C4A passes ISO 27001 assessment and why it's important

Digital and online security plays a vital role in modern companies and is now more valuable than ever. That’s why C4A is proud to announce it passed its most recent ISO 27001 assessment, demonstrating our compliance with global best practices and security initiatives. This international accolade means more customers can trust what we do even more.

What Is ISO 27001 Certification?

ISO 27001 Certification is essential for any organisation that deals with sensitive data (like customer conversations, contact details and payment information). Gaining it means the entity is doing what it can to minimise its clients’ digital risks and keep them safe.

However, getting ISO 27001 Certification isn’t straightforward. It is not a box-ticking exercise. Companies, like C4A, that achieve it need to prove they meet real-world standards to acquire it.

The first step is to create an Information Security Management System (ISMS) and gain management buy-in. The ISMS has to cover every part of the organisation and information systems that require digital protection.

The next step is to put ISMS policies and procedures in place, creating or updating them while adhering to ISO 27001 requirements. Teams must conduct internal audits (to check the system is functioning and meeting the required criteria) and hold a management review to determine their effectiveness.

Next comes the certification by accredited certification bodies, including document and on-site reviews. Organisations can only pass these ISO 27001 assessments if they follow the assessor’s standards and deal with non-conformities that could impede receiving the accolade.

The final step is often to train staff to use online tools and digital systems to protect data and customers. Administrative staff should monitor information system performance and report incidents to the most relevant people.

Why ISO 27001 Certification Is Important

ISO 27001 Certification is essential for numerous reasons. With it, you can empower your organisation to new heights. At C4A, we believe ISO 27001 Certification is essential for multiple reasons, including:

• Keeping clients’ and their customers’ sensitive information secure
• Ensuring we comply with various data protection laws applying in the UK and worldwide
• Improving reputation and trust among potential business customers
• Boosting operational efficiency (by reducing the number of security incidents)
• Responding more effectively to new and existing security threats
• Ensuring our services stay online for clients to use

We discuss all of these in more detail below. These standards help us better understand your security needs and demonstrate our commitment to keeping you safe while using our services.

It Increases Your Credibility

First, ISO 27001 Certification boosts your credibility. It allows you to establish trust with audiences who might not know you well, gaining their confidence faster.

Most businesses know that ISO certifications are challenging to obtain. Therefore, if you have one, it means you’re doing something right.

Furthermore, it also indicates you take security seriously. You are willing to put procedures and policies in place to protect website users and their data, which is another sign your brand takes customer safety and protection seriously.

It Helps You Avoid Regulatory Fines

In some cases, ISO 27001 can help your enterprise avoid regulatory fines. That’s because your organisation is less likely to fall foul of a data breach that could trigger an investigation or see you taken to court.

As you might expect, the size of these penalties in the UK is enormous and often arbitrary. Companies can find themselves shelling out anywhere from £30,000 to over £10 million for being a victim of someone else’s crime. Many businesses caught out pay a massive 4% of annual worldwide turnover, which could eliminate profits for a year or more.

However, implementing new software and processes to ISO 27001 standards mitigates this risk substantially. Companies are less likely to feel the full force of the law if they have systems that automate security and protect user data.

It Lets You Monitor Security Risks

Another benefit of adhering to the ISO 27001 standard is it enables you to monitor the security risks you face more transparently. You can see how threats are evolving and what your organisation is doing to counter them.

ISO 27001 does this by insisting on regular audits and surveillance reports. These make plugging holes in your defences an automatic component of your operations, preventing dangerous malware from slipping through.

Furthermore, it can help when more than one person can access sensitive network information. Putting need-to-know administrative systems in place for employees can improve security and prevent bad actors from derailing your operations.

It Increases Your Efficiency

Using ISO 27001, you can also increase the efficiency of your business. When you have proper security, getting things done becomes more straightforward.

Conventional approaches to security require you to perform regular audits, which cost time and resources. Often, you have to conduct planning meetings, assign tasks, and monitor the effectiveness of new implementations.

However, with ISO 27001, you can shorten and streamline that process. Putting automatic tools in place reduces the number of steps employees have to go through, allowing them to fit security into their workflows better, preventing it from draining their time or dragging on resources.

The key here is to adopt an ISMS that allows your people to focus more on their core responsibilities. The more you can foster this, the more likely ISO certification will enhance productivity and morale.

It Reduces Security Loopholes

Because ISO 27001 is so comprehensive, it also reduces security loopholes. As such, your organisation is less likely to experience an unpredictable “black swan” data breach event if you use it.

ISO 27001 achieves this by covering numerous aspects of your security apparatus, including:

• Organisational issues
• Human resources and planning
• Leadership (and their attitudes towards security implementations)
• Legal issues
• Performance issues
• Your physical security environment
• Support for information technology
• Ongoing evaluation improvements

Therefore, it recognises how everything connects to everything else, making the prospect of a catastrophic breach less likely.

