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

If you have any excess funds available from this financial year, now is the time to procure the vital resources needed to succeed in projects planned for later this year. In spite of budget cuts, and an uncertain economic climate, information security will continue you be one of the most important issues facing an organisation throughout 2010 and beyond.

(more…)

Where your information security is concerned, prevention is better than cure

If you want to tackle the problem of information security, you cannot rely on the help of technology alone. Information security breaches tend to occur as a result of human, as well as technological, failings. However, the human factor usually receives far less attention.

Information Security Awareness Bundle This carefully selected collection of products, will enable you to start to deliver general information security education, and provides resources to help you to create and implement an IT induction and information security awareness programme. "This clearly written booklet is soundly based in practice, and I challenge anyone with resonsibilities in IT or HR in an organisation not to find value in it." - David Clayden on IT Induction and Information Security Awareness Pocket Guide.

(more…)

Find out more about our range of information security training courses which will help you and your organisation make the most of 2010. Book now and use any remaining funds from the 2009/2010 financial year before your budget is slashed in the next financial year!

• ISO27001 Foundation Course – 1 Day
• ISO27001 ISMS Implementation Masterclass – 3 Days
• Certificated ISO 27001 Internal Auditor Training Course – 2 Days
• ISO27OO1 Certificated Lead Auditor Training Course – 4.5 Days
• PCI DSS Introduction, Implementation & Compliance Masterclass – 1 Day

Our fast-growing training division offers a wide range of IT governance and information security training courses, both public and in-house, as well as a comprehensive range of training courses that lead to accredited certifications.

(more…)

Ever watched a presentation that’s left you with the feeling that it was an hour of your life you’ll never get back? Ever sat in a room full of people that are just two PowerPoint slides away from screaming “None of this matters!” before defenestrating themselves? Have you ever had to present to a room full of people like that? People who have so little interest in you, or your subject, that they’ve had to resort to stabbing their own leg with a biro just to stay awake?

I might be going out on a limb here, but I’m pretty sure that most people reading this will have been subjected to “Death by PowerPoint” at some time in their lives, and that most of us have previously resorted to any excuse short of actually faking our own death not to be subjected to it again. The simple fact is that it’s hard to keep your attention focussed on anything you’ve already decided you don’t care about. It doesn’t matter how often someone extols the virtues of something to you; if you can’t see how it matters to you, you’re unlikely to care.
(more…)

Purchase this Complete Data Protection Toolkit by Friday 19th February get a free copy of Data Breaches: Trends Costs and Best Practices - Worth £195!

Penalties for non-compliance are expected to be:

• Fines of up to £500,000 for serious contraventions of the DPA;
• 25 Monetary Penalty Notices (MPNs) are expected to be issued each year by the ICO;
• Prison sentences for deliberate, or negligent, customer data leaks by individuals within an organisation;
• DPA compliance costs are set to rise accordingly for UK organisations.

These penalties will be enforceable by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) from 6th April 2010!

It’s now more important than ever that you meet the requirements of the DPA. There is a narrow window of opportunity for organisations to review their privacy practices and information governance in order to prepare for what will be the much more hostile regulatory environment to come.
(more…)

Hi,

The long awaited international standard to the implementation of an information security management system,
ISO/IEC 27003:2010, is now available.

It’s a must have -

Buy the hard copy here:
http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/products/2906;

or the download here:
http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/products/2905.

Key Features and Benefits:

• The first standard to offer comprehensive guidance on implementing an ISO/IEC 27001:2005 ISMS. Using this standard during an ISMS implementation will improve your organisation’s chances of becoming ISO/IEC 27001 certified.
• Fully aligned with the rest of the ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards, meaning the strengths of all of the ISO/IEC 27000 standards together can be leveraged. Bringing about a higher level of information security, compliance, and cost savings, etc
• Written in a generic, practical manner, making the advice and guidance within applicable no matter the size, type or location of your organisation.

(more…)

In a January blog post titled DATA PROTECTION: Act now or pay the price, I outlined the penalties which the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will introduction for breaches of the data protection act (DPA) 1998.

The penalties expected are likly to be:

• Fines of up to £500,000 for serious contraventions of the DPA;
• 25 Monetary Penalty Notices (MPNs) are expected to be issued each year by the ICO;
• Prison Sentences for deliberate or negligent customer data leaks by individuals within an organisation;
• DPA compliance costs are set to rise accordingly, for UK organisations.

I went on to stress that there is now a narrow window of opportunity for organisations to review their privacy practices and information governance in order to prepare for what will be the much more hostile regulatory environment to come.

How are you getting on?
(more…)

Every organization who collects, owns or licenses personal information about a resident of Massachusetts will have to be in full compliance with 201 CMR 17.00 on or before March 1, 2010.

The term “personal information” is defined so broadly that nearly every Massachusetts business must comply with the regulations.

Specifically, personal information is defined as an individual’s name, accompanied by one or more of the following:

• Social Security number,
• driver’s license,
• state ID number, or
• financial account number (bank accounts, credit cards).

It is hard to imagine any Massachusetts businesses that do not handle or maintain personal information!
(more…)

Our No 3 Comprehensive ISO27001 ISMS Toolkit contains all the resources and tools an organisation will need to become ISO27001 certification-ready, and if you purchase it before midnight on Friday (29th January 2010), you will receive an immediate free download of 5 added value pocket guides!

Free Pocket Guides Included: Data Protection Compliance in the UK; ISO 27001 A Pocket Guide; ISO 27001 Assessments Without Tears: A Pocket Guide; IT Regulatory Compliance in North America: A Pocket Guide; Risk Assessment for Asset Owners: A Pocket Guide.

These 5 pocket guides compliment the toolkit well and will help to speed up your learning and your project!

The No 3 ISO/IEC27001 Comprehensive ISMS toolkit contains:
(more…)

Comply with the Massachusetts Data Protection Law – 201 CMR 17.00

Do you have an information security management system which complies to ISO27001?

The The 201 CMR 17.00 Upgrade Toolkit will help you to avoid regulatory noncompliance with the 201 CMR 17.00 Law!

Buy the The 201 CMR 17.00 Upgrade Toolkit

to assure success at your next surveillance audit and/or state examination.
(more…)