Every organisation should be ISO Certified whether it is small or big. ISO certifies that a management system has all the requirements for standardisation and quality assurance. For businesses, the ISO standards are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimising waste and errors and increasing productivity. For end-users, these standards ensure that certified products conform to the minimum standards set internationally.
What is ISO?
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international body that develops and publishes international standards for a vast range of fields, from quality control to environmental review, information security, food safety and quality, risk assessment, and health and safety.
ISO does not provide the certification. It is only a body that lays down the quality requirements needed for an organisation to be compliant with ISO Certification. There are numerous organisations that act as a certification body for ISO. Each ISO certification has separate standards and criteria.
Why ISO?
ISO standards provide a layout of what needs to be done to maintain the standard of products, goods, or services. It also helps keep our products and services relevant. When the standards change, we change along with them.
- The ISO plays an important role in facilitating world trade by providing common standards among different countries.
- ISO Certification is proof that your company is responsibly operating in line with the industry best practices and management systems.
- ISO Certification helps you build credibility among stakeholders, management committees, and trade personnel.
- The company’s brand image and reliability are elevated by adopting this standardization.
- ISO compliant organizations demonstrate that they meet the requirements of international legislation and regulation and adhere to these.
- In the case of (international) tenders, having ISO certification is a mandatory clause.
- ISO certificate also ensures a reduced risk of liability. This shows that the organization is a serious player, which strengthens its competitive position.
There are many ISO certifications possible today depending on what standards you wish to apply for to certify your business, but I will be focusing mainly on ISO/ IEC 27001:2013, the International Standard for Information Security, which was developed to standardise data security management systems.
ISO 270001 establishes a set of recommendations and industry requirements that govern Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).
The importance of information security must not be underestimated. Through the adoption of ISO 27001, a framework is provided to help organizations of any size or industry protect their information in a systematic and cost-effective way through the adoption of information security.
How does ISO 27001 work?
The focus of ISO 27001 is to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information in a company. This is done by finding out what potential problems could happen with the information. Therefore, the main philosophy of ISO 27001 is based on a process for managing risks: finding out where the risks are, and then systematically treating them through the implementation of security controls.
ISO 27001 specifies a minimum set of policies, procedures, plans, records, and other documented information that are needed to become compliant.
In our next article, we will talk in detail about ISO/IEC 27001:2013.
Blog by – Neha Bandiwadekar
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