It’s possible for a new company to last for years with no even thinking about ISO 27001. A few days later, an email is sent from a prospective enterprise customer: “Please provide your ISO 27001 certificate to us as part of our vendor security review.”

The certification process isn’t something you need to be thinking about for the next year. It’s due to a contract that the company is trying to terminate.

For many growing companies, that’s the practical starting point for ISO 27001 for small business. It’s a challenge to determine what needs to be done without turning a manageable project into a compliance program for larger companies.

Week One Should Be About Scope, not Shopping

It may be instinctive to look at compliance platforms and consultants. It is preferable to identify the requirements that ISMS (Information Security Management System) will need to provide.

It is crucial to think about the extent of the project, since the addition of locations, systems, and processes that aren’t needed can create additional documentation or evidence requirements.

A small SaaS firm may have an environment that is heavily focused on cloud infrastructure such as employee devices and the information of customers. The environment could also be dominated by few key suppliers. Knowing the specifics of the environment will assist you in determining the areas your certification plan should be addressing.

Make a list of security you Already Have

Some companies researching ISO 27001 as a startup assume that they must build a new security operations.

This may not be the case.

Modern startups might already have established cloud providers that require multi-factor identification, limited employee permissions as well as system logs to track the process of onboarding and offboarding. It’s still important to evaluate current practices against ISO 27001, but if you start with what is working today, you can avoid unnecessary duplication.

Writing policies, conducting a risk assessment, determining the appropriate Annex A Controls, completing the Statement for Applicability and collecting evidence are the remaining tasks.

You will now be able to determine the invoices that pay what.

It’s easier to comprehend ISO 27001 costs when they aren’t summarized in a single figure.

The initial cost for a small business may range from $10,000 to $30,000, depending on the amount of time spent by staff, software to guarantee compliance, and independent audits of certification. Consulting is a different expense however, it’s optional rather than a mandatory necessity.

The ISO 27001 certification cost charged by an accredited certification organization is particularly important to differentiate from software fees. Although a compliance platform can help in the process of organizing work, it cannot issue certification. The process of independent auditing is what certifies the certification.

Next, the evidence

It’s not enough simply to draft a policy that says employees are denied access after they have left. An auditor needs evidence that the system actually functions.

The distinction between saying and demonstrating is central to ISO 27001.

CertAssist is designed to facilitate this task without connecting directly to live systems of a company. It shows all 93 ISO 27001-2022 Annex A control templates on one single board. An editable policy as well as an evidence templates are also offered.

For small teams, template templates can remove the tedious task of writing each policy from a blank document.

Certification Day is Not the End Line

A company starting from scratch can take between three and six months in preparation for certification according to its current security procedures and resources. The body that certifies will then conduct the Stage 1 and Stage 2 auditories.

Achieving these audits doesn’t mean you have the right to forget about the ISMS. After certification, the controls and evidence have to be maintained. Surveillance audits are to follow.

This is a crucial aspect to consider when designing the program. A small company doesn’t merely require an ISMS it can afford to create. It requires an ISMS its team can work effectively once the initial project has ended.

It’s rare to find that the biggest organization is the one with the best ISO 27001 program. The best ISO 27001 program is one that complies with the standards, is based on actual security practices, and is able to be able to withstand scrutiny by an independent third party and be manageable after everyone returns to work.