS is to uphold the confidentiality of your client data as well as internal business information and stakeholder information. However, there are more reasons to consider.

Recognition by a Global Standardization Organization

ISO or International Organization for Standardization is a global body that issues various standards which govern the principles and regulations for different management systems. ISO 27001 is the standard designed for ISMS which provides the high-level requirements for implementing and operating the ISMS. As a result, getting certified with this ISO standard earmarks your organization’s approach to information security and build your reputation in the international and local markets.

Avoidance of All Types of Data Breaches

This is the obvious reason you should get an ISMS certified with ISO 27001 for your organization. It guides you to form and implement a robust security management system putting in the best procedural controls and practices.  Thereby, all kind of threats of cyber crime and privacy breaches are detected at the earliest and prevented. For the threats that are unavoidable, ISMS provides you with immediate corrective actions to minimize the consequences and recover from the damage.

Helps in Tendering for Big Business Contracts

Compliance with standard information security practices are what most big organizations look for while getting a supplier or third-party for any services or raw materials. So if your organization has ISO certification for your ISMS, you can easily tender for new business contracts. The certification potentially increases the scope for your business and helps you get more revenue.

Ensures Regulatory and Statutory Compliance

There are many general and statutory data protection laws that an organization needs to comply with for ensuring information security. These regulations are governmental, industry-specific, or introduced by cybersecurity authorities. Thankfully, the ISO 27001 standard covers compliance with all these regulations. Half of the best practices are directed to help the organizations comply with general and regulatory laws altogether. Hence, your organization never runs the risk of any data security noncompliance and subsequent fines or lawsuits for that.

Provides a Competitive Edge

When data security is the prime concern for everyone in this technologically advanced era, ISO 27001 standard helps you to demonstrate your strong security measures. Whether it is about getting vendor contracts, distributing partners, investors, or individual customers, your organization is likely to have an advantage over others who do not have the certification. Your ISO certification is a key indicator of your commitment to data security and so they can more easily trust you.

Ensures Ongoing Improvement

After achieving the ISO 27001 certification, you need a consistent approach to maintain it in the long run as the validation period of the certification is 3 years. You need to conduct an annual review of your ISMS and security processes to ensure that they comply with the requirements of ISO 27001, even if the standard is revised in between the period. Annual reviewing of the ISMS also provides you clear insights into the aspects in your ISMS that need to be improved to meet increasing information security needs.

Achieving the ISO 27001 certification by conforming to the specified requirements makes your ISMS strong and capable of managing widespread data security risks. It has the potential to help you in earning more contracts, gaining competitive advantages, developing a brand image, and so on.  However, above all these reasons, the certification ensures establishing an ISMS that contain practices and controls to meet the top organizational objectives of information security i.e., confidentiality, integrity, and safe accessibility of your data.