General

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ISO & Ecommerce

Written by: Mohit

The fundamental goal of any business is to maximize its customer reach and scale it to new heights. To achieve these goals, you must be at the top of your game.

Customers that care about the quality and effectiveness of their purchases are inclined to spend dollars on companies because they can rely on them to meet their standards. Many potential customers are usually not confident enough to put their values in the hands of small and medium scale businesses unless a company has given them a reason to earn that trust.

Reaching out to those values of the customers, or manufacturers and helping them make their purchasing decisions can escort you to a new growth course of action. ISO standards are right for your business because they help you to reach out to new customers and create value in the global marketplace.

The purpose of standardization is to ensure consistency and safety of products, promotion of global compatibility and streamline production in various industries.

With the increase in e-commerce businesses, customers have changed their way of traditional shopping. They are more indulged in online shopping. Business owners are also shifting to the new digital mode of shopping by selling on e-commerce giants such as Amazon Seller Central. So, if you are someone who has an online e-commerce business and is passionate about taking it to the next level, do consider getting this certification.

To start an online business, you will need to look into certificates and registrations, some are mandatory like GST registration, business licenses, etc., and others like ISO are only mandatory for some industries whose clients require it – but it comes with its own set of benefits. Just like how a GST Number is crucial for a business to provide authenticity and credibility, so too does ISO Certification. GST Number will be provided as per the GST State code of the Business location, and your company will receive a Certification of Registration to the ISO Standard you are working towards, for example, ISO 9001. Every business owner must consider it for the future growth of the Organization.

In this article, we will see how e-commerce sellers need to think about getting ISO certification and what value it will add to the business.

What are ISO Standards?

The International Organization for Standardization is an international independent and non-governmental body that has a set of protocols and guidelines to ensure the safety, quality, efficiency, and performance of the products. When your business is competing in the global marketplace, it is necessary to keep the checks and balance in place. Otherwise, it would be burdensome to maintain consistency and quality across the global market.

To avoid such situations, International Standards help to maintain this level. An organization that is said to be “ISO Certified” means that the organization has fulfilled all the requirements of that standard, conducted consistent 3rd party audits, and has proven to be in compliance with the standard. You can verify this by visiting IAFCertSearch.org or by speaking directly with the Certification Body who issues the certificate.

The root Greek word for ISO is Isos which means equal. The main goal of the ISO certification is to help organizations become equal and provide high-class services and standards. ISO certification covers safety, quality, consistency of products and the way organizations operate their business.

The maxim of ISO standards is to ensure consistency. It can be in any field, be it social responsibility, energy management or medical equipment, regardless of the industry or scope ISO certifications are applicable

For instance, if you work in the e-commerce industry, you have different marketplaces and frameworks than those in the Automotive industry. Every business has its own set of challenges and risks, and therefore implementing ISO Standard can help you mitigate those and increase efficiencies that are recognized on a global scale.

How ISO Standards Certificates Can Help E-commerce Sellers

International Standards create a sense of confidence and reliability among consumers. ISO standard certification can be great for e-commerce sellers to gain international recognition in the global market. ISO certified companies show the rest of the world how they can work in conformity in the global market with international standards.

For customers, this ensures that the organization offers excellent services.

ISO 9001 certification verifies to customers an organizations commitment to ensuring quality, consistency, and authenticity. There are so many benefits for e-commerce sellers, some of them are mentioned below:

1. Customer Satisfaction

Customer confidence increases as standardization ensure the consistent quality of products. Standardization enables customers to be proactive in researching companies and selecting quality products and services. It illustrates the ability of the organization to constantly deliver high-quality services and products as promised by the organization by means of an effective business system that allows checks and balances along the whole process to avoid risks and increase customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction is a vital element of ISO 9001. This standard not only focuses on boosting sales and quality but focuses on customer reviews and feedback, so your organization is constantly understanding your customers, their needs and wants, and any changes that need to be made. This enables organizations to improve the service quality that they provide.

Gradually, the organization will generate large customer satisfaction and lesser complaints.  Over time, fewer mistakes are made, and consistency improves. Hence, ISO certification can boost customer satisfaction and will let your business grow, creating recommendations and repeat business.

2. Brand and Reputation

Whenever any company gets ISO certified, they get well known for its brand in the market. The badge is followed by creating a sustainable reputation in the market. As quality, authenticity, and consistency of the services or products are ensured, the brand name and visibility in the market gets increased.

Brand name and reputation play an important role to be recognized in the marketplace. Through ISO certification, any small or medium-sized business can get the authority to get recognized. ISO helps to increase the visibility of the organization and increase its quality.

3. International Business

Standards provide your business access to new markets. You may be eligible for government contracts, join supply chain projects, or be able to win contracts over your competitors.

