A Quick-Start Guide To ISO 27001 Compliance Automation

Customers today don’t just demand a high level of security and privacy, but they look for companies that meet industry benchmarks. That’s where compliance certifications come in. There are, of course, several compliance standards across various industries but at the pinnacle lies ISO 27001, a certification that holds immense value in compliance.

With security becoming an increasingly important talking point, companies stand to lose millions of dollars in potential deals if they are found non-compliant. But it’s one thing wanting to get compliance certified fast and a whole other thing getting it done. 

A compliance standard like ISO 27001 can be cumbersome to achieve, even more so when companies have to do everything themselves without a reference framework. Hence utilizing a ISO 27001 Compliance Automation, emerges as a game-changer, expedites the compliance process and accelerates your journey toward certification, ensuring you meet industry standards with ease and efficiency. 

This blog will help you learn how a comprehensive automation solution can streamline your ISO 27001 compliance process and fast-track your certification journey.

What is ISO 27001 automation?

ISO 27001 automation is the process of streamlining certification by automating the assessment of gaps within an Information Security Management System (ISMS), providing corrective measures, and enabling the continuous monitoring of controls. 

ISO 27001 automation revolutionizes the way organizations manage their information security processes. It automates tasks such as evidence collection, vendor management, and training, simplifying complex procedures and expediting the entire audit process. This saves organizations a lot of time and costs, significantly improving security, privacy, and compliance efficiency.

Why should I use an ISO 27001 automation solution?

Traditionally, gaining compliance involves manually amending policies (or in some cases, creating new ones) to align with certification standards. Employees will have to be trained on policies. The process will also involve multiple rounds of testing and internal audits. At a granular level, this is a lot of work. And it still does not guarantee a certification when the audit rolls around the corner. 

ISO 27001 standards are comprehensive in the way they define an effective ISMS. But understanding and translating these specifications to tactical action at an entity level is what contributes to the biggest delays. 

Scalability is also a pressing issue. The complexities of becoming ISO 27001 certified may seem somewhat manageable for smaller organizations. But ramping up policies with the growing needs of an organization can become challenging even with dedicated security teams.

An ISO automation solution like Sprinto helps you kickstart the process of getting your organization certification-ready from anywhere along this process. Not only does it eliminate all of the complexities that come with manual certification but it speeds up the certification process by automating evidence collection, providing comprehensive expertise, and facilitating continuous monitoring. This means smarter workflows, streamlined policy implementation, and quicker certification at a fraction of the cost. With Sprinto, what typically takes months to complete is done in a matter of days.

Experience the Sprinto advantage: Sprinto’s ISO 27001 compliance automation software enables you to streamline the requirements to achieve your ISO 27001 certification. With Sprinto, you can:

• Integrate your existing tech stack and automatically assess risks
• Review ISMS effectiveness with control checks running throughout the day
• Leverage in-built policy templates, training modules, role-based access controls, and other capabilities
• Collect evidence automatically and present it to an accredited audit partner on an independent dashboard

“We could have accomplished all of this using Excel and PowerBI, but it would have required many man-hours. And more than 8 months. With a purpose-built tool like Sprinto, we can meet timelines and goals much faster.” says Anil, CISO, Officebeacon.


Read how Officebeacon achieved audit readiness for ISO 27001 in just 2 weeks!

Steps to implementing ISO 27001 automation process

The ISO 27001 certification process can take anywhere between one to three months. This is a long time considering the disruption it causes during the period. Implementing a certification process with complexities like ISO 27001 can prove to be exceptionally complex without an automation framework to work with. 

With the right automation solution, technology does the heavy lifting. But what does implementation look like? In this section, we break it down into nine easy steps.

Setting a baseline  

Setting a baseline is the first step in the process. Here, a compliance expert conducts an in-depth assessment of the organization’s current compliance level. This thorough evaluation entails assessing the organization’s controls and tech stack and help compliance teams understand ISO27001 requirements that apply to the organization.

System calibration

The next step is to design an implementation framework and bring in various systems within the scope of compliance. The automation tool plays a pivotal role by not only establishing an effective ISMS framework but also integrating all cloud infrastructure and systems seamlessly within it. This integration is carefully tailored to the organization’s specific needs, laying the foundation for effective ISO 27001 automation.

Gap assessment

Conducting an ISO 27001 gap analysis is vital for showcasing robust information security. Familiarize yourself with the ISO 27001 standard, evaluate your business against its controls, and formulate a comprehensive plan to address compliance gaps, ensuring optimal security practices and operational efficiency. This is done by tools that identify gaps, create a mitigation plan, and provide technical and non-technical policy templates that ensure controls are in place to minimize risk.  

Sprinto is a comprehensive compliance automation solution specifically crafted to streamline ISO 27001 gap assessment processes and enhance certification readiness. By utilizing advanced features like automated workflows, control mapping, training modules, and audit dashboards, Sprinto facilitates a smoother ISO 27001 certification process. 

Read how Sprinto helped Equature get ISO 27001 audit-ready and drastically improved its sales velocity.

Breeze through your ISO 27001 audit. Talk to our experts today

Entity-level tactics

At the entity level, the automation tool translates insights derived from the mitigation plan and transforms them into a tactical roadmap. This strategic roadmap is meticulously executed throughout the organization, ensuring a comprehensive and targeted approach to achieving ISO 27001 compliance.

Training

During the ISO 27001 certification process, policy training is a mandatory component. In this regard, the compliance tool proves invaluable as it not only aids in creating training modules but also facilitates the tracking of completion. The tools help with the implementation and ongoing maintenance phases to ensure successful adoption and effective management.

