What is ISMS? An easy-to-understand explanation of the overview, benefits, and procedures.
If phishing emails or computer virus infections occur within a company, corporate information and customer information may be leaked, resulting in significant damage. Even if you try to promote internal security measures, you may be wondering, “Where do I start?” or “What are the benefits of security measures?”
This article provides an overview of a security measure called ISMS and the benefits of implementing it.
Table of Contents
- ISMS Overview
- ISMS is a security management system
- The 3 elements of information security
- Specific examples of information security initiatives
- Benefits of Obtaining ISMS Certification
- Increased Security Level within the Company
- Increased Trust with Business Partners and Customers
- Improved Operational Efficiency Can Be Expected
- Steps to Obtaining ISMS Certification
- Set Goals and Plans
- Establish a System
- Conduct a Risk Assessment
- Develop Security Rules and Educate Employees
- Start Operation and Monitor
- Summary
1. ISMS Overview
ISMS stands for “Information Security Management System” and is a mechanism for managing information security risks.
First, we will explain what ISMS is and provide an overview.
1-1. ISMS is a security management system
ISMS is an information security management system.
The reason ISMS is attracting attention is because attacks via the Internet are rapidly increasing against companies and individuals.
If we do not respond appropriately to this, it will lead to major problems such as information leakage and the inability to continue corporate activities.
ISMS is a framework for a management system to address security threats.
It’s not just about installing security software, but ISMS is about thinking from the ground up, “What kind of security is there in the first place?”
If ISMS initiatives are implemented and the criteria are cleared, ISMS certification can be obtained.
This certification standard is defined as the international standard ISO/IEC27001.
Generally, engaging in or implementing ISMS means obtaining ISMS certification.
1-2. The 3 Elements of Information Security
In order to protect information security, it is important to protect the three elements.
The three elements are “Confidentiality,” “Integrity,” and “Availability,” and the three initials are referred to as “CIA.”
The three elements can be summarized as follows:
| 3 Elements | Description | Technical Example |
|---|---|---|
| Confidentiality | Ensuring that only authorized people can view and use information assets, and that unauthorized people cannot view them. | ・Access Restriction・Password Authentication |
| Integrity | Protecting information to ensure it is up-to-date and accurate. Prevent unauthorized tampering. | ・Digital Signature・Tampering Prevention/Detection Measures |
| Availability | Ensuring that information is accessible and usable to users when needed. | ・Power Supply Measures・System Duplication |
1-3. Specific Examples of Information Security Initiatives
Here are some specific examples of information security measures.
Security measures are difficult to visualize, so let’s start by learning about the content of the initiatives so that you can visualize them.
The first thing to do is to identify security risks.
Identify what risks exist for the information assets you are handling. If you don’t know the risks, you can’t take measures.
Next, prioritize the identified risks.
If there are a large number of risks, it is difficult to take measures against all of them, and it is necessary to deal with high-risk items as soon as possible.
Once the order is determined, consider measures to avoid risks.
Depending on the measure, some are aimed at preventing it from happening, while others are measures that allow you to respond immediately in the event that it does occur, and vary depending on the nature of the risk.
2. Benefits of Obtaining ISMS Certification
Here are the benefits of obtaining ISMS certification.
Compare it with your company’s situation and see if certification will be beneficial.
2-1. Increased Security Level within the Company
In the process of obtaining ISMS certification, one of the benefits is that the security level within the company increases.
In the process of identifying security risks, you can learn what can be a risk, and in the process of considering measures, you can acquire appropriate countermeasures.
Members’ knowledge and interest in security will improve, and they will become more aware of security risks in their daily work.
Increasing the number of such members will lead to continuous improvement of the security level for the company.
2-2. Increased Trust with Business Partners and Customers
ISMS certification is a factor in increasing trust with business partners and customers.
Obtaining ISMS certification is proof of a high level of commitment to security.
In recent years, the handling of personal information and corporate/customer information has become stricter, and this trend will only intensify in the future. Handling that information correctly is important for a company.
There is no doubt that it will be a strength when doing business with both existing and new customers.
2-3. Improved Operational Efficiency Can Be Expected
Improved daily operational efficiency is also a benefit. To increase security, it is necessary to simplify operations. If it is complex, it will become a security risk, or the response will be delayed in the event of a security incident.
Considering security measures often provides an opportunity to review daily operations, which often leads to business improvement.
3. Steps to Obtaining ISMS Certification
Finally, we will explain the typical steps to take before obtaining ISMS certification.
Obtaining ISMS certification involves some administrative procedures, but this time we will omit those procedures and focus on security measures, which are the main initiatives for ISMS certification.
For more detailed information, please refer to the ISO27001 document.
3-1. Set Goals and Plans
The first step is to set goals and plans.
Obtaining ISMS certification is not something you do alone. You need to work on it as an organization.
For that purpose, it is necessary to create goals and plans and align the awareness of the entire company.
3-2. Establish a System
Next, let’s create a system to achieve the established plan.
For example, you need members in the following roles:
・Person who will lead・Person who handles administrative procedures for obtaining ISMS・Person who considers risk countermeasures
It is best to place the system in the right place. Since specialized knowledge is required to consider risk countermeasures, a consultant may be brought in.
3-3. Conduct a Risk Assessment
Next, we will conduct a risk assessment.
Since assessment means “objectively evaluating and analyzing things,” risk assessment means objectively analyzing risks.
This is the most difficult part, but it is important and is the foundation of ISMS, so let’s do it properly.
Identify the risks, and consider the threats and countermeasures if those risks occur.
Instead of doing it alone, let’s brainstorm as a team to identify as many risks and countermeasures as possible.
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3-4. Develop Security Rules and Educate Employees
Let’s develop security rules according to the content analyzed and discussed in the risk assessment.
It is important to put it into rules and make it a guideline that anyone can easily execute.
However, rule creation alone will only be known to some members. It is important to educate all employees so that they can follow the rules. Conduct training and E-Learning to communicate the significance of working on security measures and promote adherence to the rules.
3-5. Start Operation and Monitor
Once you have reached this point, start operation and conduct regular monitoring.
It is common to find areas for improvement after starting operation.
Be aware of the PDCA cycle and brush up.
Security risks and new attacks increase over time. Responding to these is also important to continuously improve security.
Summary
In this article, we introduced ISMS, which is an information security management system, and its overview and benefits. Obtaining ISMS certification not only increases trust from customers, but also has the benefit of increasing the security level within the company.
Why not consider introducing ISMS with reference to the procedures introduced this time?
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If you have any further questions, please contact globalsupport@jiran.com.
