Standards like ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management have been updated to help your organization minimize risk in an ever-changing digital risk. It’s vital that you transition to a new version of a standard like ISO/IEC 27001:2022 to keep your organization performing at its best.

If done promptly, your transition could be a big competitive differentiator. However, the process can also be complex and stressful

Usually, with the publication of a new standard version, there are several types of change.

• Some may make your business more effective by improving business processes
• Others may make your life easier by clarifying or correcting certain points from the earlier version
• Some may address new or changed business practices and risks which could be critical to your organization so need to be addressed immediately

How do you know how much time and effort is required to get your system where it needs to be, to meet the new standard? What should you focus on first? How do you minimize business risk? And how do you avoid wasting time and resources on changes that are not needed?

Also, how can you be confident your changes address the new standard’s compliance requirements? Or that they avoid the risk of major issues during your transition assessment or, ultimately, put your certification at risk?

We advise clients to consider the following three actions when preparing for a transition.

Firstly, understand exactly what the changes are. That’s the first step towards a trouble-free transition. You can access the training we often provide specifically for people already familiar with the standard, whenever there a major transition is required. This training focuses purely on what is needed to manage the transition.

We have a wide range of standards training courses available to implementers and internal auditors. And with a range of delivery options, you will find a training solution that suits you. It will also be a big help in managing and de-risking your transition process.

Secondly, have a gap assessment at the start of your transition process. This will compare your current implementation against the new version of the standard. That way, you can clearly see from the start what you need to do.

This enables you to plan your resource and prioritize changes upfront, according to business and risk. And it significantly de-risks any issues with implementation and gives you and your organization confidence that you will complete your transition in good time. You can take a Gap Assessment with us at any time to identify gaps between a particular implementation and the relevant standard.

Once you have completed your changes, our readiness review will check that that you have covered the key areas effectively and are ready for a transition assessment. This is usually conducted as a desk-top review, often remotely, for your convenience. It will significantly reduce the likelihood of any major issues during your transition assessment and enable you to proceed with confidence.

As your partner for progress, we are here to help take some of the stress, complexity, and risk out of the transition process, and make your transition as smooth, efficient, and effective as possible.