Monitoring 

ISO 27001 requires organizations to continuously monitor their ISMS and evaluate the effectiveness of policies and controls against ISO 27001 guidelines. Also, these performance evaluations should be documented and presented as evidence during an audit to demonstrate compliance. Automation expedites this process, ensuring timely adjustments and maintaining a proactive stance toward compliance.

Also, find out more about ISO 27001 software

Internal audit

During the internal audit phase, an in-depth assessment is conducted to determine the organization’s readiness for certification. This audit is a critical checkpoint in evaluating the organization’s adherence to ISO 27001 standards. Here, automation streamlines the data collection process, ensuring that all necessary information is systematically compiled and organized for audit purposes, enabling organizations to proceed to the certification application stage.

Certification

In the certification stage, organizations leverage the capabilities of the automation solution to connect with accredited auditors seamlessly. The tool facilitates the automation of evidence collection, streamlining the certification process. This contactless approach ensures efficiency and accuracy throughout the ISO 27001 certification journey.

Download our ISO 27001 ebook to gain a competitive edge. Our step-by-step guide will empower you to achieve certification efficiently.

Surveillance monitoring

The surveillance monitoring phase is vital for maintaining ongoing compliance. Identified gaps from previous assessments are addressed, and processes and policies are continually monitored. The automation solution plays a crucial role in this phase by providing real-time insights, and enabling proactive adjustments to ensure sustained ISO 27001 compliance.Sprinto’s ISO 27001 compliance automation software, puts your compliance program on autopilot. It seamlessly integrates with your existing system to map controls and has built-in checklists, editable policy templates, evidence collection, risk assessments, and auto-run checks for non-compliance. The comprehensive dashboard streamlines your tasks and helps you maintain a robust ISMS.

Benefits Of ISO 27001 Automation 

Automation in any capacity brings a host of benefits to the table. With respect to rolling out a framework, an automation solution can go a long way in simplifying the certification process as a whole.

Here are a few ways employing an ISO 27001 compliance automation solution comes in handy.

Reduced manual effort

Perhaps the biggest advantage of employing an ISO 27001 automation solution is the sheer amount of manual effort it eliminates. This is done by automating multiple parts of the process including evidence collection, harnessing smarter workflows, and driving expertise that enables easier certification.

Controlled costs

Gaining an ISO 27001 certification is not a cheap endeavour, especially while taking the manual route. It involves a lot of direct costs such as consultant fees, legal costs, and training expenses as well as indirect costs relating to reduced productivity and architectural scaling. An ISO 27001 compliance automation solution significantly reduces the associated costs by creating a single source of truth that handles the implementation process from end to end with a fixed, predictable cost.    

Improved scalability

The complexities of any process compound with scalability. Implementing compliance standards as complex as ISO 27001 at scale across multiple teams can seem impossible. But with an automation solution, organizations are able to roll out policies with the click of a button and continuously monitor lapses in security at an entity level from a unified hub in real-time. 

Fastrack your ISO 27001 compliance. Talk to our experts today.

Minimized disruption

Non-compliance can have severe consequences. This can range from halting deals to limiting reach which can cause a loss of business during that period. An ISO 27001 automation solution ensures that the certification process is shortened to keep disruption at a minimum. 

Mitigation of risk

Keeping abreast of security and compliance standards like ISO 27001 is a never-ending process. It constantly evolves to keep up with the biggest threats to information security. As a measure to keep up with such change, an ISO 27001 automation solution helps organizations streamline security posture by mitigating risk through constant monitoring and reduction of risk-related lapses and associated fines.

Also, check out: How to perform ISO risk assessment

Finding the right ISO 27001 automation solution

An ISO 27001 compliance certification can be instrumental in unlocking larger markets by creating a sense of credibility and trust. The right automation partner doesn’t just stop with certification but helps the organization drive continuous security improvements. 

Choosing a compliance automation solution like Sprinto can help companies like yours achieve ISO 27001 compliance 10X faster and at a fraction of the price. Do away with the hassles of evidence collection, monitoring, and inefficient workflows by automating all of it as you focus on growing your business. Let’s show you how it’s done. Try Sprinto today.  

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an ISO 27001 surveillance audit?

An ISO 27001 surveillance audit is an integral part of the evaluation process. The certification body conducts an audit as a way to ensure that the organization upholds and maintains the standards laid down by ISO 27001. It evaluates the measures put in place to correct non-conformities from the previous audit. Organizations will have to fix the non-conformities highlighted in the surveillance audit to retain certification. 

What are the key capabilities of an ISO 27001 automation solution?

An ISO 27001 automation solution comes with a strong set of capabilities that help organizations do more than just expedite the certification process. Here are some key capabilities that an ISO 27001 automation solution brings to the table:

• Risk assessment
• Granular change management
• Calibration and entity registration
• Evidence automation
• Internal audit management
• Certification enablement
• Surveillance and monitoring

Who needs to comply with ISO 27001?

Any business or service provider who handles, processes, or transmits client data should comply with ISO 27001. Though it is not a compulsion, operating without a comprehensive security framework is increasingly getting more challenging. 

Is ISO 27001 a legal requirement?

ISO 27001 is not a legal requirement. However, it is a globally accepted set of security standards that organizations implement to demonstrate their capabilities of ensuring the security and integrity of sensitive information to their business prospects and end-users.

Is ISO 27001 outdated?

ISO 27001 is a widely recognized international standard that has evolved with the growing business practices. You can say the standard itself is not outdated, but a new revision of ISO/IEC 27001:2022 replaces the outdated ISO 27001:2013. The update reflects the integration of privacy protection, addresses modern cybersecurity threats, and requires businesses to adapt security measures accordingly. Combining ISO 27001 with Cyber Essentials is recommended for comprehensive protection.