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Posted July 24, 2020
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies continue to gain popularity and a footing across the board, but security remains their top barrier to adoption. Therefore SaaS deployments must achieve competitive differentiation by demonstrating to their prospects and clients that they are fully committed to and capable of securing their data.
As a SaaS company, you must prove that your offering is architected and operated securely and reliably. To do this, you need to achieve an ISO 27001 certification. This post discusses ISO 27001 compliance for SaaS companies, why it is useful, the certification requirements and best practices, and audit readiness.
ISO 27001 certification refers to the only internationally-recognized and accepted standard for governing informational assets. It creates an effective, sustainable, and reliable Information Security Management System (ISMS).
Using ISO 27001 enables organizations of any kind and size to manage the security of its assets, such as financial information, employee details, intellectual property, or information entrusted by third parties. ISO 27001 is not obligatory. Some organizations opt to implement the standard to benefit from its best practice, while others decide to get certified to assure their clients and prospects that they follow set recommendations.
As a SaaS working with companies in the health sector, the ISO certification helps you cover the parts of their HIPAA(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) compliance requirements.
On the other hand, if you are working with financial services companies, they may sometimes send over security forms to fill out to ascertain the security of their data and information on your end. They may also ask to see your security set up. In such cases, you can prepare and send over a summarized version of your present ISO documents showing compliance.
ISO 27001 compliance makes the process of filling out security documents much more straightforward and assists you in securing more sales and contracts.
You see, financial and health companies do not just tick the box. They have rigorous legal requirements to keep their customer data secure. So given a choice between two companies, one with ISO 27001 certification for SaaS and the other without but has developed stringent internal security and audit systems, they go with the safer, globally accepted option.
More companies in industries such as financial services, health care, government, and heavy industry, mainly in Asia and Europe, and increasingly in the US, require ISO 27001 certification for SaaS. Without ISO 27001 compliance, you are increasingly less likely to make security-conscious prospects’ shortlist for further evaluation. Eventually, don’t be surprised to see increased attrition among your existing clients.
It is pertinent to treat ISO 27001 compliance as any other ongoing IT project. As such, there is no fast-track solution to implementing the standard. Some best practices include:
The ISO 27001 certification standard recognizes that every SaaS organization has its unique requirements when developing an ISMS. Therefore, there is no universally mandatory information security control for compliance because not all will be appropriate. Instead, organizations should perform activities that inform their decisions on which controls to implement.
Below are the essential SaaS requirements when implementing ISO 27001 certification for SaaS:
After implementing these steps, SaaS companies should regularly conduct management reviews and internal audits to identify instances of non-conformities to improve the ISMS continually.
If you want to start the ISO 27001 certification process, GreyCastle Security can help. Our readiness service provides a 100% success rate and provides clients with assurance in the security of their organizations. Use our ISO 27001 certification for SaaS guides to prepare your business for compliance. Also, get the certification requirements, essential information, and best practices to prepare for your audit.
As the single globally accepted information security standard, the ISO 27001 certification demonstrates your ability to put the full spectrum of data security best practices in place. Furthermore, it proves that you have a managed, verifiable, and mature approach to information security, which encompasses risk, compliance, and governance.
Contact GreyCastle Security to help you prepare for your ISO 27001 certification today!
ISO 27001 is the only international standard for the governance of information assets, creating an effective and sustainable Information Security Management System (ISMS).
Is your organization looking to become ISO 27001 certified?
This white paper identifies the need-to-knows as you start your roadmap to compliance.
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Copyright © 2022 GreyCastle Security. All Rights Reserved
Ho Chin is Chief Financial Officer at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Ho leads Finance, HR, IT and Professional Development. As part of the executive leadership team, Ho works to establish the company’s overall strategy and ensure proper execution of the supporting initiatives pertaining to the above areas of responsibility.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Ho led finance and administrative functions at multiple private equity and venture-backed portfolio companies across multiple industries. Ho holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University in Centre County, Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dan Kalil is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Chairman at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Dan provides vision, leadership and strategies that drive GreyCastle Security’s position as an industry leader. With an emphasis on customer success, Dan’s profitable growth model leverages a customer-centric business approach that balances employee wellbeing and social responsibility.
Prior to becoming CEO, Dan served as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, during which he supported multiple acquisitions and helped the organization achieve substantial sales growth. In addition to serving as CEO at GreyCastle Security, Dan continues to hold the position of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Assured information Security (AIS) in Rome, New York, a company he co-founded in 2001.
