Introduction

For generations; businesses have handled information through generic spreadsheets and word processors. But as we navigate the world of digitalisation; it’s clear that those days are now over and done with. Digital information security management systems (ISMS) have developed beyond our expectations and have transformed the way we manage and handle everyday data.

In this blog post; our team provides some top tips when it comes to shifting your ISMS digitally to ensure that operations are made easier in your business.

Top tips at a glance

Prepare your team: be transparent, outline your plans, and educate the wider company on why a digital ISMS matters.
Audit current information: know what data you hold to choose the right ISMS and gauge time to ISO 27001 certification.
Build habits: automate tasks, meetings and reminders so good habits stay transparent and consistent.
Collaborate: give remote teams full visibility to assign tasks and set realistic completion goals.

Prepare your team

Making any big change in a company can cause some disruption within a team. Because of this; you need to mentally prepare your staff for what is to come. This means being transparent; outlining your plans; and what this means for them. Implementing a digital ISMS is essential when it comes to future-proofing your business operations as the world moves fully online; so educating the wider company on its importance is crucial.

Complete an audit of your current information

As you are looking to upgrade your traditional information security processes; you need to have an idea of all the information your business currently holds. By doing so; you will be able to have an idea of what type of ISMS you need; what functionalities you could benefit from; and how long it might take for your ISMS to become ISO 27001 certified.

Building habits within your system

Having an ISMS in place can boast a great deal of benefits for your internal operations; but it’s not something that you can implement and not continually work to improve. Having such systems in place is all about efficiency and to achieve this; you’ve got to build good habits. Simple tasks; meetings and reminders can automatically be built into the digital system meaning everyone's good habits can be automated and transparent. These also may include setting some time aside to add new risks or work on policies that are currently in development. Following this; your ISMS will be the best it can be!

Collaborate with your team

Being a great collaborator is key to having a successful ISMS in any business; and software like Hicomply can help with this. As remote working grows in popularity; teams must have complete visibility to ensure that live projects are heading in the right direction. By creating a collaborative culture across your company; and with the help of a digital ISMS; colleagues will be able to assign tasks more easily and set realistic goals for completion.

These are just some of our top tips when it comes to implementing a digital ISMS within your business. For any company of any size; it’s important that you take the time to properly understand what benefits can be delivered to your business and how it can make the life of your team much easier when it comes to managing data.

If you’re interested in learning more about the software we provide here at Hicomply; don’t hesitate to contact our team today.

Hicomply's take

Hicomply recommends digitalising an ISMS around habits first: owners, reminders, evidence and approvals should be easy to see and reuse. Automation works best when it supports the way teams already collaborate, then keeps ISO 27001 work audit-ready without spreadsheet drift.