Protecting information successfully
As digitization proceeds, companies are being forced to digitize their assets (and information) in order to remain competitive in the future. This is an enormous task that requires a lot of time and money and places high demands on security, reliability and legal factors.
However, there are also many benefits. You can proactively protect your company’s data from threats, better understand risks, and identify growth opportunities you may not have known about before. As a result, many companies choose to manage their information security risk by implementing an ISMS (Information Security Management System) with ISO 27001 standard.
- An ISMS is a complex system of processes, documents, technologies and people that enables companies to centrally manage, monitor and continuously improve their information security. A key element is the ongoing documentation of all processes and measures. The international standard security norm is ISO 27001.
DOWNLOAD: 9 steps to a certificated ISMS
We have summarized 9 simple steps that explain, how you can implement an ISMS.
If you don’t want to go through this process alone, feel free to check out our service. We’ll put you on the fast track to a certified ISMS.
What you need to take into account:
- Have you determined which employees can and should take care of implementing and updating an information security concept?
- Is there a procedure that allows to regularly check that the specifications from the information security concept are being adhered to?
- Do you have valid licenses for the software you use?
- Do you know the legal retention periods for your data and have you ensured (also technically) that they are adhered to?
Capturing risks and threats:
- Is there an overview of your IT infrastructure and do you update it regularly?
- Are potential threats, such as force majeure, intentional acts, negligence, or user error, accounted for in the overview?
- Have you assessed the risks, taking into account the maximum damage, the probability of occurrence and the sensitivity of the data?
- Have you consulted reputable sources, such as the basic protection catalogs of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), to determine the protection requirements?
- Has an information security audit been performed by external specialists?
Evaluation of protective measures:
- Are your employees able to understand the threats and risks and realize their responsibilities (through training, if necessary)?
- Have you taken measures to protect infrastructures (e.g. access protection to buildings or individual rooms)?
- Are there binding procedures for access control, maintenance of hardware and software, commissioning of new systems and data backup?
- Are contingency plans available in case of an emergency (e.g., in paper form)?