Standardization enables the local e-commerce business holders to enter the global markets. By entering in the international market, you have a lower chance of being the first option for many customers who are not familiar with your brand. Being able to boast Internationally Recognized certification for quality like ISO 9001 can give your potential customers trust in your product and its reliability. We all have had one experience or many of ordering something online and the product that you receive is nothing like you expected. That will ruin the reputation of your business in the eyes of that consumer, and potentially more as they tell their story to others. And with the rise of posting on social media to bring attention to these reviews, one bad review can be detrimental to your organization. Perfecting your system using International Standards can ensure you are consistently making quality products just like the pictures on your e-commerce site, thereby negating that risk.

With consistently achievable quality and customer satisfaction, your customer reach increases, which expands the business and increases the overall profits. This can be a huge step, as entering the international market will create a brand image of your business at a global level, among the big companies. You will get to compete in the global market that will take your business to new heights.

4. Ensures online security

Just like an SSL certificate of registration on your website provides proof that the e-commerce business is inclined towards the online safety and security of its customers, ISO Certification shows your commitment too. Ownership, user credentials, use and display of any ISO Certificates are controlled by guidelines that are published by the Certification Body that issued this certificate, and therefore will be able to help anyone interested validate the authenticity of a certification. This is important as an unaccredited certification is not valid.

Organizations with a vested interest in protecting their information secure online might also what to investigate certifications like ISO 27001 to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of their customers’ information. The ISO 27001 is an international standard that defines requirements for an Information Security Management System, and it strives to ensures that sufficient security controls are set in motion within the certified organizations.

The e-commerce giant Snapdeal achieved ISO 27001:2013 certification making it among some of the e-commerce companies to do so. The certification helps in implementing an information security management system that enables organizations to gain a competitive advantage in the market, prevent cyber threats to the customers and meet supply chain demands.

So, customers would want to shop from such e-commerce portals with utmost security standards.

5. Increase in Revenue

Once your e-commerce business ISO certified, they have a quality certificate that can be advertised and respond to requests for more quotes from big firms. Consequently, ISO certificates increase your sales and revenue. Three in five companies that adopted ISO increased their revenues.

Customers like to shop from a reliable site, as ISO certification prepared organizations to take active steps to understand and prepare for risks and work towards consistency in quality, authenticity and integrity of your interfaces and it is behind the scenes processes at all levels of their organization. This enables the organization to run smoothly and focus on what they are good at, impressing their customers. This universal approach to processes across your organization will help customers feel like each stage of their journey is seamless and more consumers will come to shop from your online store as a result.

Note: Many companies require suppliers and manufacturers to be certified. You also get a chance to enter foreign markets, which is an added advantage.

The movement of goods, logistics, supply chain makes trading easy and safe when an organization has a unified and consistent process-based approached rooted in an internationally recognized standard like ISO. It is a great way to help your company understand your business and its commitments, showcase your accomplishments through certificate, and win deals through this competitive advantage.

About the Author

Mohit is an e-commerce expert at MohitECommerce. He works on many e-commerce marketplaces and helps the vendors in Amazon Seller Registration, Amazon Fba, Paytm kyc, etc. He likes to meet all types of businesspeople who are interested in stepping up into an online marketplace.

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ISO9001_Education

Written by: Abroo Murtaza

While enrolment rates and the educational institutes’ resources are acceptable in developed countries, developing countries are still working on such policies and practices. ISO Quality Management System should be favoured in the educational institutions to be used for improving their teaching practices for the purpose of standardization. This is especially true with the increased reliance of distance learning as even though institutions had worked on education dynamics, children who need to should be able to efficiently and effectively finish high school online diplomas and degrees in a similar manner to what they would achieve with in-person learning.

An ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS), that is based in educational organizations, should be considered an essential element concerning the involvement in academic institutions to improve their central management of the institutes. That includes the curriculum designing, its implementation, and its outcomes in the student’s achievements by providing the evidence on the entire educational cycle utilizing capacities, from the management, curriculum design, learning results, client’s internal and external satisfaction –teachers, students, and families- and its impact by external achievement measurements.

Improvements in Teaching and Learning standards

Adopting ISO 9001 in schools can help to improve the overall teaching and learning standards of institutions through standardizes and effective processes and management systems. It also helps in improving the processes and documentation by adopting the strategies of continuous improvement through learning and growth from mistakes. Not only this, but it can even help in fault preventions instead of correction the use of various tools to determine the organizations strengths, shortcomings, and ideally preventing anything from slipping through the cracks. The processes of various checks and balances throughout various processes allow organizations to be sure mistakes that are made are caught and corrected, among other things.  ISO 9001 and an effective QMS can provide a very positive influence on the institution’s achievements by allowing teachers and employees more room for creativity in their teaching and increased focus on their students because less of their time is spent managing unstandardized approaches to their various administrative and process-based roles in their job.

