Achieving certifications like ISO 27001 is like getting a gold star rating in information security. You gain a framework to manage your Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) and assure your stakeholders the commitment you have towards cybersecurity.
While it’s great that your organisation is working towards achieving a security accreditation, is that enough to ensure that your business is going to remain secure for all of the duration?
For implementing true security measures, compliance shouldn’t merely be a checkbox to tick off. A more dynamic approach is required, and to ensure long-term success, organisations need to go beyond just securing certifications.
We walk you through the reasons why:
Getting certified is just ticking a checkbox.
Certifications like ISO 27001 represent a snapshot of your organisation’s security posture at a specific moment in time. But what happens when you launch a new product? Enter a new market? or even implement new technology in your business? These will all expose your business to new threats.
As much as getting certified is a crucial step in keeping your customers and stakeholders happy, it is just the beginning to a long, continuous journey. A certification secured once cannot guarantee that your standards will be maintained without having to put in ongoing effort and vigilance.
You’re required to meet minimum requirements set by the standard in order to achieve compliance.
This can lead to complacency. You could do just enough to get certified but it’s the continuous improvement that will get you long-term benefits. Certifications can definitely help you win new businesses, no doubt about that, but it’s really about maintaining and improving your infosec practices that will help your organisation mature your ISMS.
Understand that cybercrime are on a rise.
This means your business is now more vulnerable to threats. With the use of AI, new vulnerabilities, attacks vectors, and sophisticated cyber attacks emerge daily, it is necessary to be able to stay ahead of the curve. Be proactive and continuously update your security practices to protect your digital assets.
Investing in real-time response
Most certifications or accreditations will require you to have the right controls and procedures, investing in tools that can effectively monitor, detect and respond to threats as they happen. The real deal would be to not just stop with MDR services after achieving the certification but to continue the monitoring. This can help watch out for threats and reduce your threat detection and response time drastically.
Build a security-conscious culture in your organisation
Having specific policies and procedures in place to achieve the certification is great but it does not necessarily mean that your employees have completely embraced a security-conscious culture in the business. Key points to ensure that a security-conscious culture exists in your organisation is to:
- Tailor security training to different roles and make sure that your employees understand how to follow security procedures and know why they matter.
- Involve the leadership team. They must be visibly committed to security and their involvement should encourage a culture where security is seen as a business enabler rather than just ticking a checkbox.
To know that your organisation is genuinely secured and not just compliant is when you show your commitment to identifying and governing your significant risks. A certification might be able to give you a good baseline but don’t stop at that. Update your security-related goals regularly based on your biggest risks. Make sure that the three key factors are considered: People, Processes and Technology.
Meet your minimum requirements set by laws and regulations through compliance and implementation of security will include risk management which together will make your organisation equipped with whatever comes your way. Avoid any complacency by treating security as an on-going project, not a one time exercise.
We understand that Security and Compliance can be a challenge. That’s why at AMARU we’ll help you simplify it and win it. We specialise in providing services ranging from security and compliance readiness assessments, CREST-certified penetration testing services, MDR solutions and end-to-end managed security services to help you manage and stay compliant. Reach out to our team to begin your security journey today!
