Securing top management’s support is essential for the success of critical information security initiatives. Leadership buy-in drives the prioritization of security standards and best practices and helps to cultivate and foster a strong company-wide commitment to security-focused compliance.
This is especially true for ISO 27001. Of course, you’ll need the sign-off of decision-makers to receive the budget and resources necessary to build your information security management system (ISMS), but in fact, leadership support is also critical in terms of the standard’s requirements. As an ISO certification body that routinely assesses organizations working to achieve certification for this very popular compliance initiative, we’ve seen organizations underestimate the importance of executive support, particularly for ISO 27001.
To help you avoid this oversight, we’ll break down both the significance of leadership regarding security in general, as well as how top management within your organization must factor into your ISO 27001 certification in order for it to be successful. We understand your organizational higher-ups may take some convincing, so read on for deeper understanding and helpful tips for getting them on board in the way they need to be.
Involvement from top management is critical to the design and effectiveness of any information security program, not limited to just ISO 27001 certification. Your program’s governance should be comprised of several key factors designed to protect your assets:
Leadership is paramount, but before we go any further, it’s important to clearly define who we mean in this context. Though the definition can vary across organizations depending on size, complexity, and structure, in general, “top management” indicates members of the senior executive team responsible for making strategic decisions within the organization.
Those decisions should ensure that your enterprise governance is aligned with the information security framework, but to be effective in that, top management must provide clear edicts regarding:
That said, they can’t just decree these factors—top management’s involvement also includes ascertaining that the intended outcomes of the information security program are achieved, and that means doing the following, at minimum:
This doesn’t fall only on top leadership, of course—information security is ultimately the responsibility of all employees within an organization. However, the most successful information security programs feature a management team that both sets the tone at the top and champions the importance of information security through well-designed policy and direction.
Ultimately, leadership should ingrain information security as part of your greater organizational culture.
These efforts from higher-ups are essential for you to reap the benefits of a successful ISO 27001 certification, because such involvement from leadership is actually required and assessed, as outlined in Clauses 5 (Leadership) and 9.3 (Management Review).
These clauses each deal with a different phase of the ISMS:
Clause 5 focuses on the design of your ISMS—involvement from top management is required. Leadership must establish and support:
When deciding who will carry this out, consider the scope of your ISMS. Involvement in its construction from top management can vary by organization, but your ISMS scope can help inform who should be considered when determining who will be involved from a leadership and commitment standpoint.
In our experience, we’ve seen organizations begin by selecting a committee that includes both members of executive management and the information security team—together, they are responsible for overseeing the design, operation, maintenance, and improvement of the ISMS.
To successfully satisfy the requirements of Clause 5, you’ll need to establish:
The involvement of leadership doesn’t stop with just the set-up laid out in Clause 5. Clause 9.3 focuses on the required procedures for your management to be continually involved in the evaluation of the ISMS to ensure its effectiveness.
This is a critical requirement for ISO 27001 certification—leadership must be involved in the requisite, periodic reevaluation of your ISMS and provide regular feedback on its performance. The standard requires continuous improvement including accommodating changes in your environment, as well as addressing processes that are not performing as expected.
Knowing that management is required to remain involved in this process, your customers are more reassured that any problems with the ISMS are being identified promptly, and that corrective action is successfully implemented accordingly.
To successfully satisfy the requirements of Claus 9.3, you’ll need to:
Despite management’s critical role in achieving ISO 27001 certification success, securing their buy-in is the first hurdle to tackle. When convincing decision-makers to green-light pursuit of ISO 27001, it’s important to effectively articulate the certification’s true value. That said, there are additional approaches you can take to make a compelling case.
Helpful tips for securing management buy-in:
Securing leadership buy-in begins with identifying and involving the right stakeholders – this can include executives, department heads, IT leaders, and legal and compliance, who have a direct interest in information security and risk management. Engaging these leaders from the beginning ensures that their concerns are addressed, and the certification process aligns with their priorities. Conducting initial discussions, brief sessions, and workshops can help stakeholders understand the value of the ISO 27001 certification.
Executives prioritize initiatives that align with the company’s strategic objectives. Positioning ISO 27001 certification as a tool to drive business growth, enhance operational efficiency, improve risk management, and strengthen resilience. By demonstrating that ISO 27001 certification supports leadership’s long-term vision and objective, you can increase the likelihood of gaining their commitment.
To gain executive approval, you can put together a well-structured plan that outlines how ISO 27001 certification will be implemented with a clear roadmap and minimum disruption to daily operations. The proposal should include key elements such as: clear objectives, roadmaps / timeline, resource allocation, risk assessment, ROI justification, etc. A well-documented and strategic proposal allows management to view ISO 27001 as a value-driven initiative rather than a regulatory obligation.
Securing approval from leadership is a must before you proceed with any compliance initiative. Although your executives should already be setting an example for your entire organization regarding security, ISO 27001 takes their involvement a step further.
The holistic approach of the standard requires further, more intricate commitment from top management—as you’ve just learned, there are clauses within that require action from leadership during both the design and operation phases of your ISMS. Now that you better understand the importance of management buy-in and best tips for securing it, you can work on getting the right people on board before you proceed with pursuing certification.
Once you secure management buy-in and feel ready to achieve ISO 27001 certification, Schellman is here to help. Contact our specialists and we’ll get back to you soon.
To further prepare in the meantime, check out our other helpful content that will aid you in your journey towards ISO 27001 certification: