Information has always been a premium resource, it's always been something that has been controlled and guarded to ensure that those who shouldn't have it, don't. If you look back through the ages it's always been there, the Romans had Cursus publicus - which was their courier system, much like today's couriers these were people entr...

When organisations start thinking about information management and the security of that information they automatically look towards their IT and typically the CIO or IT Manager gets the call and told to 'secure it', because it's that simple right? Wrong! And wrong in a number of ways. Information is all around Firstly, it's important to not think a...

When you make the decision to really look at information security there are a number of options available to you in terms of how to do it and what standards to follow - NIST, COBIT, ISA, CIS or ISO. The great thing about ISO27001 for Information Security is that it really does cover all the bases and like the updates to ISO9001, 14001, 45001, ISO 2...

When you parked your car this morning did you lock it and put valuables in the boot, so they don't get stolen? What about when you left your house, I bet that was locked up, windows closed, oven and cooker off so as not to burn the place down. You don't want come home and find that your house is empty of all your possessions, that your family photo...

I often ask people I'm working with, "if you want to fix something, to improve it, then what is the 1st thing you have to have in order to be able to do that?" I get all sorts of answers usually most of these resulting of spending a lot of money, which seems to be the default approach – there's a problem lets spend money. The real answer is actuall...

Ever wonder why processes and systems breakdown in your organisation? The answer is normally pretty simple and comes back to just one word, Responsibility. If you don't assign responsibility to someone to get a task done or own a process, then guess what it'll fall over. All processes and systems left unattended eventually just fall over, it's call...

Let's face it when it comes to any form of system, process or way of working the one sure that that will kill it quickly and drive staff morale into the gutter is lack of management commitment. We spoke about the need for this in depth when we looked at the requirements of ISO9001:2015 for Quality Management Systems and it's exactly the same requir...

When people start out on the journey for ISO27001 sometimes they can forget to stop and really think about the design of their Information Security Management System (ISMS), eventually it catches up with them and it happens. One factor in that design that most seem to gloss over however is the Values that the system is based around and that's what ...

Understanding the risks in your organisation is a key part of being able to effectively manage it and its part of the reason that the ISO management systems now take a risk-based approach to things. ISO27001:2015 is no different to the other standards in that respect, if you want to have an effective Information Security Management System (ISMS) th...

When you think about your information systems, repositories and sources of information within your organisation have you built security into them or is it a bolt on after the fact? Is it there at all? Keeping in mind that Information Security is about more than just your IT systems and what's stored there but about all information have you built in...

You may have noticed that we used the word Active twice in the title of this principle, that was deliberate. When it comes to your Information Security Management System relaying on passive, reactive security steps is going to be pretty disastrous for your organisation, waiting for something to happen ( or worse still if something happens and you d...

It's easy to think that when something is called Information Security that it only relates to the 'Information Technology' Department of your organisation, it's a common mistake that many people make. They believe, wrongly, that the IT geeks will have this all taken care of and it's not something for their department or their people to worry about,...

Anyone who reads any of our blogs understands that continuous improvement runs through the DNA of the entire site, we live and breathe continuous improvement so it shouldn't be a surprise that we consider it a key principle of any ISO27001 Information Security management System. The expectation of continuous improvement doesn't just come from us ho...

When talking to clients about implementing any ISO standard the question that they all have is "where do I start?" which seems like a really obvious question, and the answer, well that's equally obvious you start at the very beginning! Now that you have Mary Poppins in your head let's begin. The very first thing you should do is go out and actually...

If you already have ISO9001:2015 then Clause 4 of ISO 27001 is going to sound very familiar, and it should, it's pretty much the same clause but with a few, very minor tweaks in wording and the odd reference. That means you can leverage the work that you have already done in your ISO9001:2015 system for use in your ISO27001:2013 Information Securit...

There are a few clauses in the ISO27001 Information Security management Systems Standard that can cause people a little trepidation or confusion, clause 4.1 – Context of the Organisation tends to be one of those. The thing is however, once you get what they are looking for here it is a really helpful thing for your organisation. Clause 4.1 Understa...

ISO27001 Clause 4.4 Information Security Management System is a small 2-line clause which does not look like it should really matter, it says: The organisation shall establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an information security management system, in accordance with the requirements of this international standard. Great, easy, that...

If you have taken our advice you have so far managed to work through clause for and create outputs for the other sections, 4.1 Understanding the organisation and it's context, 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties and 4.4 Information security management system. What that means is that you are left now with only clause 4...

How many times have you heard people say that it is one rule for them and another for the management? It is certainly the fastest way to kill not only the morale at your company but also the systems that you are trying to use. That is why ISO27001 Clause 5.1 is all about the requirement for Leadership and Commitment, they are codifying the need for...

Clause 5.2 of ISO27001:2013 is all about your Information Security Management Policy and it is pretty insistent that you have one, in fact its Mandatory. That is a pretty good thing since everything else in your entire Information Security Management System happens because of this policy which make sense if you think about it. Policies sit at the t...

If you have already obtained ISO9001 you will recognise the name of this clause because of course they are both aligned to the same high-level structure. The other bonus with already having obtained 9001 is that you are already mostly the way there with achieving the requirements of this clause for your Information security management System. The i...

Like many of the latest ISO standards ISO27001 for Information Security Management Systems takes a risk-based approach to things. That makes sense, since it is hard to make something secure, if you do not understand the risks. Clause 6.1 of the standard – Actions to address risk and opportunities is where this risk-based thinking really kicks into ...

Having objectives is pretty important if you want to achieve something or get somewhere. Organisations (hopefully) have objectives for most things like profitability, sales per year, marketing and even their ISO9001 Quality Management System. It makes sense then that there should be some objectives linked to your ISO27001 Information Security Manag...