Positive impacts on students learning and Teachers satisfaction

ISO 9001 can contribute a lot to improving the formative processes that positively affect the students’ learning and overall satisfaction in the institution. It allows for institutions to determine how each process affects another, and where and when shortcomings or faults can occur and how to ensure they do not. This allows your institution to focus on doing your job properly, with the assurance that the quality will not suffer. This will enhance the image of the institution as your “customers” (parents, students, stakeholders, investors, etc) can interact with your institution in a manner that feels cohesive, on-brand, organizations, and effective because you have a better systematization of managerial procedures. Even the vocational institutes use such standards for strategic focusing and a foundation for planning.

Proactive in showing benefits of quality

ISO 9001 Certification shows your institution is proactive and outwardly showing the benefits you hold over other institutes by upholding the notion of quality concepts and proving it by holding an accredited certification to stakeholders. Each QMS is unique to the organization because no two organizations hold the same set of procedures, policies, personnel, and property that make your institution tick. Obtaining certification to ISO 9001 is no small task, and often takes months to implement a QMS, and have it effective and ready for a certification audit. Those organizations who are certified should be proud and promote their accomplishment. 


Find a Consultant to help implement your ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System effectively.


Improves quality of education for workplaces

The extraordinary favour of ISO 9001 is its output that can be absorbed in any industries, including educational institutions. Adoption of a QMS has changed the learning setups of students who want more work performing arrangements or increased capacity of institutions with standardized approaches to various processes. With the added benefit of Continued Improvement, institutions can introduce different learning methods or new practical features for studies based on feedback that may provide benefits to students in their various industries. It has moved the mindsets of how quality management in educational institutions helps bring things systematic and documented.

Helps in teacher’s development

ISO 9001 can help teacher’s in their development as well. It supports in teaching-learning planning systems that include the learning resources, the realization of the teaching-learning process, the students’ assessment and feedback, and the evaluation of the general design, implementation, and results, providing evidence of the entire cycle utilizing measurements using different and specifics instruments, from the institutional organization, the curriculum design, the leaning process, their results, and impact.

Wrapping Up!

ISO 9001 has raised the quality standards of the educational institutes that have adopted it. It has provided such criteria that institute proper directions for growing and settling their work setups directionally and adequately. A QMS provides a unique and complete backbone to the educational institutions for designing their process-based approach to effectively running their institution to deliver quality education through well-made curriculums and documentations, adopting strategies and procedures for the efficient observable workings and ensuring continual improvements of their processes.

Author Bio:

Abroo Murtaza is one enthusiastic and passionate writer who loves to write about travelling based on the interest of exploring new places, reading about them, and then delivering the knowledge through her pen. Moreover, Abroo is also fond of writing about education, technology trends, gadgets like mobiles, cameras, etc. She thus strives to provide accurate information and knowledge in respective areas of interest and educate people on real terms.

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8 Components of a Top-Quality Management System

ISO 9001:2015 Certification is a popular certification standard for companies across many sectors.
ISO 9001 aims to enhance the quality of an organization’s products & services. It also helps to improve customer satisfaction and streamline business operations.

A properly implemented ISO 9001 management system can also help your organization by saving costs in the long run through increased efficiency and reduced downtime due to error.

A Quality Management System (QMS) is the backbone for ISO 9001:2015 Standard. The successful implementation of a QMS can help your organization to achieve business excellence.

What is a Quality Management System?
The Quality Management System may be a centralized system that facilitates management review, effective resource utilization, and continuous improvements. It standardizes business processes that are implemented to make sure organizations are following a consistent procedure in production and operation.

QMS requires the creating of Comprehensive Operating Procedures (SOPs) and deploying a robust Management Framework to ensure product quality is always top-notch. ISO Certification ensures continuous improvement and enhanced risk assessment. It helps in achieving a systemic approach, product quality, and process consistency across all departments of the organization.

8 Core Elements of a top-quality Management System
Quality Management System helps in achieving ISO Standard compliance, enhances process quality, and streamlines operations.

ISO 9001:2015 is based on the following principles of Quality Management:

 • Customer Focus
• Leadership
• People engagement
• Process approach
• Continuous improvement
• Evidence-based decision making
• Relationship Management

The core components of a top-quality Management System include:

  1. Quality Objectives
    QMS requires drafting the standard objectives to start with. The objectives will define the future goals and therefore the purpose of QMS.

A well-drafted objective determines the success of the QMS. It helps the organization to understand customer requirements and cater to the growing demand effectively.

2. Organizational structure and responsibilities
QMS must have the updated organizational structure and include the corresponding responsibilities to attain goals and set KPIs for every team.

There should be a clear representation of the roles and responsibilities of each team.

3. Data Management
Managing the organizational data effectively is a key requirement for the QMS system. Data Management helps in identifying the vulnerabilities and taking the required corrective actions promptly.

Inaccurate data management could lead to inconsistent product quality, operational inefficiency, and low customer satisfaction.

