This article will discuss everything you need to know about ISO 27001 auditing consultants. We will talk about what ISO/IEC 27001 standard is, what are the audit requirements, why an audit is important, and the role of an audit consultant. If you are seeking an ISO 27001 consultant or want to get familiar with the audition process, we recommend you to keep reading this article.
What is ISO/IEC27001? Information Security Management System
ISO/IEC 27001:2013 provides the requirements for the establishment, implementation, maintenance and continual improvement of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) within the context of an organisation. The standard also contains requirements for assessing and treating the information security risks that are unique to every organisation. The recommendations outlined in the ISO 27001 certification Australia are intended to be applicable to all businesses, regardless of their nature, size or type.
What is an ISO 27001 audit? ISO 27001 audit checklist
ISO 27001 audit is essentially a review process that ensures a company’s information security management system is in alignment with the most recent information security best practices as recommended by ISO 27001:2013. In this process, companies must conduct a series of internal audits regularly so that they can undergo an external audit to receive and retain their certification.
In the audit, the auditor checks if the company’s ISMS controls are adequate enough to secure its information assets, documents and data. To qualify for these external audits, the company must undergo regular auditing, demonstrate the efficacy and efficiency of the security controls and showcase its compliance with the standards. This can be achieved by regularly conducting audits so that the level of residual risk can be reviewed and assessed in relation to the existing information security standards. Based on the results of the audit, organisations have the choice to make the residual risk more tolerable. When a company acquires this certificate, it gains a competitive advantage as it showcases to its stakeholders that its security controls are robust and are in alignment with international standards.
Importance of ISO 27001 audits for a company information security management
Technically, to complete the ISO 27001 certification process, a series of audits are required. Without successfully completing this series of audits, an organisation cannot claim that they comply with the internationally accepted best practices for information security management. Even after an organisation receives its certificate, it must follow a regular auditing schedule to demonstrate ongoing compliance and maintain its certificates. Essentially, auditing shows that a company’s systems, controls and processes are working effectively and are continuously protecting the information assets. So in other words, audits are a method of increasing stakeholder confidence in the company that their information is still safe, secure and relevant. By regularly scheduling audits, organisations are able to assess for new risks. This is extremely helpful as the company is expanding because it pre-emptively identifies and mitigates any weaknesses in its existing systems. Therefore, the importance of ISO 27001 audits is that they help to rectify weaknesses and reveal opportunities for organisations so that they can strengthen their IT security practises.
ISO 27001 audit consultant and ISO consultant; What is the difference?
Before you understand the role of an ISO 27001 audit consultant, you must understand the difference between an audit consultant and an ISO 27001 consultant. An ISO consultant will help with the implementation of the management system, whereas an ISO audit consultant will prepare your organisation for the external audit. Hence, ISO consultants aim to increase the efficiency of a management system, whereas ISO auditing consultants aim to enhance your performance in the external audit.
When talking about ISO 27001, the auditing consultant will ensure that your paperwork is in alignment, your processes are properly recorded, and your personnel are adequately trained for the upcoming audit.
What is the role of an ISO 27001 audit consultant?
The audit consultant will begin by checking the internal risk assessment report to identify how the organisation has been historically dealing with risks. Reading the report will allow the consultant to understand what are the risks related to the organisation, how likely they ought to occur, how severe the impact will be if they occur and how the organisation decides to mitigate them. The consultant will then check the risk matrix application and how you have prioritised the likelihood and impact to categorise these risks. The response plan that was developed to address each risk will then be assessed by the ISO auditing consultants for any bureaucratic loopholes.
Based on your quality control and security procedures, the ISO auditing consultant will then dig into Annex A to see the controls that the organisation has implemented. After reviewing your documentation and controls, the auditing consultant will then perform a site audit to see how your controls are performing in real life. The purpose of this entire process is to see if all the major non-conformities have been appropriately addressed so that your ISO 27001 certification is issued without any obstacles. The consultant will help you reduce ISO 27001 price for the acquiring process.
Edara Systems help you to keep the company’s information safe
ISO 27001 focuses on developing, maintaining and continuously improving an ISMS that helps organisations keep their information safe. If the organisation needs help with the implementation of the ISMS, they should hire an ISO 27001 consultant who will ensure that the management system aligns with the recommendations of the standard. Alternatively, if the organisation is sure about the efficiency of their management system, they should hire an ISO 27001 auditing consultant to see if their documentation is up to the mark. Edara systems professional ISO 27001 auditing consultants will help your company with the ISO audition procedure. To contact our consultant, you can visit edarasystems.com and ask your questions about the audition process or related subjects to ISO certification.
