7 Tips to Boost your ISO 27001 Internal Audits

This article has seven tips to effectively boost your ISO 27001 internal audit programs. These tips will help you make your ISO internal auditing much easier. 

According to ISO 27001:2013, an internal auditing program should check the compliance with two sets of requirements- the organization’s requirements and ISO 27001 requirements. Internal audits are important for gaining the ISO 27001 Certification; moreover, it is important for several other reasons, such as:

• Identification of internal and external issues before a certification audit takes place,

• Identification of opportunities,

• Ensuring frequent monitoring of the Information Security Management System or ISMS.

In order to increase your chances of achieving the security certification and improve the security system, you should arrange an effective ISO 27001 internal audit program. In this article, we are going to share with you seven tips on how to increase the efficiency of internal auditing according to ISO 27001 Standard. 

If you look at “Annex A” of ISO 27001 Standard, you will find 114 controls, therefore, it is obvious that the auditing process may take time. Expecting a quick audit program is quite impossible. If you want it to be proper, you should set aside ample time to audit the area. The standard does not impose any fixed timeframe. Time will depend on several factors such as the maturity of your ISMS, size of your organization, number of existing nonconformities, reports of previous internal audits. If you want to get a hint about the required timeframe, you should consult with an experienced ISO auditor or consultant. 

You can divide the controls among the internal auditors based on individual skill sets and strength. Assign an individual for a particular control. Since there are 114 controls in Annex A, it is not possible to discuss each control in a single article. Here, we’ve listed the major ones among them:

• A.5 Information Security Policies - Reviews how the policies have been written and inspected,

• A.6 Organization of Information Security - Controls on how responsibilities should be distributed,

 

• A.7 Human Resource Security - Reviews personal and professional records of an employee before and after the employment,

• A.8 Asset Management - Controls related to inventory and acceptable usage,

• A.9 Access Control - Includes access control policy, user access management, system, and application

• A.10 Cryptography - Includes encryption and key management controls

• A.11 Physical and Environmental Security - Controls over secure areas, entry controls, protection against threats, equipment security, clear desk security, etc,

• A.12 Operational Security - Monitors IT production management controls, change management, capacity management, malware, secure disposal

 

• A.13 Communication Security - Network security related controls, segregation controls, network services, information transfer controls, messaging controls, etc.,

• A.14 System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance - Reviews security requirements definition, security development, and support process security controls

• A.15 Supplier Relationship - Monitors controls on what to include in agreements, and how to supervise the suppliers

• A.16 Information Security Incident Management - Includes reporting events, response possibilities, 

• A17 Information Security Aspects of Business Continuity Management - Business continuity controls, procedures, verification, along with redundancy,

• A.18 Compliance - Controls relevant laws and regulations, intellectual property, personal data, personal data protection, reviews of information security.

Preparation plays an important role in all internal audits, be it ISO 27001 or ISO 14001 internal audits. If you are using your in-house resources, you should train them properly before starting the auditing. If you are outsourcing an internal auditing service, let the service understand your business requirements and ISO 27001 requirements relevant to your business for developing a suitable audit plan.

You should encourage all departments within your organization to participate in the auditing process. It will make the audit process easier as gathering information from different departments will be easier.

 

As we have suggested you to engage all the departments, it is important for you to make every employee aware of the standard and its requirements. 

Gathering feedback can also make your ISO 27001 internal audit process easier. You can ask your employees, stakeholders, and clients for feedback. 

Finally, an audit won’t be of any use until you rectify nonconformities. Therefore, you should immediately work on the issue to resolve it. 

Study the tips discussed here to ease your internal auditing process. If required, you can ask professionals for help!

Damon Anderson is a dependable ISO auditor having experience in ISO 27001 internal audits, ISO 9001 internal audits, ISO 9001 internal audits, and ISO 14001 internal audits. Also, he has written a number of blogs on ISO certifications and auditing requirements. 

No comment, be the first to comment.