ISO2001:2013 clause 7 is all about Support, what do you need, what have you got, does everyone know what they should be doing, have you documented it and a few other things besides that. In this post we are going to cover the first two clauses, clause 7.1 Resources and Clause 7.2 Competence because we think they pretty much go hand in hand, hopeful...

The great thing about ISO27001:2013 is that it follows the high-level structure set out by ISO as their preferred way of working through a standard. What that means it that pretty much all the new ISO standards follow the same list of 10 clauses in the same order. It is designed to help you align your various management systems. That's really helpf...

Like all ISO Management Systems your ISO 27001:2013 Information Security management System is going to need some documentation. The requirements of exactly what to document however are spread throughout the standard in each clause as requirements for documented evidence or records, typically prefaces with the words shall. Clause 7.5 documented info...

Even for the experienced ISO Systems manager, audits can be a nervous time. The second guessing of what you have created in your systems and what your ISO certification auditor is going to be looking for can lead to over thinking things and even on extremes the odd restless night. It does not matter if you are certifying to ISO9001 for quality mana...

ISO27001 for information Security Managements Systems Clause 8 Operation is where the rubber starts to meet the road, this is the part of the standard that requires to you to do what you have so far said you will do. If you think about the structure of the standard and apply the Plan Do Check Act (or Adjust) approach that the standard takes then th...

ISO27001 for Information Security Management Systems clause 9 Performance Evaluation is full of that favourite ISO term "shall" which as we all know means you must do what they are asking. Clause 9 is split into 3 subclauses to help focus you onto the things that really drive the performance evaluation requirements in any management: 9.1 Monitoring...

Clause 10 of ISO27001 Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) is where you get some serious value for your organisation. Along the way to implementing your ISMS you have planned things out, you have implemented your information security management policy, implemented various new processes and systems and in your internal auditing process you...

Clause A6, Organisation of Information Security, of the ISO 27001 is about providing guidance on the management framework of your Information Security Management System (ISMS). Clause A6 is split into two sections, A6.1 covers the Internal Organisation while clause A6.1 covers Mobile Devices and Teleworking (remote working) which is particularly on...

When organisations think about Information Security and what things need to be in place to achieve their ISO27001 Information Security Management System (ISMS) certifications for some reason they mostly forget about the Human Resources function. That is a little strange when you think about it, your relationship with employees and contractors for t...

Often companies when you start talking about asset management you find that companies don't really have a proper asset list, sure they may have a list of capitalised items they have bought that have been added to the 'asset list' but all that is, in reality, is just a set up in the finance ledger to capture depreciation – that's not an asset list. ...

It's probably fair to say that when people think about information security and ISO27001 they rightly think about passwords, access control and who can see what information. Your Information Security Management System (ISMS) is clearly more than that, but it is a very important part and you do need to spend a large part of your time getting the req...

When you first think about cryptography and it's uses, it's not hard to just to the realms of James Bond and secret codes that unlock the secrets of organisations and the nation, why would you need to care about it? The answer is simple really, in today's cloud computing environment for example cryptography appears everywhere, in secure computer sy...

When people think about ISO27001 for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) they tend think about the world of cyberspace, of virtual set ups and protecting their information form someone on a PC hacking in from the other side of the world. That's certainly a part of it and in reality, a small part of it. Your real-world threats are just as...

We split ISO27001 for Information Security Management Systems Annex Clause A11 into 2 parts to try and keep it a bit shorter but also to emphasis that you do need to think about both areas as two steps of the process. In Part 1 we talked about Annex Clause A11.1 – Secure Areas, here we'll talk about 11.2 Equipment. It's easy to just think of secure...

Annex 12 – Operational Security for your ISO27001:2013 Information Security Management System (ISMS) is a pretty substantial clause since it's all about preventing the loss or availability, integrity and importantly confidentiality of your business information. By substantial we mean there are 14 separate elements for you to think about controls th...

While this annex clause of ISO27001 for Information security management systems (ISMS) is named Communication Security, think of it more as the security linked to how you move your information around both internally and externally of your organisation. The clause is split into two parts which really link to that internal & external thinking. A1...

For many organisations having any form of information security system is new, and that can make it a little challenging. It means that you are having to graft your new systems onto what you already have, which is tricky. However, there will come a point that the next system you need isn't one you had before you system, its new and so the very best ...

When we are talking to our clients about steps, they can be taking to improve their management system is stressing the need to capture any incidents that have occurred and improvements that they have made. Rather than thinking about these things as negatives because something was not right, and it created an incident or needed improvement, we help ...

According to Wikipedia, business continuity is defined as "the capability of an organization to continue the delivery of products or services at pre-defined acceptable levels following a disruptive incident" and the business continuity planning is the planning work that goes into the systems and processes you need to put in place to account for tho...

Every standard has a requirement that you understand and meet your legal, statutory, regulatory, or contractual obligations. Organisations should have a register to manage these things where you can list out what the requirement is and how you meet that requirement. It shouldn't need a standard to tell you need to meet your obligations, but for som...

Like many of the ISO standards ISO27001 for information security management systems needs you to have a relationship with your supplier, that relationship of course should be one of mutual benefit and respect what Annex clause A15 does however set up the requirements for implementing some targets in terms of information security requirements.  ...

ISO27001:2013 Annex A for Information Security Management Systems may seem like a bit of a long list of controls, there are 114 of them after all! However, it is fair to say that Annex A of the standard is quite possibly the most important section of the standard because it list's the controls that you need to consider and where appropriate have in...

It has been a fair while since ISO27001:2013 for Information Security Management Systems was published yet it's adoption is only really now starting to gain some traction, just in time for the work on the next revision to really get underway. Like all ISO standards there are set requirements about what you must do, ISO list these as "shall" , part ...