ISO 27701 CERTIFICATION

The ISO 27701 standard is the normative reference for the certification of the Information Privacy Management System (ISMS), with a specific focus on the management of personal data. It provides a framework to assist organizations in effectively managing information privacy, ensuring the protection of personal data, and compliance with privacy regulations.

The ISO 27701 standard is structured to help organizations develop and implement an Information Privacy Management System. This system enables organizations to identify and manage risks associated with the processing of personal data, establish appropriate policies and procedures, and demonstrate a tangible commitment to data privacy.

The primary objective of the standard is to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals by ensuring that personal data is processed in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner.

The adoption of ISO 27701 is typically voluntary, but it may become mandatory based on data privacy laws and regulations in the country where the organization operates. Additionally, some organizations may require their suppliers to be ISO 27701 certified as part of contractual requirements.

ISO 27701 certification offers several advantages to organizations:

• Improved Personal Data Management: It helps develop procedures and processes for the responsible and compliant management of personal data.

• Reduced Privacy Breach Risks: It reduces the risk of privacy breaches, which can have significant financial and reputational consequences for an organization.

• Legal Compliance: It ensures that the organization complies with data privacy laws and regulations, avoiding fines and penalties.

• Corporate Reputation: It demonstrates the organization’s commitment to protecting personal data, enhancing its reputation among customers, business partners, and stakeholders.

• Competitiveness: Certification can confer a competitive advantage, especially when seeking contracts or collaborations that require rigorous data privacy management.

• Transparency and Trust: It increases transparency in personal data management practices, fostering customer trust in how their data is handled.

Certification Request

All the economic aspects and the auditors’ activities related to the certification process may be agreed at this stage. The finalization of a contract concludes this part. Indeed the process for certification depends on the contract stipulated between the company and the certification body.
Generally, it is valid for three years.

Preliminary Audit (optional and possibly requested by the customer)

It is an initial assessment of the current company’s management system.
The preliminary audit is not involved in the normal process for certification and any possible improvement thus is intended to be nothing but a suggestion and it is not included in the official audit report.

Certification Audit – Stage 1

The audit is held in the company office. In this stage, the auditor gathers all the informations and evaluates the documents referring to the management system that must be certified. The auditor analyses the compulsory and voluntary standards. This is a preparatory step for the second stage of the Certification Audit.

Certification Audit – Stage 2

In this stage, the auditor will ascertain that the company complies with the management system. At the end of this process, the auditor will submit the ISO issue request to the certification body, if a significant nonconformity does not occur.