With that said, you should still keep an eye on your organisation’s weakest link. It’s possible to have an impenetrable IT network but be dragged down by managerial issues, such as leadership viewing operational security as a low priority.

It Builds A More Sustainable Culture Around Security

The pressures of ISO 27001 Certification can also encourage the development of a more sustainable security culture in your organisation. The need to fulfil inspectors' requirements encourages colleagues to have one eye on security all the time.

Getting to this point is challenging for most firms because of fading effort levels. Organisations often engage in strong security pushes at the start of the year with fantastic results, only to discover standards falling again later on. Then, they have to repeat these initiatives at a high cost and go through the cycle again.

However, with ISO 27001, the certification’s demands embed security-oriented thinking into the organisation. Demands seep into the culture and become a part of the job, not a temporary add-on.

It Enhances Global Appeal

ISO 27001 also makes sense for your organisation if you want to increase your global appeal. That’s because the framework dovetails with standards, allowing you to build a more systematic approach to keeping personal data safe.

For example, you can use ISO 27001 in conjunction with:

• Service Organisation Control 2 (SOC 2): ISO 27001 makes it more straightforward to comply with various SOC 2 requirements, like processing integrity and confidentiality. It complements your compliance efforts, enhancing privacy and how you manage data.
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): ISO 27001 makes it straightforward to manage data risks for companies wanting to operate in the European Union – the world’s second-largest market.

Many companies find that once they achieve ISO 27001 Certification, they gain the attention of overseas audiences and partners. The international accolade provides that extra bit of confidence clients require to take the plunge and work with you.

It Protects Your Reputation

Even worse than getting a fine is the damage that data breaches can do to your reputation. Many companies lose tremendous brand value once the news of a security scandal breaks.

For example, figures from the UK show:

• 1% of companies lose more than £1 million
• 15% lose £500,000 to £999,999
• 33% lose £100,000 to £499,99
• 12% lose £50,000 to £99,999

Other data shows that the average company sees an average decline of 7.5% in their stock price after a data breach.

Most of these costs result from loss of sales because of declining “goodwill.” Customers don’t trust brands anymore, causing their reputation to tank.

For this reason, see ISO 27001 as a form of investment. While it requires upfront resources, it often pays for itself in the long run.

It Attracts New Employees

The ability of ISO 27001 to attract new employees is another reason it is so important. Talented professionals will look to see whether your company takes issues like security seriously to ensure they can earn a regular salary. (Workers don’t want to join an unstable organisation). And while it won’t be central to your employee branding, it can set the stage for the standards you expect of your people and how you conduct your operations.

Furthermore, many professionals will only work for companies that demonstrate high standards in all areas. Aspiring, career-minded people value organisations with reputations for excellence and attention because it can help them when applying for better jobs later on. Sophisticated employees want to see a culture of accountability. Organisations that believe in and live up to their espoused standards are most likely to thrive (increasing pay and promotion opportunities further). Therefore, ISO 27001 is helpful here because it adds weight to this argument. Any business that submits its security protocols to independent third-party evaluation is often doing something right.

It Reduces Human Errors

Finally, and perhaps most critically, ISO 27001 enables you to reduce human error. It cuts down on ad-hoc processes that don’t offer the security your company requires to remain compliant and keep public information safe. Whether you want to learn how to add online chat to your website to collect private data or store credit card information, removing personnel-based risk is essential.

For example, ISO 27001 gives you structured and standardised processes you can use to manage information security instead of relying on improvised methods. Reducing informal practices reduces the likelihood of sophisticated data breach strategies becoming successful.

It can also provide employees with clear guidelines on dealing with sensitive information. Colleagues know how to approach and handle specific data, reducing the likelihood of creating a vulnerability.

Many companies use role-based access controls and least-privilege concepts to eliminate the human element. Again, the idea is to provide users with access to systems to the extent that they can perform their duties and no more. It also involves reducing access to sensitive information by installing controls and monitoring.

C4A’s ISO 27001 Achievement: How It Helps

For these reasons, C4A’s ISO 27001 Certification is more than another accolade. It is key to enabling us to provide better services.

For example, ISO 27001 lets us:

• Protect sensitive customer information provided via our chat services, preventing third parties from accessing it
• Ensure we use the correct encryption and transmission standards to reduce the risk of unwanted interception
• Prove that we apply the highest standards of information security to you across industries, including e-commerce, finance, and healthcare
• Demonstrate that we offer the highest security standards in the industry
• Reduce the risk of employee error by standardising our processes and training our employees on the mistakes they might make and how to correct them
• Prepare for unforeseen security events by implementing holistic measures that reduce the likelihood of catastrophic outcomes
• Scale with new clients seamlessly and even expand into complex new areas
• Smooth the client onboarding process by reducing the complexity involved in adding accounts

Ultimately, C4A’s new certification reduces the risks facing your enterprise if you decide to use our services for your website. You can exchange information with visitors under secure conditions, slashing the likelihood of becoming another company that suffers a hack or data protection issue.