Information is the life-blood of every organisation and even more so if your clients have entrusted their valuable data with you. If vital information is lost, corrupted, damaged or stolen, you could be in breach of data protection legislation and at risk of litigation. Furthermore, your business could suffer lasting damage to its reputation. So, if you are responsible for any aspect of your clients’ data, you need to take effective steps to protect their information assets as well as your own.
Implementing and maintaining an Information Security Management System (ISMS) certified to the internationally recognised data security standard ISO 27001 is the most effective way to reduce your risks and assure clients and insurers that security of information is your organisation’s top priority. An ISMS is a systematic approach to managing the security of sensitive information and is designed to identify, manage and reduce the range of threats to which your information is regularly subjected.
At Oak Consult, our information security specialists have the industry experience and know-how to design, develop and implement an ISMS tailored to your organisational needs. With an effective system in place, your business data and operations will be well prepared to resist accidental loss or malicious attack.
The Information Security Breaches Survey 2014, commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and carried out by PwC, found that eighty-one per cent of large organisations suffered a security breach, down from eighty-six per cent a year ago. Sixty per cent of small businesses reported a breach, down from sixty-four per cent in 2013.
Although organisations are experiencing fewer breaches overall, the severity and impact of attacks has increased, with the average cost of an organisations’ worst breach rising significantly for the third consecutive year. For small organisations the worst breaches cost between £65,000 and £115,000 on average and for large organisations between £600,000 and £1.15 million. By implementing an Information Security Management System and becoming ISO27001 compliant your organisation will benefit in many ways.
An ISO27001 compliant Information Security Management system:
- Safeguards your organisation’s information which will lead to reduced incidents, disruptions and accidents
- Provides customers and stakeholders with confidence in how you manage risk
- Allows for secure exchange of information and keeps confidential information secure
- Reduces customer audit impacts
- Allows you to ensure you are meeting your legal obligations
- Helps you to comply with other regulations
- Potentially provides you with a competitive advantage
- Provides consistency in the delivery of your service or product
- Manages and minimises risk exposure and builds a culture of security within the organisation
- Develops opportunities for positive PR for your organisation
- Reduces possible negative media stories which are generated from data and information breaches
- Protects the company, assets, shareholders and directors
Oak Consult assists clients either by evaluating existing processes and plans to provide recommendations for improvement, or by helping to build new Information Security processes and plans from scratch. In both scenarios, our approach leads to cost-effective decisions that safeguard the future and long-term continuity of our clients’ business.
Should you wish to pursue certification to ISO27001 we will help you select a certification body that will suit your needs and budget.
For more information call us today on 0800 999 4625 or click here