ISO 27001 is a globally recognized security framework that assesses how an organization’s information security management system (ISMS) protects its data and demonstrates its strong information security posture to prospects, customers, and other stakeholders. Now, there are tools to help businesses get their ISO 27001 certification quicker and easier via automation. 

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In this post, we’ll cover the differences between a manual ISO 27001 implementation and audit compared to an automated approach, features and capabilities of compliance automation platforms, and how to find the right compliance automation platform for you.

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What is compliance automation?

Many of the processes and tasks involved in getting ISO 27001 compliant are manual and repetitive, especially when done by a human. Compliance automation tools can perform these tasks on behalf of humans to make ISO 27001 compliance faster and easier. For example, a compliance automation platform could conduct automated scans of your ISMS to identify missing security controls, offer templates for the policies, and give guided steps for mitigating risks.

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Advantages of compliance automation vs. traditional methods

Compliance automation makes ISO 27001 compliance easier to obtain. Below we’ve listed out some of the benefits of using a compliance automation platform for ISO 27001.

Lower cost

Compliance automation can help your business save money over the course of your compliance implementation. Some of the largest expenses in the compliance process come from time — such as the time your teams invest, time billed from hiring a compliance consultant, and the time and complexity that increases the cost of your audit. Automation can save you thousands by streamlining your processes, eliminating the need for a consultant, and making your audit go smoothly.

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Less need for in-house knowledge

To get ISO 27001 certified using the teams and tools you already have isn’t always an option if your team is less experienced with ISO 27001. Automated compliance platforms offer guidance that fills in knowledge gaps so you can achieve compliance even without a team of ISO 27001 experts. 

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More efficient testing

ISO 27001 compliance involves regularly reviewing and testing your ISMS to ensure that you’re correctly implementing the security controls. These reviews are often time-consuming and error-prone when done manually. Automated compliance platforms can automatically perform these reviews so you have more frequent feedback without needing to manually perform these evaluations.

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Smoother certification audits

During a manual ISO 27001 certification process, you’ll likely spend a significant amount of time answering questions from your auditor and providing them with additional documentation. A compliance automation platform centralizes your documentation to streamline your audits. This speeds up the audit process, which can save you time and money.

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Easier compliance maintenance

Even after receiving your ISO 27001 certification, you’ll need to maintain it by identifying new security risks that arise and monitoring for compliance gaps. Automated compliance platforms with  continuous monitoring capabilities scan for possible gaps and risks, and notify you for items that need attention.

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Key features of ISO 27001 automation solutions

If you choose the automated route to ISO 27001 compliance, you’ll benefit from features like:

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• Automated compliance scanning: Receive on-demand data about which ISO 27001 requirements you’ve met and which ones are missing.
• Vendor and integration monitoring: Look for potential security risks via vendors and software tools that are integrated with your systems.
• Policy templates: Prepare staff policies and protocols templates for ISO 27001.
• Risk assessment wizard: Follow a guided process for risk assessment, using the platform to analyze risks and track risk mitigation.
• Access management: Track and manage which employees have access to which data storage and data access points to help lower risk.
• Continuous monitoring: Identify new security risks as they arise.
• Security control guidance: Implement the ISO 27001 Clauses and Annex A controls or develop custom controls.
• Remediation planning: Manage protocols and workflows for stopping and minimizing a data breach if it occurs.
• Audit facilitation: Centralize your security documentation with a secure portal.

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How to select the right compliance automation platform

The compliance automation platform you choose will have a significant impact on the cost, timeline, and success of your ISO 27001 compliance. As you weigh your options, these are the top criteria to consider for any platform:

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• Features: What aspects of your compliance does the platform assist with?
• Support: Is there someone you can contact if you need help using the software or someone to answer your questions about ISO 27001 compliance?
• Reliability: Does the tool have a good reputation? Are there happy clients? Can you trust its results?
• Price: How does the tool’s price fit into your budget and how does it compare to the costs of manual ISO 27001 compliance?
• Audit support: Does the platform offer features that make your certification audit go smoother? 

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With Vanta’s trust management platform with compliance automation capabilities, you can streamline your ISO 27001 certification process. Here’s what an automated ISO 27001 can look like: 

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• Connect your infrastructure to the Vanta platform with our 300+ built-in integrations.
• Assess your risk holistically from one unified view.
• Identify areas of non-compliance with in-platform notifications.
• Get a checklist of actions to help you make the needed changes. 
• Automate evidence collection and centralize all your documents in one place.
• Find a Vanta-vetted auditor within the platform. 
• Complete your ISO 27001 certification in half the time. 

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By using Vanta, you can save your business valuable time and money during your ISO 27001 audit process. Learn how you can get your ISO 27001 certification faster by requesting a demo. 

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