What Is An Information Security Management System (ISMS)?
Security Boulevard, Friday, September 20th, 2024
If you've spent any length of time reading about the internationally accepted security framework laid out in ISO 27001, you've likely come across the term ISMS or Information Security Management System. You may wonder, though; what is the ISMS specifically, how do you set one up, and what does it do for your business? Let's talk about it.
What is an ISMS?
An ISMS is an Information Security Management System, but unlike what the name might imply, it's not really a 'system' you can purchase out of the box and have ready to go once you run through a few settings. It's a system in the traditional sense, an organization-wide set of policies, rules, procedures, and controls that holistically combine into a framework or system that secures information according to the CIA triad of Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.
The overall goal of an ISMS is to minimize business and data risk, maintain business continuity of operations, and limit the impact of any potential breach of information security through proactive, active, and reactive procedures.