URM is pleased to provide a FREE 30 minute consultation on Transitioning to ISO 27001:2022 for any UK-based organisation. Once an enquiry form has been submitted, we will be in touch to understand the nature of your enquiry and to book a mutually convenient time for a 30-minute consultation slot with one of URM’s specialists.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a non-regulatory federal agency operating within the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST plays a key role in setting standards and guidelines for the U.S. technology industry and promoting the safe and secure use of technology in both the private and public sectors.
NIST covers a wide range of areas, including information security, where it develops and maintains a number of frameworks and guidelines that are widely used by organisations to improve their cybersecurity practices. Notably, these include the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), which provides a set of best practices for managing cybersecurity risks, and the NIST Special Publication (SP) 800 series, which includes detailed guidance on a range of cybersecurity topics, including risk management, identity and access management, and incident response.
On 26 Febraury 2024, NIST released v2.0 of the CSF, which introduces a 6th Function, Govern, to the Framework Core. The Framework has also been expanded in scope to extend beyond the protection of critical infrastructure (as was the aim of the previous version) in order to explicitly include all organisations in any sector.
Whilst both standards are focused on protecting information, key differences include:
This is the foundation of the NIST CSF and consists of three main parts:
Implementation Tiers are used to help your organisation understand and communicate your approach to managing cybersecurity risk. The tiers provide a common language for describing your risk management practices and help you assess your risk management processes and identify areas for improvement.
Profiles are used to help you understand your current cybersecurity posture and identify areas for improvement. Profiles also provide a snapshot of your current controls and safeguards and can be used to identify gaps and vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.
Having assisted over 400 organisations to implement an ISMS and then achieve ISO 27001 certification since the Standard’s establishment in 2005, we at URM are the ideal experts and partners to help you certify. With our fully-tailored approach, we can support you through each stage of the ISO 27001 management system lifecycle, offering guidance specific to your organisation’s unique requirements.
Get in touch with our information security experts today to find out more.
Since 2002, URM can support your organisation by assisting with each of the 7-step CSF implementation process or specific steps as follows:
Step 1 – Prioritise and scope. The first step is to identify your business objectives and high-level priorities. This information helps inform the scope of the systems and assets which support the business processes, as well as making strategic decisions concerning cybersecurity implementation. It is crucial that all of your critical systems and assets are identified so that their protection can be prioritised.
Step 2 – Orient. After defining the scope of your cybersecurity programme, URM will assist you in identifying the relevant systems and assets, regulatory requirements and the overall risk approach. This is followed by the identification of threats and vulnerabilities which relate to the systems and assets identified in the scope.
Step 3 – Create a current profile. With this step you need to identify your current profile specifying what security controls have been implemented and what outcomes have been achieved. When looking at the outcomes, you will need to use the Categories and Subcategories from the Framework Core to define which outcomes are being fully or partially achieved. This baseline will help you plan the next steps.
Step 4 – Conduct a risk assessment. Having created a current profile, URM will help you conduct a risk assessment analysing the impact and likelihood of a cybersecurity breach.
Step 5 – Create a target profile. You will now be in a position to create a Target Profile. Here, URM will support you focussing on your Categories and Subcategories and setting targets for your desired cybersecurity outcomes incorporating your organisation’s risk appetite.
Step 6 – Determine, analyse and prioritise gaps. This step includes the creation of a prioritised action plan to close the control gaps between your Current and Target Profiles, reflecting your organisation’s drivers, costs, benefits and risks. You will also need to decide on what resources will be needed to close the gaps.
Step 7 – Implement action plan. Having set priorities for addressing gaps between your Current and Target Profiles, it is now a case of implementing security controls and control activities in order to achieve the target profile. The target profile comprises 108 Subcategories which are outcome-driven statements that reflect the improvement of your organisation’s cybersecurity programme.
URM has a 17-year track record of providing high-quality consultancy and training support, assisting organisations improve their information and cyber security, as well as information governance posture and capabilities. A particular niche skill is helping organisations to conform or certify to ‘best practice’ international (IS) standards such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001. URM is particularly adept at developing existing frameworks to meet the requirements of these standards or building on existing ISO 27001 ISMS’ to achieve NIST conformance. Having assisted over 400 organisations to achieve world-recognised standards, URM has worked with organisations of all sizes from micro businesses to multi-national organisations and from all the major market sectors.
URM is renowned for adopting a highly tailored and bespoke service where its consultants are constantly striving to deliver sustainable solutions that meet both the current and future needs of the client organisation.