Hence, management must be monitoring the system with timely checks on the vulnerabilities of the business operations.

The organization must have a strong QMS to ensure all required information is collected and processed the proper way and the practice of continuous improvement is followed in analyzing the collected information

4. Processes
Streamlining of Business Operations is a vital aspect of the QMS System. All the organizational processes must be identified.

The effectiveness of resource utilization determines the respective results. All the results must be tracked and optimized accordingly.
The process optimizations follow the below steps:
• Identifying the organizational processes and resources utilized
• Defining process standards and corrective actions if any
• Setting up a way to measure continuous improvements
• Recording the changes in process, improvements, and results. Follow a uniform approach to realize a consistent result.
• Practicing Continuous Improvement to further optimize the method

5. Customer Satisfaction with Product Quality
Measuring Customer Satisfaction is another requirement of the QMS. Customer Satisfaction is the measure of quality process effectiveness.

Hence, by conducting customer interviews, feedback, surveys, the extent of customer experience delivered and satisfaction from the product or service is measured.

6. Continuous Improvements
Continuous Improvement is a must-do practice to follow for achieving consistent product quality.

For the organizational process to satisfy the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, the continual improvements practises must be documented and the control points must be tracked periodically. This will help ensure a smooth operation with quality as the top priority.

7. Quality instruments
For product companies that use ISO 9001:2015 to enhance their efficiency and service quality, the instruments used must be maintained to a high grade of quality.

The testing and calibration equipment utilized in testing the system must comply with ISO 9001:2015 guidelines.

8. Document Control
A QMS should include documented information that records all important aspects and organizational operations including the following:
• Employee Communication on critical projects or tasks
• Evidence of Process Improvements, Operational Processes, Organizational Structure, etc.
• QMS Conformity and Knowledge Sharing

All the documentation regarding the QMS should be focused on enhancing the organization’s operational processes and functions. It must be managed and monitored regularly for the continued success of the QMS.

Note: Organizations should also not fall victim to the classic “set it and forget it” mentality with QMS implementations. ISO 9001 encourages continual improvement, which means that your organization should be re-evaluating your existing processes and procedures on a fairly regular bases to understand what is working, and what is not functional for your company culture. Some processes might work on paper, but in practice they are not effective.

To learn more about implementing an efficient Quality Management System in UAE, ask our expert ISO Consultants right away!

About the Author

John Wick is an ISO Consultant working with Aurion ISO Consultants in Dubai. John likes to write on ISO Training, ISO Consulting, latest changes in ISO Standards, industry-wise benefits from getting ISO Certified. Reach out for expert consultation on any ISO related queries.

About Aurion

aurion-logoAurion ISO Consultants, Dubai offers world-class ISO Services such as Training, Consulting, Certification, Implementation, and Audits in Dubai, UAE and Worldwide.

Aurion ISO Consultants is an Award-Winning Consultant firm in Dubai, UAE and one of the fastest-growing ISO Service provider in the UAE and GCC region. We have assisted 1800 clients across several countries globally.

We provide you with a Single-Window Solution with ISO Consulting, ISO Training, and ISO Implementation and ISO Audit Services. With our ISO Certification, you can transform your business into quality first one.

Contact Us: Aurion ISO Consultants | 0097142504150 | contact@aurioninternational.com |#213&214,6E-A Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai | www.aurioninternational.com

While you are planning to implement ISO Certification Standards for your organizations, to know more about the ISO Certification standards and all ISO related services from Aurion ISO Consultants, you call us right away!

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edu-iso

Written by Jorine Bibi

If you’re familiar at all with the concept of ISO certification, you likely think of it with regard to businesses and large industries. These are the environments within which quality management and the standardization of practices can appear to matter most. And to be sure, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has put forth innumerable sets of standards that benefit operations in business and industry. However, ISO activity is not exclusive to these areas. It can also be useful in other fields we don’t consider as frequently — such as education.

Sure enough, in 2018 we saw the announcement of ISO 21001, designed as a new set of standards for “Educational Organization Management Systems.” It became the first international management standard for the education field, and was meant to benefit educational institutions and learners alike.

To delve further into ISO 21001 and what it means for the education sector, here are a few specific points about the standards and the people and institutions they affect.

The First Educational Organization Management Standards

It’s important to point out that this is not necessarily the first set of standards applied to education. Others, however, have been more polarizing. Most notable are the standardized tests that are used across the U.S. to help determine students’ qualifications for higher education. These have existed for a long time, and though they do help to establish an easier method for assessing and placing students, there are common arguments suggesting that they’re actually detrimental to education. An article on testing by a University of Pittsburgh professor outlined numerous ways in which standardized testing can be problematic, including such points as that testing prep takes away from learning time; that content knowledge declines in favor of testing strategy; and that schools with poor testing reputations actually lose resources.

