Information security management systems (ISMS) can help protect the personal data of your business by providing both technical safeguards and policies that establish guidelines for employees who handle sensitive data. This includes implementing cybersecurity best practices, running infosec training sessions and encouraging a culture of responsibility for data security.
An ISMS also offers a framework which can be adapted to meet your specific organisation’s needs and industry regulations and is verified and audited to ensure compliance. ISO 27001 may be the most well-known ISMS standard but other standards, like NIST for federal agencies, may be more suitable to your company’s needs.
Who Manages Information Security?
ISMS is not just an IT initiative. It encompasses a broad spectrum of departments, staff and offices, including the C-suite and human resources and marketing and sales, as well as customer service. This ensures that everyone is on the same page when it comes to regards to information security, and that all the protocols information security are adhered to.
An ISMS requires an extensive risk assessment. This is best completed with a tool such as vsRisk, which allows you to quickly complete assessments and present the results to an easy analysis and prioritization and ensure that the results are consistent year after year. An ISMS can also help reduce costs by allowing you to prioritize the assets with the highest risk that prevents indiscriminate spending on defence technology and cuts down on downtime caused by cybersecurity incidents. This means lower OPEX, and CAPEX.