When transferring knowledge on meeting the requirements of NIST, URM can deliver this through various delivery mechanisms, i.e., through one-to-one support, workshops or training courses. Furthermore, when delivering remediation services to address gaps, URM’s support is tailored and flexible, based on the client’s requirements, internal knowledge and available resources. Support can be delivered on an activity-per-activity basis or where a consultant is allocated on a recurring basis, e.g., 1 day a week. As such, the engagements help to ensure that remediation activities are followed through, remain compliant and that sufficient evidence for the audit is generated.
One the key requirements of ISO 27001 is the need for robust risk assessment which can produce repeatable and comparable results. With its proven, best practice methodology, URM’s information security risk management software, Abriska 27001, enables you to meet this requirement. We can also assist you to increase awareness among your staff with our expertly designed and engaging learning management system (LMS), Alurna.
Our information security and ISO 27001 training courses can help you learn how to effectively manage information security. Our Certificate in Information Security Management Principles (CISMP) training course will prepare you to take the BCS (Chartered Institute for IT) administered exam, enabling you to gain an industry-recognised qualification. Meanwhile, our Introduction to ISO 27001 Course and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Transition Course will significantly enhance your ISO 27001 knowledge and professional skillset.
URM has gained a reputation as the preeminent UK provider of live webinars, aimed at delivering valuable and practical insights to organisations looking to improve their information security, risk management, data protection etc. The webinars are delivered by our senior consultants who share hints and tips on topics such as certifying to ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials, complying with the GDPR. All of our webinars are completely free to attend, and include an opportunity to ask questions at the end.
On 20 November, BSI and URM are collaborating to deliver a free, half-day Round Table event on how to implement ISO 27001
This webinar is unique in that it brings together BSI, UK’s leading certification body and URM, leading ISO 27001 consultancy organisation.
URM shares it's experiences of transitioning from the 2013 to the 2022 version of the ISO 27001 Standard
There is no straightforward answer to this question as it depends on the size and complexity of your organisation, what systems and processes are already in place and what resources are available. However, in URM’s experience it typically takes between 6 and 9 months for a small, low complexity organisation to fully implement ISO 27001.
With larger, more complex environments, 9 to 18 months is closer to the norm for fully establishing an ISMS. This naturally assumes that the appropriate resources are made available to achieve the desired outcomes.
Apart from the existing maturity of operational practices and controls and availability of in-house resource, another key determinant in how long an ISO 27001 implementation will take place will be the support and involvement of senior management. URM has seen organisations achieve very aggressive timescales in implementing and achieving ISO 27001 certification where Senior Management has prioritised the project, often associated with being awarded a significant client project.
There is, generally, no direct legal requirement for compliance as such, indicating why many people choose to use the word conformance rather than compliance. Organisations choose whether or not to implement the requirements of ISO 27001 based upon the benefits that would be gained by doing so. However, you should pay close attention to any contractual obligations you may have for protecting the information of clients and other stakeholders.
There is an increasing trend where customers require third party suppliers to implement or certify to ISO 27001, thus making it a legal requirement, by virtue of a contract.
A key requirement of ISO 27001 is that you adopt a risk-based approach when implementing your ISMS. You are also required to ensure that certain processes are in place to ensure effective and proactive management and continuous improvement.
These requirements are broken down into 7 major clauses, which deal with context of the organisation, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement. These clauses are consistent with other ISO Management system standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 22301, and is known as the harmonised structure.
The current version of the Standard, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 replaced the 2013 version of the Standard on 25 October 2022. As of 1 May 2024, all initial and recertification assessments must be conducted against ISO 27001:2022 and, on 31 October 2025, all ISO 27001:2013 certificates will be withdrawn. Whilst the management system clauses received a relatively minor makeover in order to harmonize ISO 27001 with other standards, the information security controls contained within Annex A were completely restructured with some controls being merged with others as well as 11 new ones being introduced.
URM’s blog discusses how to develop and implement an information security policy that fully conforms to both your organisation’s and ISO 27001 requirements.
URM’s blog explains how to plan and execute effective and conformant internal audits of management systems at each stage of the internal audit process.
URM’s blog explains why ‘people’ warrants its own control theme in ISO 27001 and how to prepare for a people controls audit, offering advice for each control.
URM’s blog explains what ISO 27002 is, how it can benefit your organisation, & how you can use it to support your implementation of an ISO 27001-conformant ISMS