Tolga Aktaş Cloud environment usage inevitably raises concerns about information security. Users expect information they stored, such as customer, personal, and sensitive data, to be in safe hands. They aim to choose a service provider carefully, so that they can sleep at night knowing that their data is secure. Therefore, SaaS companies are expected to be viable, stable, and offer security controls.
This is where ISO 27001, a widely known international standard on Information Security Management Systems, comes in handy. Implementing adequate ISO 27001 controls gives assurance to clients that the SaaS company takes security and compliance seriously. If a SaaS company is not ISO 27001 certified, there is a good chance that prospective customers will not even shortlist the vendor.
ISO 27001 certification helps SaaS companies in the following ways:
- offers architected, dependable, and highly secure systems and applications
- gives the ownership and control of data freedom to its users by applying principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability
- fulfills service-level commitments, which means continuity of services and business
- identifies laws and other information-related regulations
Benefits of ISO 27001 for a SaaS company
Besides meaning credible recognition, ISO 27001 for SaaS ensures effectiveness in a company, increasing client retention and new customer acquisition. With the increasing number of competitors on the market, more SaaS companies strive to earn their competitive advantage by demonstrating their commitment to data security because of the following:
- Many companies consider ISO 27001 as a primary security requirement before selecting their SaaS vendor, knowing that they offer architected, dependable, and highly secure systems and applications.
- ISO 27001-certified SaaS gives the ownership and control of data to its users by applying confidentiality, integrity, and availability principles.
- The risk management approach of ISO 27001 helps SaaS companies to fulfill their service-level commitments, which means continuity of services and business for SaaS users in case of an incident or disruption.
- ISO 27001 requires identification of laws and other information-related regulations. ISO 27001-certified SaaS companies take this into account when designing their systems, so that their clients are assured their supplier is not in any legal risk.
ISO 27001 for SaaS – Certification requirements
Before going for the certification, a SaaS company needs to implement a security framework and safeguards – these are implemented in the 16 steps described in the following article: ISO 27001 Implementation Guide: Checklist of Steps, Timing, and Costs involved.
By conducting the last steps in the implementation, internal audit(s) and management review(s), and starting corrective actions, the SaaS company will be eligible for the initial certification process.
The ISO 27001 certification process is performed by a certification body in three stages: document review, main audit, and surveillance audits.
How does ISO 27001 certification ensure that customer data is protected?
As mentioned before, ISO 27001 has a catalog of security controls that ensure customer data is protected. These controls are categorized into the four sections listed below:
- A.5 Organizational controls: This section contains 37 controls for setting the most important security processes and documentation.
- A.6 People controls: This section focuses on eight controls related to secure management of human resources.
- A.7 Physical controls: This section defines 14 controls related to secure areas and equipment protection.
- A.8 Technological controls: This section focuses on 34 IT and communication controls.
ISO 27001 controls most relevant to cloud companies
ISO 27001 provides a comprehensive framework for information security management, and several controls within its Annex A can be useful for cloud companies. The most relevant include:
- Control A.8.25, Secure development lifecycle, requires the establishment and application of rules for the secure development of software and systems.
- Control A.8.29, Security testing in development and acceptance, requires the definition and implementation of security testing processes in the development lifecycle.
- Control A.5.29, Information security during disruption, requires information security to be maintained at an appropriate level during disruption by means of planning.
- Control A.5.30, ICT readiness for business continuity, requires planning and implementation of ICT readiness measures, as well as such measures being maintained and tested based on business continuity objectives and ICT continuity requirements.
- Control A.5.24, Information security incident management planning and preparation, requires proper management of information security incidents through information security incident management processes, roles, and responsibilities.
- Control A.5.26, Response to information security incidents, requires the response to information security incidents to be made in accordance with documented procedures.
- Control A.5.31, Legal, statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements, requires those requirements relevant to information security, and the organization’s approach to meet these requirements, to be identified, documented, and kept up to date.
- Control A.5.32, Intellectual property rights, requires the implementation of appropriate procedures to protect intellectual property rights.
Additionally, other controls that are useful for IT companies in general can also be adopted by cloud companies, like:
- Control A.8.6, Capacity management
- Control A.8.7, Protection against malware
- Control A.8.8, Management of technical vulnerabilities
- Control A.8.9, Configuration management
- Control A.8.10, Information deletion
- Control A.8.12, Data leakage prevention
- Control A.8.13, Information backup
- Control A.8.24, Use of cryptography
These controls collectively help cloud companies manage risks and protect data effectively in a cloud-based environment.
How can SaaS companies win market share with ISO 27001 certification?
ISO 27001 is a good starting point for SaaS companies who want to be recognized internationally and need a competitive advantage in a rapidly growing industry where security is the top challenge. So, after a SaaS company achieves ISO 27001 certification, getting a new client will be much easier.
Finally, we can say that ISO 27001 for SaaS is like the pole used by a pole vault athlete trying to qualify for the Olympic games. If used properly, SaaS company can cross the bar and locate a good market position.
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