Introduction:

ISO 27001 is an international information security standard released by the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electro-Technical Commission in 2005. It was recently updated in October 2022 to be in concurrence with the changing structure of technology and information security. The main components of ISO 27001:2022 contain management standards for concerns about identity theft, data breaches, Privacy risk, financial credit information risk and other relevant cyber risk attacks. In total, the management framework outlined in Annex A of ISO 27001, contains 93 controls which are divided into 4 key areas including Organizational, physical, people and technological.

Why ISO 27001 is required?

It is an internationally accredited, time-tested certification mechanism which will be easily aligned with other management systems including PIMS, BCMs etc. which will be implemented with the help of the supporting document ISO/ IEC 27002.

Implementing ISO 27001 is a resource-intensive process[i] which involves many stages of adopting information security with a tenacious management system to provide an adhesive set of controls to mitigate informational security risk. It is normally implemented through a tailor-made ISO implementation checklist drafted by the concerned ISMS team in an organization and the steps may be varied based on the requirements and objectives of the organization and the relevant risk involved but in general there is a certain process which is universally being carried out by every ISMS team who performs ISO 27001 implementation, they are:

• Appointing an Implementation team
• Drafting a specific implementation toolkit for ISO 27001
• Designate ownership of the specified documents
• Deciding the Scope of the implementation project
• Drafting an information security policy
• Deciding the methodology for risk assessment
• Drafting an ISMS annexe an accountability matrix
• Mapping relevant regulatory requirements for the said business activity
• Drafting a risk treatment Plan
• Implementing security controls and analyzing the effectiveness of the said controls
• Recording the operation of ISMS
• Routine Monitoring of the operation of ISMS
• Implementing Periodic audits, reviews and corrective measures[ii]

Why should you obtain an ISO 27001 lead implementer certification?

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics[iii] from the period of 201 to 2031 the demand for information security analysts is expected to grow up to 35 per cent and in 2021 the median salary of such analysts in the USA is $102, 600 ( INR 85.31 lakhs ) per annum. Further, according to an ISO survey conducted in 2021[iv] there is an increase of 32 per cent in organizations obtaining ISO standardization compared to 2020 and the total number of valid certificates issued by certification bodies for ISO IEO 27001: 2013 rises to 58,687 and India tops 4^th place in the top 15 countries with several 2775 certificates after UK, Japan, china.

The ISMS includes professionals ranging from various titles, in which the most important professionals who were essential and crucial for getting certified as ISO 27001 are: ISMS lead auditor, ISO 27001 certified internal auditor, and ISO 27001 Lead Implementer.

Among these ISO 27001 certified Lead Implementer is the most important professional who overlooks and heads the completion and implementation of  ISO 27001 compliance. As the job title explicitly says the role of the implementer is to implement the information security management system by ISO 27001 and the internal auditor and external auditor periodically audits the implemented ISMS.

Requirements of a lead Implementer:

As a lead implementer the person should be equipped with all the controls mentioned under ISO 27001, apart from understanding the requirements under the ISO standard, the implementer should be able to possess certain qualifications including:

1. How to conduct a standard risk assessment process
2. Expertise in tools, techniques, and technologies for implementing ISO controls.
3. Drafting Management framework and assigning the responsibilities of handling respective documents
4. Securing a smooth communication bridge between internal departments in an organization which is under the scope of ISMS implementation
5. Work closely with ISO 27001 internal auditors and assist the ISMS external auditor during third-party audits.
6. Conducting gap assessment in the existing ISMS framework
7. If the firm is certified under previous versions of ISO 27001, then conduct an upgradation evaluation to implement the existing controls to avail new certification.
8. To be an expert in other Information security management standards which is essential for implementation i.e. standards like ISO 27002 etc.
9. Ensure proper implementation of training programs for employees and other key persons in the organization.
10. Ensure continuous monitoring of the implemented ISO 27001 standard and assess the areas of new improvements.
11. Possess high-quality technical skills in project management including Planning and forecasting, expertise in PM software, proper delegation of assigned responsibilities, budgeting, risk management, tracking and monitoring, quality management etc.
12. Strong and proven track record of soft skills such as decision-making because the lead implementer is frequently responsible for implementing big decisions such as standardizing the scope of the ISMS’s implementation project and communicating the relevant prospects with respective internal departments and managerial heads of the entity.

For obtaining the above skills a mere certification by any certifying entity is not enough, there are thousands of options to obtain certifications,  but those would only provide a mere ceremonial training of some controls in ISO 27001, but in reality, a lead implementer needs a practical oriented full-fledged understanding of ISO 27001 controls.

To address the above gap, Tsaaro Academy offers an ISO 27001 Lead implementer certification course, an internationally recognized PECB lead implanter certification which consists of all practical aspects involved in the day-to-day job of the lead implementer role. It consists of virtual training modules with a sample mock exam and a complementary career guidance service which was being taught by a group of experts who were themselves highly experienced in conducting ISO 27001 lead implementation projects for internationally renowned corporations.

Conclusion:

In collaboration with LinkedIn, the World Economic Forum has published a report titled ” The Future of Jobs Report 2023”[v] in which the fastest growing technology, digitalization and sustainability-driven roles include the job of Information security analysts and the report  further identifies Information and communication technology professionals as the 4^th  most common labour Shortage occupations in 2022 in Europe and the IBM report of “Cost of Data breach report 2023“[vi] finds that the global average cost of a data breach was approximately around $4.45 million in 2023 and which is a 15 per cent increase in the last 3 years, the report further states that the organizations are planning to increase their investments in securing data security, threat detection, incident response, response tools to a maximum percentage of 51 and it is the right time to enter into the profession of Information security management system and to secure a high paying, non-replaceable, non-automatable six-figure salary Job.