A robust information management system is a vital part of any business operation. It ensures compliance with laws, minimizes risks to acceptable levels, and helps protect organizational and customer information. It also empowers employees by providing clear, detailed policy documentation and training in order to detect and combat cyber threats.
A company may develop an ISMS for different reasons, including to improve cybersecurity and compliance with regulatory requirements, or to pursue ISO 27001 certification. The procedure involves conducting an assessment of risk, determining the potential impact of weaknesses, and then selecting and implementing controls to mitigate risk. It also defines the roles and responsibilities of committees and owners of specific security procedures and activities. It creates policy documentation It also records it and then implements an improvement program.
The scope of an ISMS is determined by the information systems a company thinks are most important. It also considers any applicable regulations and standards like HIPAA for healthcare institutions or PCI DSS for an ecommerce platform. An ISMS typically has procedures for detecting and responding to threats, including identifying the source of a attack and monitoring access to data to track who is accessing which information.
The process of creating an ISMS requires the participation of all stakeholders and employees. It is usually best to start with a PDCA (plan do, create, check and act) model. This allows the ISMS to evolve according to changing cybersecurity threats and regulations.