IT Governance Blog on IT governance, risk management, compliance and information security.

Strengthen your competitive position – Tick the ISO27001 box

With the October 20th announcements from the Coalition Government looming, how are you preparing? How will you continue to win new business with your customers in the Public Sector?

You may of course have to reduce your prices to remain competitive, but did you know that, while Public Sector organisations will be forced to ‘tighten their belts‘, it is very unlikely they will be allowed to reduce their commitment to the management of information security? For suppliers who wish to win new Public Sector contracts, compliance to the ISO27001:2005 Information Security Management Standard will continue to be a competitive necessity.

Have you seen the following tick boxes on a Public Sector RFQ or Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) document?

Does your organisation tick all the boxes? Do you think your competitors are compliant to the ISO27001 Standard? How on earth did they afford the cost and time?

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Are you expecting the recently announced Government reduction in central funding to affect your business? If you sell to the Public Sector, the answer is of course ‘yes’; but do you really know if you will win or lose?

You may already be aware of the concept of Corporate Darwinism, where in a recession only the strong companies survive, usually at the expense of their competitors. In the Public Sector jungle, well managed companies with a strong product or service proposition will not only survive but will win new business!

While Public Sector organisations will be forced to ‘tighten their belts’, they will not be allowed to reduce their commitment to the management of information security. The public sector has been forced to implement an enhanced version of the ISO27001 Information Security Management Framework and a key part of this standard is to ensure that all of their suppliers are also fully compliant with ISO27001.

How can you strengthen your competitive position when competing for business in the Public Sector?

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