This is not to imply that standardizing practices in education is necessarily bad. Instead, it’s to point out that there are existing examples of standardization, some of which just happen to be questionable. The ISO 21001, however, is the first global standard of its kind for the actual management of educational organizations.

ISO 21001 Benefits

Different ISO standards can be difficult to fully understand from the outside. Details in fact aren’t always even available to any who aren’t directly using said standards. By now though, enough information about ISO 21001 has become available that we can discuss its key benefits with some clarity.

A write-up by Code Acts In Education provides one of the more granular examinations of the standards, and highlights 11 specific benefits that are actually listed in an “explanatory PowerPoint” about ISO 21001. These include, but are not limited to: aligning educational mission, vision, objectives, and action plans; inclusive and equitable education for all; more personalized learning and responsiveness to special education needs; consistent processes and evaluation tools; models for improvement; and increased credibility of the educational organization. In short, ISO 21001 is designed to fully standardize the business of education — from goals, to methods, to adjustments.

Directives for Educators

From the outside looking in, we think of teaching as a learned skill more than an ongoing job. That is to say, we imagine that teachers educate themselves, train, obtain degrees, and then simply do one job for as long as they see fit to do it. In a technical sense this is accurate, but the truth of the matter is that teachers have to have the capacity to adjust.

This in fact is something that’s increasingly emphasized in the actual education of teachers as well. As Maryville University outlines for students considering taking an online doctorate in education, aspiring teachers training to educate need to learn “the leadership abilities and perspective to meet the challenges of today — and tomorrow.” That’s another way of saying that teachers are now being trained to lead by adaptation, and to be poised to embrace and capitalize on changes.

ISO 21001 standards work hand-in-hand with this increasing emphasis on adaptability by providing more guidance for a greater variety of situations. While teachers and educational leaders should still be able adapt on their own, and get creative in finding solutions to new problems, ISO 21001 provides a blueprint for a lot of the changes that may arise.

An Even Playing Field for Learners

Interestingly enough, another significant aspect of ISO 21001 standards for educational institutions — both in school environments and elsewhere — is that they can help to even the playing field for learners. This is almost ironic given the aforementioned example of standardized testing as an existing standardized education model that can actually result in less fairness between learners.

Because ISO 21001 establishes guidelines for so many scenarios related to how education is handled and how learners are to be approached and managed, the hope is that in time the standards will result in a more uniform education ecosystem. This does not mean that every institution and instructor has to be the same, or even teach in the same way. But specific problems should be addressed similarly, such that one learner facing difficulty in a given environment isn’t given less of a chance to overcome the problem than another student facing the same situation within a different institution.

It will be fascinating to see what impact ISO 21001 ultimately has on educational institutions over time. Less than two years into the standards’ availability, it’s a little bit too soon to make a determination. But the practices and potential benefits outlined above make it clear why standards like these are worth exploring.

About The Author

Jorine Bibi Author LogoJorine Bibi is an environmental blogger. She hopes that her articles provide her readers with information on what the world can do to reduce its energy use. She also believes that if we don’t address the issue of climate change soon it will be too late. In her free time, she likes to tend to her garden.

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What is ISO 27001 Gap Analysis?

Written by: Narendra Sahoo

Organizations seeking a high level of security and protection for their IT Infrastructure are advised to achieve ISO 27001 certification. ISO 27001 is a globally-recognized standard that organizations use as a benchmark to audit and certify their Information Security Management System (ISMS). Achieving ISO 27001 certification simply demonstrates that the organization has a robust management framework in place to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the organization’s IT infrastructure. But when the organization commits to this standard of excellence, ensuring continuous compliance is critical. Conducting a thorough Assessment and Gap analysis of the organization’s IT Infrastructure and its ISO 27001 Compliance requires commitment and exceptional expertise. In today’s article, we discuss what an ISO27001 Gap Analysis is and why it is an essential part of the ISO 27001 Audit process. So, let us first quickly understand what an ISO 27001 Gap Analysis is.

What is an ISO 27001 Gap Analysis?

An ISO 27001 Gap Analysis also known sometimes as Compliance Assessment or Pre-Assessment is an assessment that provides a high-level overview of your organization’s current security posture. The assessment and report serve as a guide to organizations for achieving ISO 27001 certification.  The assessment involves comparing the organization’s existing information security controls against the requirements of ISO 27001. The Gap Analysis measures the current state of compliance against the Standard and also scopes the organization’s ISMS parameters across all business functions. Itprovides companies with the necessary information and recommendations of controls that may need to be implemented to close the gaps. The Gap Analysis helps companies understand the best way to improve and streamline their internal information security management systems to ensure they meet the requirements of the ISO 27001 standard.

When is an ISO 27001 Gap Analysis performed?

