October 18, 2023

Last Updated on June 13, 2024

Should your organization pursue ISO 27001 certification?

Here are the 3 most important questions to consider before you commit to the journey.

What benefits does ISO 27001 offer your business?

If clients and/or regulators are specifically asking for ISO 27001 compliance, then you need to achieve it. But if you have a choice, why go for ISO 27001? What business value will it deliver?

In this era of continuously escalating cyber-attacks and new cyber threats, the ability to prove you have effective information security can be an excellent investment regardless of company size or industry. Some of the top business benefits of ISO 27001 certification include:

  • Increased customer wins, revenue, and market share
  • Trustworthy assurance to customers, owners/investors/stockholders, board, partners, and the public that you can protect sensitive data assets like intellectual property, financial and personal information, and third-party data
  • Enhanced ability to compete and demonstrate strong security internationally
  • Reduced risk of incurring the financial, legal, and reputational costs associated with a data breach
  • Reduced impacts when cyber incidents do occur (and they will)
  • Greater ability to achieve, maintain, and demonstrate regulatory compliance
  • Improved risk management, resilience, and operational excellence

Do you have top management buy-in?

Once you decide to work towards ISO 27001 certification, what is your plan to convince top management? Because you can’t get to ISO 27001 without leadership buy-in.

The ISO 27001 standard mandates and ensures C-suite support and guidance. Management must commit to planning, implementing, validating, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining, and continuously improving your ISO 27001-compliant information security management system (ISMS).

You need management commit to make sure adequate resources are available, and to provide training and incentives that build a culture of security consciousness. Management also has a big role to play in:

  • Defining and establishing cybersecurity policy
  • Developing and reviewing the cybersecurity plan and roadmap
  • Creating and communicating about ISMS roles and responsibilities
  • Determining acceptable cybersecurity risk

Can you get there from here?

The resources required to attain ISO 27001 certification vary with organizational size and complexity, ISMS scope, current IT/network infrastructure, staffing/expertise, and other factors.

How far is your current security posture from ISO 27001 compliance? Do you have the budget, time, expertise, and organizational drive to realistically get there?

Once you’ve scoped your ISMS, you’re ready for a “gap analysis” to accurately determine where you are and where you need to go. That analysis will demand a thoroughly understanding of your true cybersecurity picture and current cyber risks, along with all the ISO 27001 requirements as they relate to your business.

From there, you’ll need to chart a roadmap to successful certification, including a prioritized list of risks and how you plan to treat them.

Once you finally have those key facts and figures, you can decide on issues like:

  • Can you find the necessary implementation staffing, including third-party resources?
  • Do you have adequate budget for new security technology and other IT expenses?
  • Can you mount sufficient effort to achieve compliance in the planned timeframe?
  • Are top management and technical leaders firmly committed to putting the business 100% behind the ISO 27001 certification project?

What’s next?

ISO 27001 certification requires significant organizational dedication, expertise, planning, and resources. For many SMBs, just getting started can be a challenge. Evaluating and auditing current controls and interpreting the ISO 27001 standard are other common hurdles.

CBIZ Pivot Point Security Pivot Point Security is a leading consulting firm for ISO 27001 certification and has a 100% success rate bringing over 100 organizations of all sizes to certification.

To explore an efficient, guaranteed successful path to ISO 27001 certification, contact us to connect with an ISO 27001 expert.