An information security management system (ISMS) helps to safeguard your organisation’s data by providing both technological safeguards and policies that provide guidelines for employees who handle sensitive data. This involves implementing cybersecurity practices in the form of infosec training sessions and encouraging an environment that is accountable for protecting data.
An ISMS also provides a framework that could be adapted to your particular organisation’s needs and industry regulations and also be certified and audited for conformity. ISO 27001 is the best-known standard for ISMS, but there are other information security management Web Site standards that may be more appropriate for your industry and business like the NIST framework for federal agencies.
Who is responsible for Information Security?
ISMS is not just an IT initiative. It encompasses a broad range of departments, staff and offices, including Human Resources and the C-suite as well as marketing and sales as well, and customer service. This helps to ensure that everyone is aware in regards to security of information and the necessary protocols are followed.
An ISMS requires an extensive risk assessment. This is best accomplished with a program like vsRisk, which allows you to quickly complete assessments and then present the results for an easy analysis and prioritization, and maintain consistency every year. An ISMS can also help reduce costs by allowing you to prioritize the assets with the highest risk and prevents the indiscriminate expenditure on defense technologies and cuts down on the downtime caused by cybersecurity incidents. This results in lower OPEX, and CAPEX.