Over the course of the last 22 years, Dan has been committed to advancing the state of cybersecurity and has played an instrumental role in the identification and development of critical, next-generation cyber capabilities. He has held positions in almost every facet of cybersecurity, beginning as a computer forensic examiner and progressing through the management and executive leadership ranks. In addition to co-founding AIS, Dan has facilitated multiple cybersecurity startups, raised investment capital and has served in various lead and support roles toward the acquisition of five companies in the last eight years.
Dan has a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and a master’s degree in Cybersecurity from Utica College in Utica, New York.
Michael Stamas is an entrepreneur, board member, Vice President and a founder of GreyCastle Security. With more than two decades of experience in the technology sector, Mike pairs his management and business development skills with a deep understanding of cybersecurity. Mike brings a unique brand of risk-based advising to GreyCastle clients and prospects.
Mike holds certifications in numerous security and technology related areas, including the Department of Homeland Security and other security technologies like Symantec, Cisco and Microsoft.
Mike plays an active role in his community and serves as a board member and Vice President of InfraGard Albany as well as an advisory board position with the Capital Region YMCA.
Mike has been recognized for his numerous achievements through various honors including the Albany Business Review’s prestigious 40 Under 40 award.
Dan Maynard serves as GreyCastle Security’s Chief Operating Officer, where he currently leads Sales, Marketing and Legal.
Dan has enjoyed a 30+ year career in the Information Technology and Telecommunications industry, during which time he has held various leadership positions for organizations such as Rochester Tel/RCI, Citizens Communications (Frontier), PAETEC Communications, IntegraOptics, tw telecom/Level3 and Centurylink.
In addition to various voice and data technology platforms, he possesses a strong background in leadership development, sales and marketing leadership, transformational leadership and strategic planning. Dan has a thirst for knowledge and as a committed lifelong learner, he encourages and supports professional development initiatives for his teams and continues his involvement with Vistage International.
Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he was selected as a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
When not at work, Dan enjoys traveling, golfing, attending Utica Comets hockey games and relaxing in the Adirondacks on beautiful Canada Lake with family and friends.
Dan Didier is the Vice President of Solutions and board member at GreyCastle Security.
Dan has been a cybersecurity practitioner for more than 20 years and uses his knowledge and experience to develop cybersecurity solutions that ensure readiness and preparedness.
Dan received his bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a master’s degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
Our Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) have responded to hundreds of breaches, intrusions, malware infections, thefts, employee investigations, fraud cases and other incidents. Our highly-certified experts have extensive experience in command, coordination and correction of incidents in nearly every industry throughout North America, from local businesses to Fortune 500 international conglomerates.
Francesca LoPorto-Brandow is Director of Culture at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Francesca leads all social responsibility efforts and partnerships and develops effective strategies that promote organizational-wide behaviors and attitudes consistent with a culture of safety, inclusion, teamwork, motivation and high-performance.
Prior to this role, Francesca was Director of People & Culture at GreyCastle and with her leadership, the company’s culture has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as a Nationally recognized Best Workplace, Albany Business Review Best Places to Work and Albany Times Union Top Workplaces.
Before joining GreyCastle Security, Francesca worked as an OD consultant and focused on strategic culture change at The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. for more than six years. There, she facilitated client education sessions, coached leaders and teams, developed and executed consulting interventions and served as strategy project leader on various client engagements. Her work has taken her into Fortune 100 companies and across borders including Panama, Singapore and beyond.
Francesca is a Lean Six Sigma–certified Green Belt, a proud YWCA-GCR board member and in 2013, she coordinated and emceed the inaugural TEDx Troy—a livestream of TEDCity 2.0. Since 2012, she has coordinated and emceed the Troy 100 Forum, a biannual forum for government, religious and community leaders to discuss issues vital to the future of Troy, New York.
Bilingual in English and Italian, Francesca holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Technology from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management & Technology. She was awarded Cybersecurity Recruiter of the year North America in 2017 by the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.
Jamie Aiello is Senior Vice President of Services and Product Management at GreyCastle Security. In this position, Jamie is responsible for leading a high performing and well-balanced team that is ultimately responsible for the identification, selection, execution and successful performance of our company’s diverse portfolio of cybersecurity offerings.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Jamie has held leadership positions with Annese and Associates, ConvergeOne and BlueSky IT Partners with a focus on delivering cost effective information technology solutions for companies across multiple verticals.
Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.