Embracing cyber security certifications: turning compliance into a competitive advantage

Certifications such as ISO 27001, DSPT, and Cyber Essentials are often perceived within organisations as being cumbersome, costly, and challenging to achieve. However, these certifications are not just bureaucratic requirements without a greater purpose – they are designed to help organisations protect both themselves and their customers. Amidst the daily demands of maintaining operations and addressing emerging threats, it’s crucial that organisations recognise the benefits such certifications represent, and prioritise the development of capabilities, knowledge, and compliance with sector regulations.

Cyber security is an ever-evolving field that constantly challenges professionals to think ahead, identify critical assets, and align business structures in order to serve customers effectively. Demonstrating a commitment to security and privacy is more than just good practice; it sets you and your organisation apart in a competitive market. Certifications provide a public platform for this demonstration, showing that your organisation is serious about safeguarding information, and thereby building trust and confidence with customers. Even beyond this, when approached strategically, certifications can even offer a competitive edge and transform into a profit centre for the business.

Consider Cyber Essentials, for example. Achieving this certification shows a strong commitment to security by protecting against the most common threats. However, this is only the beginning; going on to pursue Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) will mean having your security measures independently tested and validated by an IASME-certified examiner. This not only strengthens your organisation’s security posture, but also enhances your reputation and the trust customers place in you.

For many organisations, the next logical step is to tackle ISO 27001 certification – a significant commitment that requires investment and a genuine desire to ensure that people, processes, and technology are aligned to serve both the organisation and its customers effectively. The real value of ISO 27001, however, lies in its structured approach to managing evolving threats. With the rapid advancement of technologies like AI, machine learning, and the looming impact of quantum computing, the amount of time between the discovery of a vulnerability and its exploitation is shrinking drastically. ISO 27001 enables a comprehensive audit of assets, data, and cryptographic standards, ensuring your organisation is prepared for the migration to quantum-ready encryption algorithms and other robust security measures when the time comes. This structured approach helps not only in achieving business continuity, but also in embracing Zero Trust principles that will enhance internal and external user experiences.

In the event of a cyber attack, having undergone ISO 27001 certification can significantly improve your organisation’s response and recovery time – potentially saving millions in damages. While tailored towards public and governmental bodies, the Cyber Assessment Framework can allow organisations that routinely deal with the public sector to demonstrate their compliance to a shared set of standards, paving the way for future partnerships.  With the increasing skills gap and expanding attack surface, leveraging certifications like CE+ and ISO 27001 is a smart investment to identify gaps in your defences, apply mitigating controls, and ensure that critical data is effectively protected, backed up, and tested.

As regulations continue to evolve and new certifications emerge, a strong foundation in existing standards ensures that staying ahead of the curve – and the competition – becomes a manageable task. Embrace certifications not as a burden, but instead as a strategic advantage that safeguards your organisation and propels it forward.

Continuing Cyber Security Month 2024, ITGL’s Security Practice Lead, Andy Le Grice, has taken the opportunity to focus in more detail on Cyber Essentials in the Education sector. You can find his blog, in which he discusses achieving the increasingly vital certification in the most efficient and effective way possible, here.