An ISO 27001 Gap Analysis is a professional assessment that is performed between stage 1 and stage 2 of the ISO 27001 Audit process. The assessment helps bridge the gap between stage 1 and stage 2 of the ISO 27001 Audit. The objective is to ensure that any ISMS gaps that were identified in stage 1 are addressed appropriately.It further helps companies prepare for stage 2 and the ISO 27001 certification process. It is important to note that a gap analysis is mandatory in ISO 27001,but only after an organization has developed its Statement of Applicability. It details the security posture on each of the 114 information security controls that are outlined in Annex A of ISO 27001.So, ISO 27001 gap analysis should be performed only for the controls from Annex A of the ISO 27001 standard and is also done before the start of ISO 27001 implementation to get a perspective on the current standing of the organization and the quantum of work involved.

What to expect from an ISO 27001 Gap Analysis?

Companies hire professional consultancies to perform the ISO 27001 gap analysis. During this course of analysis, the auditors will assess the existing information security processes, procedures, and documentation of the organization and compare these against the requirements of the ISO 27001 standard. This is done to identify areas that require improvement in their existing information security processes and procedures. The report of the analysis performed will highlight deficits in systems against the requirements of the ISO 27001 standard, and further help address the identified issues. Conducted by an ISO 27001 specialist, the analysis gives a detailed assessment and analysis report detailing the findings which include:

  • The current state and maturity of the information security processes and procedures.
  • The compliance gaps as against the requirements of the ISO 27001 standard.
  • The scope of the organization’s ISMS.
  • Details about the internal resource requirements for achieving compliance.
  • An outline plan of action indicating the level of effort required to implement ISO 27001.
  • The tentative timeline to achieve certification readiness.

What are the benefits of an ISO 27001 Gap Analysis?

  • You will get an overview of the organization’s current security posture against the requirements of ISO 27001.
  • It guides the organization in its efforts to achieve ISO 27001 certification.
  • The gap analysis scopes your ISMS parameters across all business functions.
  • The analysis gives clarity on what needs to be included in the scope of ISMS and controls that need to be implemented
  • Helps estimate the resources and budgetary needs of the ISO 27001 project.
  • Ensures translation of cybersecurity into business policies procedures and framework.  
  • The valuable insight obtained from the analysis enables the organization to plan a strategic roadmap for the implementation of necessary cybersecurity controls.
  • It also provides you with a potential timeline for achieving ISO 27001 certification.
  • The gap analysis will help the organization get closer to achieving the accredited certification.

Final thought

For those organizations looking to seek high-level security for their IT infrastructure must comply with the ISO 27001 and perform a Gap Analysis. It allows you to benchmark the organization’s existing policies and controls against the ISO 27001 standard. It will allow you to identify gap areas in the organization’s processes, policies, and controls and highlight weak areas in the system. So, to strengthen the organization’s security posture, businesses should consider performing an ISO 27001 audit and gap analysis to develop a strong business case for implementing an ISO 27001-compliant ISMS.

Author Bio

Narendra Sahoo (PCI QSA, PCI QPA, CISSP, CISA, and CRISC) is the Founder and Director of VISTA InfoSec, a global Information Security Consulting firm, based in the US, Singapore & India. Mr. Sahoo holds more than 25 years of experience in the IT Industry, with expertise in Information Risk Consulting, Assessment, & Compliance services. VISTA InfoSec specializes in Information Security audit, consulting and certification services which include GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, NESA, MAS-TRM, PCI DSS Compliance & Audit, PCI PIN, SOC2, PDPA, PDPB to name a few. The company has for years (since 2004) worked with organizations across the globe to address the Regulatory and Information Security challenges in their industry. VISTA InfoSec has been instrumental in helping top multinational companies achieve compliance and secure their IT infrastructure.

Find VISTA InfoSec on Youtube

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export-isoupdate-blog

Written by John Wick of Aurion ISO Consultants

The Export business is a very lucrative sector with numerous small and medium companies operating in the sector. There are few large Multi-National Companies too in the export sector, but mostly it is a very fragmented and decentralized sector globally.

The Export sector facilitates the supply chain for a wide range of industry verticals like automotive, food, engineering, and more.

Getting ISO Certification for your export house could add value and raise your brand image globally. It will help you in finding new market opportunities easily and grow your market fast.

Having an Internationally Accredited Certification for the export house will help you gain acceptance fast as a quality first brand in the international markets.

Ideal ISO Standards for your Export Business

ISO 9001:2015 Certification

ISO 9001 Certification provides guidelines and frameworks for building a Quality Management System (QMS).

The QMS Certification will transform your organization’s business processes and daily operations.

International Business and Global Trading

Getting ISO 9001 Certified will enhance the brand image and product quality to international standards.

Successful implementation of ISO 9001 Certification and the Quality Management System will help organizations streamline their business process.

Continuous Improvement and Implementation of Industry Best Practices

It will help businesses to implement continuous improvements and best practices to enhance product quality.

