How ModeOne Quickly Achieved ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification (And What It Means for You)
Digital threats are increasing and evolving at a rapid pace. For companies that handle sensitive or personal data, risk is all around when it comes to safeguarding information assets. Plus, today’s privacy standards are higher than ever before, and regulatory bodies are catching up to meet those preferences (think: GDPR or CCPA), further complicating the risk landscape with added compliance threats.
That’s why ISO/IEC 27001:2022 has become the international standard for information security certification. ISO/IEC 27001:2022 provides a best-practice framework for identifying, evaluating, and mitigating information security risks, including those related to personal data. With its recent 2022 updates, the guidelines reflect modern security considerations. Businesses that achieve certification are fundamentally better equipped to navigate today’s risk landscape simply by engaging with the framework. By following its requirements, companies can organically drive compliance and stay competitive when it comes to security and privacy.
The Complicated Steps to Achieving ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 outlines the necessary requirements for an information security management system (ISMS). The ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard offers guidance for organizations of all sizes and industries on how to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an ISMS.
But, achieving ISO27001 is no small feat––they don’t call it the global gold standard for nothing. Organizations that want to reach certification need to:
- Get executive buy-in and create a culture of security and privacy that can drive this resource-intensive, complex, company-wide culture.
- Conduct internal audits of information assets, documentation, and security protocols.
- Conduct a gap analysis against ISO27001 guidelines.
- Resolve nonconformities by updating documentation and controls that match ISO27001 controls.
- Undergo an initial pre-certification audit of required documentation.
- Implement a corrective action plan to address nonconformities.
- Undergo a second audit. Certification is received if the company meets the requirements of the ISO27001 standard body and supporting applicable annex controls.
Of course, these seven high-level checkpoints include numerous resource-intensive steps that take time and must be tailored for the specific industry. For ModeOne, the process also included partnering with a nationally recognized security partner to ensure we not only followed the ISO standard but did so in a way that was appropriate for the digital forensics industry, size of our company and the complexity of our systems. It involved galvanizing our board and executive team to ensure the proper resources were made available and the necessary investments were made. Additionally, it entailed performing internal audits alongside 3rd party reviews to identify gaps in our policies and controls against the ISO standard. We also implemented any necessary changes to meet ISO standards and operated our ISMS for 9 months prior to initiating formal certification.
To further complicate things, an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate is valid for just three years. In years two and three, organizations undergo smaller surveillance audits to keep their certification. After three years, companies complete another full-scale audit to receive a new certificate.
ModeOne Achieved ISO/IEC 27001:2022 in Record Time
Due to all these complicated steps – steps that require massive coordination across IT, legal, HR, executive leadership, and beyond – it can take companies upwards of five years to scale up their information security management systems and reach certification. That’s why most of the organizations you see announcing certification are generally larger organizations with more established security programs and greater resources. Samsung, for example, just announced their ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for their SmartThings platform.
Excitingly, it took ModeOne just over two years to achieve our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, despite only having ten full-time employees on the team. That’s because we built the company on a foundation of forward-looking privacy and security. The product itself features architecture that prioritizes privacy and security, and we’ve always leveraged industry best-practices for documentation and control points.
From our start, we’ve established a culture in which everyone is expected to contribute to the integrity of information management, creating the conditions necessary to reach certification and future-proof the organization as the cybersecurity landscape evolves. Organizations that want to achieve certification quickly should hyperfixate on developing this kind of company ethos, too. After all, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 auditors are looking for a security-conscious culture when evaluating ISMS. They know that a well-informed and vigilant workforce is more likely to work together to reduce threats, uphold privacy standards, manage risk and maintain compliance.
The Benefits of ISO Certification for All Stakeholders
Companies with an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification have put in place a system that manages risks related to the security of data owned or handled by the company. An information security management system that meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 27001:2022 preserves the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
These three principles mean that only the right people can access the information held by the organization (confidentiality), the data the organization uses to pursue its business or keeps safe for others is reliably stored and not erased or damaged (integrity), and the organization and its customers can access the information whenever necessary (availability). But, what exactly does this mean for the company, its employees, and its customers?
Company Benefits
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified companies are better equipped to protect their IP, brand, and reputation. They’re likely to win more business from new customers, reducing the cost of sale along the way. Customers with an ISO certificate often see better customer retention and improved processes leading to cost and time savings. They avoid fines from regulatory non-compliance. At ModeOne specifically, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification signals that our board and executive team are committed–from the top down–to security, which means that the appropriate resources are always allocated to uphold privacy, security, and compliance.
Employee Benefits
Employees at an ISO/IEC 27001:2022-certified organization get access to best-in-class data security and privacy training, skills that can make their resumes much more attractive in the job market. At ModeOne, for example, employees receive training related to the handling and securing of both internal and client data. Employees also benefit from greater clarity around roles, responsibility, policies, and procedures. The certification can make their jobs easier when selling or dealing with current customers since there’s something tangible to point to when questions about security or privacy come up.
Customer Benefits
Customers that work with a certified company can feel confident knowing their sensitive data is being treated with the utmost care. By partnering with an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 organization like ModeOne, customers can be confident that collected data assets will remain undamaged, confidential, and available as needed. The certification demands proactivity and continuous improvement so customers can trust that they’re teaming up with a company that will evolve alongside shifting security, privacy, and compliance standards––ultimately reducing risk.
Looking Ahead: Getting Ahead of Security, Privacy, and Compliance
ISO/IEC 27001 is updated periodically as technology, regulations, business practices, and the threat landscape evolve. The latest revision, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, which replaces the previous 2013 version, was released in October of 2022 and includes new organizational, people-related, physical, and technical controls. Notably, organizations now need to come up with prevention measures for data leakage and protect information shared through electronic messaging, among eleven other new controls.
Keeping data safe and secure and proving compliance has never been so complicated, but by keeping up with the latest ISO/IEC 27001 requirements and committing to continual improvement over time (which is a requirement itself), organizations can streamline data privacy, security, and compliance––which is exactly what we plan to do here at ModeOne.