ISO 27001 is one of the most popular, sustainable ways of keeping your information security under control and in compliance with all laws and regulations you should be following. Modern day business world is full of threats and security breaches, and it doesn’t only regard personal data of your clients – it affects any and every piece of information that goes through your company’s hands and if once out, could threaten its integrity. However, implementing and maintaining an ISO 27001-based Information Security Management System is not that simple and the one device that could actually help you get everything in order before you get certified and after you do is an internal audit. What is its purpose and how does it check if everything is safe and secure?
Internal audit for ISO 27001 – when do you need it and what does it do?
An audit conducted by someone eligible to do so and working inside the company is one of the requirements of ISO 27001 and as such, it is the one part you can’t skip during the process of implementing the norm or after you have been certified. Planned internal audits are there to provide information on whether your ISMS conforms to your own information security requirements as well as the requirements of the standard, and if the norm is effectively implemented and maintained. Keeping up with your scheduled audits and providing thorough documentation on all things discovered during said audit is the best way of demonstrating that your ISMS can be trusted and that it is performing as expected, keeping all your information and data as secure as possible.
What should you review during an internal audit?
To make the audit as close to the problem as possible and make sure that it truly serves it purpose, you need to think about all the issues that happened since your last audit, all your processes (old and new), your policies and risks and evaluate their accuracy to the ISO 27001 norm. Don’t do it roughly, ticking off boxes for where everything is ok – demonstrate that you have audited all your processes against the entire standard and that if checked, they would be compliant. Remember, that the more detailed you go with your audit, the more information you get on how to provide the best information security possible. After all, the audit is not there to check for your failures – it is there to show you how to further improve and excel.