The quality standards will be applicable in all divisions of the company like procurement, operations, sourcing, manufacturing, etc.

Thus, only products, parts, and services that are compliant to international standards would be delivered by the brand.

It in turn results in reducing overhead costs, enhance product quality and save overall expenses in the long run. ISO 9001 Certification also ensures the standardization of products.

Hence, the products manufactured or locally sourced could be made available to international markets by standardizing the technical specifications of product manufacturing.

Ensuring Consumer Safety and Satisfaction

Customer Satisfaction is a top priority for ISO Certification Consumers trust ISO Certification and the brands associated with the Certification are deemed to be perceived as a quality first brand.

ISO 14001:2015 Certification

To further strengthen the brand image and also part of the social responsibility of every brand is to keep the environment clean.

ISO 14001 Certification will help organizations to reduce the dependence on natural resources, save energy, and reduce the environmental impact.

Organizations could implement ISO 14001 Standards and streamline their procurement and supply chain.

Eliminating raw materials or products that are non-degradable, non-renewable, etc., and finding alternatives to packaging, designing, and manufacturing that results in reducing environmental impact is the key to ISO 14001 Certification.

The reduction of waste and efficient use of resources is the key theme of ISO 14001. It helps in gaining the competitive advantage and trust of stakeholders.

The EMS Standard will enable an organization to comply with the legal requirements and government regulations on environmental protection

Thus, it helps the organization to not violate any government laws and also protect the environment. At the same time, grow into a sustainable business establishment by minimizing the impact one environment and emphasize on building quality products and services.

ISO 45001:2018 Certification

The Occupational Health and Safety Management System consists of a framework for managing health risks and safety standards.

Reducing workplace incidents and enhance the safety of employees is the key focus of ISO 45001 Certification.

Large and small export companies who have warehouses and manufacturing units could get ISO 45001 certification to secure their workplace from any unprecedented incidents and enhance worker safety.

ISO 45001 Certification lists down a systematic process of risk management, regulatory compliance, promotion of safe work practices, continual improvement, etc.

Integrating Health & Safety Standards into the organization’s overall management system helps in achieving long term sustainability.

It helps better employee engagement and builds trust among stakeholders and partners. It also will add to the brand image and competitive advantage of the export company.

ISO 22000 Food and Safety

Export companies specialized in Food Stuff Trading, food processing, packaging and shipping, ISO 22000, and HACCP Certification is a must-have.

The food manufacturing and allied sectors are governed by strict regulations and guidelines by the government. There are also specific import-export inspection and certification systems for the food industry.

The Food Safety Management System provides guidelines on food safety practices, regulatory requirements, specification of food chain customers, quality assurance policies, etc.

ISO 22000 Certification includes the guidelines of HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points).

It provides a preventive approach in which each step in food processing, storage, and distribution is analyzed for potential hazards.

Food Safety Standard is a crucial standard required for all food manufacturers and exporters, as the consequences of unsafe food are serious and would invite hefty fines especially when involved in international trade.

ISO 222000 Certification will ensure a global certification and ensure safety with 100% quality assurance on a global level.

To know more about ISO Certification for your export company, talk to our expert team right away!

About the Author

John Wick is an ISO Consultant working with Aurion ISO Consultants in Dubai. Likes to write on ISO Training, ISO Consulting, latest changes in ISO Standards, industry-wise benefits from getting ISO Certified. Reach
out for expert consultation on any ISO related queries.

About Aurion ISO Consultants

Aurion ISO Consultants, Dubai offers world-class ISO Services such as Training, Consulting, Certification, Implementation, and Audits in Dubai, UAE and Worldwide. Aurion ISO Consultants is an Award-Winning Consultant firm in Dubai, UAE and one of the fastest growing ISO Service provider in the UAE and GCC region. We have assisted 1800 clients across several countries globally. We provide you with a Single-Window Solution with ISO Consulting, ISO Training, and ISO Implementation and ISO Audit Services. With our ISO Certification, you can transform your business into quality first one.

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|#213&214,6E-A Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai

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What to Expect in an ISO Audit

Expectations from ISO audits can largely depend on the type of organization you are a part of. ISO audits examine whether a company’s management systems are in compliance with the ISO standards and relevant requirements. They also identify the existing or potential errors within management systems and suggest ways to rectify them. Other than addressing problems, audits help in checking what actions have been taken to meet organizational goals and objectives as they look for ways through which improvement can be made within the system.

The various types of audits include certification audits, on-site or remote audits, internal audits, and surveillance audits.

You can learn about the various types of audits here.

What do ISO Auditors Look for?

