It’s possible for a new company to continue for years without seriously considering ISO 27001. An email from an enterprise customer asks for your ISO 27001 certification as part our security audit of the vendor.

Suddenly, certification isn’t something to look at the next time. It’s tied to a deal the company wants to close.

ISO 27001 is a good starting point for many small-scale firms. It’s not easy to identify the steps to take in order to turn a simple project into a strict compliance program for larger companies.

Week One should be all about Scope, not Shopping

It’s natural to look at compliance platforms and consultants. An alternative is to identify what the Information Security Management System, or ISMS is required to cover.

It is important to look at the scope, since the addition of locations, systems, and processes that aren’t essential can result in the need for additional documentation or evidence requirements.

Small SaaS businesses, for example they may have an environment that’s centered around cloud infrastructures, employee devices, customer information, and few key vendors. Understanding the environment can help determine what the certification project needs to address.

Create a list of all the security you have

Companies researching ISO 27001 for startups sometimes assume they need to build an entirely new security operation.

It could be that it isn’t.

Modern startups could already utilize cloud providers, and may require multi-factor authentication and limit access for employees. They could also manage system logs and manage backups. The current practices must be assessed against ISO 27001 requirements, but beginning with what is working can prevent unnecessary duplication.

The documentation of policies, the risk assessment, determining the relevant Annex A Controls, completing the Statement for Applicability and gathering evidence are the other tasks.

How to Know which invoice is paid for by what

The ISO 27001 cost becomes much simpler to comprehend when costs aren’t all lumped together into a single number.

A small company could be between $10,000-$30,000 if the independent certification audit, compliance software and staff time at the internal level are considered. Consulting can be a cost in addition however it’s an option rather than a mandatory requirement.

The ISO 27001 certification cost charged by a certified certification body is particularly important to differentiate from the software costs. While a compliance platform may assist in coordinating the work, it cannot issue an official certificate. The process of independent auditing is what certifies the certification.

Then comes the proof

It’s not enough simply to draft the policy that states that employees are not allowed access when they leave. The auditor must be able to verify that the system is in place.

ISO 27001 is concerned with the difference between stating something and demonstrating it.

CertAssist organizes this work without having to directly connect to the live system. It displays all 93 ISO 27001:2022 Annex A controls on one page allows for editing of policy and evidence templates and supports the Statement of Applicability, and allows read-only auditor access.

For small teams, templates can help be a great way to avoid the inefficient task of writing each policy from the beginning of a blank document.

Certification Day is Not the Day to Cross the Finish Line

A business that is beginning from scratch could take anywhere from three to six months getting certified based on its current security practices and resources. The body that certifies conducts audits at Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Passing those audits isn’t permission to completely forget about the ISMS. Following certification, controls and evidence must be maintained. Surveillance audits are to follow.

This is an important element to be considered when creating the program. Small companies don’t just need to possess an ISMS they can afford. It requires an ISMS its team can work effectively once the initial project has concluded.

Rarely is the ISO 27001 programme for smaller businesses the most efficient. It’s the one that meets the standards, has genuine security practices, survives independent scrutiny, and remains manageable when everyone returns to their normal jobs.