Introduction
When it comes to data protection, there are a lot of abbreviations. Often, this type of jargon is used by industry professionals just for convenience. You can check out our information security glossary for more information!
So, what is an ISMS and how does it impact your business? Our team here at Hicomply outlines everything you need to know.
What is an ISMS?
ISMS stands for information security management system. Simply put, it is a set of policies, processes, and procedures that help an organisation manage data belonging to a business or information that they process for their customers.
What does an ISMS do?
An ISMS enables compliance with government legislation to ensure that you are taking every measure to protect data from unwanted breaches, loss, corruption and more. This is done by focusing on three main areas which include confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
This means that the information should not be accessible to unauthorised parties, and only those with the correct authority should have access to what they need. As well as this, the information you hold must be complete and accurate and should not be tampered with.
What is ISO 27001 and what does it have to do with an ISMS?
ISO 27001 is a certification that provides specification for those who want to achieve a best-practice ISMS which is compliant with data protection legislation.
You may have heard of ISO 27002, which provides the code of conduct. This is guidance that is used to implement and manage the specification.
What are the benefits to an ISMS?
If you have an ISO 27001 compliant ISMS, there are many benefits aside from being aligned with legislation.
- Mitigate security risks –you can trust that by implementing an ISMS your organisation is keeping information secure and will therefore increase your company’s resilience to potential threats. As well as this, an ISMS is flexible and will continue to adapt to ensure that any evolving risks are kept at bay.
- Improve your company culture – by having an ISMS in place, you will be able to show your employees the importance of data security and the associated risks. They will be able to improve their own working practices and become more vigilant in protecting your company’s valuable assets.
- Protecting your data –as mentioned earlier, an ISMS is all about protecting the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of data. An ISMS implementation introduces a set of policies and procedures including physical and technical controls to protect your valuable data.
- Managing data all in one place –centralising all your information is important to ensure that you have complete oversight over everything that is going on with your data. Not only that, but it also makes everything more manageable!
There are many more benefits to having an ISMS in your business. If you’re interested in learning more, read Top 10 Benefits of Implementing An ISMS or ISO27001.
