ISO 27001 Consultancy UK

The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), is an independent, non-government organisation. It brings together experts in order to develop standards that support innovation and provide solutions on an international scale.​

Headquartered in Geneva, it is the world’s largest developer of voluntary organisational standards worldwide. It has produced nearly 24,000 International Standards for organisations since 1947.

ISO comprises a network of national standards bodies in 165 countries. Providing specifications and requirements for products and services, ISO aims to ensure good practice. It also aims to increase efficiency and effectiveness across businesses and industries globally.

Gaining ISO certification is effectively getting a stamp of approval from a third-party certification body. It shows your key internal and external stakeholders that your organisation has a structured, proactive and efficient approach to the management of information security aligned with internationally recognised best practice.

Maintaining certification proves your ongoing commitment to continually improving your internal processes. It gives your stakeholders confidence and reassurance that you appropriately protect the information entrusted to you.

ISO 9001: This is the most globally recognised Quality Management System (QMS) Standard. It provides a framework that helps organisations ensure that they consistently provide products and services that meet the requirements and needs of their customers. Ultimately, it aims to facilitate opportunities to improve customer satisfaction. The standard was first published in 1987 by ISO and, like most ISO standards including ISO 27001 and ISO 22301, is applicable to any organisation regardless of size, geographical location and spread, or industry. It aims to promote consistency, efficiency and efficacity.

ISO 27001: This is the international standard for information security. It sets out the specifications for an Information Security Management System (ISMS) through a number of clauses and controls. It is recognised internationally and certifies that your organisation follows information security best practices in its widest application.

ISO 22301: This is the international standard for Business Continuity Management (BCM). The standard is designed to help organisations identify, formalise and agree with their business recovery requirements and understand the impact of not meeting these requirements over time. Furthermore, it assists organisations in identifying recovery solutions designed to help meet the agreed recovery requirements and document these in business continuity plans. These plans are then challenged through testing to validate that they would be fit for purpose in the event of a business disruption. The effective management of a Business Continuity Management System will help businesses protect their income stream post-incident. It will also minimise the risk of financial, operational and reputational impact to an acceptable level, and potentially avoid financial and regulatory penalties.

Typically, ISO certificates from UKAS accredited certification bodies are valid for three years, with annual surveillance audits to ensure you continue to be compliant. After three years, a recertification assessment is required in order to maintain the certification.