Effective ISO auditors look to understand the overall goal of your management system and provide evidence that helps them assess an organization’s compliance with the ISO standards. ISO auditors assess and evaluate organizational performance, below are a few examples of where an auditor would assess processes and why. These examples specifically address ISO 9001:2015.

a. employee training: as covered under the competence training and awareness clause of ISO 9001, records of employee training are monitored by auditors. To ensure workforce capability, auditors may inspect employee work evaluations, training test scores, degrees and certifications, position descriptions, employee resumes, performance reviews and training agendas.

b. management resources: to implement a quality driven culture and continuous organizational improvement, auditors focus on expanding and clarifying requirements for management responsibility as part of the QMS.

c. document control: organizations are required to document the process of controlling the creation, maintenance and access of documents according to ISO 9001 quality management standards. The documents can either be present in the form of paper or an electronic file and must be available in formats that make sense for the organization i.e. in the form of spreadsheets, presentations, images, or video clips. They must be tagged, titled, or numbered for their easy identification and should be approved by individuals with authority every time they are updated.

d. Enterprise quality management software: choosing the correct e-QMS to comply with the ISO requirements is also essential and is considered a good practice although it is not strictly required by the standard.

e. Management review agenda: to meet the requirements of the standard,a detail-oriented agenda with updated, complete information to mitigate risks and record actions that help with quality management is expected.

f. CAPAs: auditors understand that quality driven organizations focus on continuously updating and improving their systems by taking preventive and corrective actions along the way. Auditors expect companies to invest in strong CAPAs that promote organizational agility and conformance for an effective QMS.

This list is not an exhaustive list of what you can expect during an audit, but simply a few examples of what you can experience during your audit and why the auditor will be looking into them. At an audit, you can expect your auditor to be looking for conformance to the standard. Therefore, you will want to be forthcoming with answers and ensure your explanations help the auditor to understand your processes. Interviews are a chance for your employees to show what they do and how they do it – showcasing your processes working effectively.

Audits are a chance for you to learn about what is working and what isn’t. This is an opportunity to learn where you can improve to be better and more efficient at what you do best.

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Ethics in Auditing - ISOUpdate.com

Ethics and Integrity is the choice between what’s convenient and what’s right. Reinforcing good execution and behavior of any organization relies on an auditor to confront poor execution and behavior and endorse proper and conforming behavior, and not simply “look the other way” when pressured from above or by budget. If you wish to perform a value-added service with your audits and report, you have a duty to utilize ethical practices in your audits, for the good of your own reputation, and the good of the company paying you to audit their work.

Ethics is a personal choice, it’s a personal compass that dictates right from wrong but unfortunately, it’s not always common sense. Being an auditor, you may face scenarios where you can’t always tell which choice is right, which choice is easy, and which choice will let you keep your clients happy. The issue stems from a bias in the industry that is hard to avoid. The people you audit are paying you, and therefore hold power over you as an auditor or a Certification Body to produce favorable results or they will jump ship to another provider. While this is an industry norm, it still produces scenarios where the potential for “letting something slide” is easily allowed. This, however, is not ethical and tarnishes the whole perceived image of certified entities.

We go into how Auditors have a responsibility to be ethical in their position of power. If you want to learn more, read the full article here.

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ISO-Right-For-You

Product, Place, Price, Promotion. AKA, The Marketing Mix. This tool developed by J. McCarthy is a business basic model “used to pursue its marketing objectives in the target market”.

The Marketing Mix is one tool that can help you as an organization understand how to promote yourself and your product in a way that makes sense for your customer and their needs.

One thing you may learn during your analysis is your customers’ need for quality for example, or perhaps they care deeply about the environment and spending their dollars with environmentally conscious companies.

Researching your customer and their purchasing decisions can lead you to a new growth avenue – but can you achieve these?

In this article, you will learn how the adoption of standards, like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 45001 can not only help your organization and its longevity, but it can also show your commitment to your customers through certification.

Why ISO Standards?

Part of ISO Guidelines is a framework for successguiding requirements that have been created by industry professionals and evaluated by a committee. They have been approved as an internationally adopted and recognized framework to build a business upon.

For example, if you work in the Aerospace industry, you have a different framework than those in the Automotive industry because you have different unique challenges.

The generic quality framework, ISO 9001:2015, was designed as a foundation for success with generic business principles and frameworks to allow organizations to create or improve an organization at its most basic roots to ensure efficiency and quality of work.

Implementing ISO 9001 into your business allows you to take time to look deep into the organization, and evaluate what you do great, what you do well, and what needs improvement.

Standards are not only a great foundation to grow a business upon though. These guiding requirements allow you to look within your organization, find your strength and allow them to shine and identify possible areas for improvement, places that need help to grow to their full potential.

The nature of ISO Standards audit processes allows unbiased reviews to truly see the organization without judgement. This is a great marketing opportunity to showcase your strengths.

Promote your certificate, your congratulatory statements from auditors, and what you are proud of.

Part of ISO 9001 is also measuring and monitoring. If you are interested in learning about how much productivity has gone up each quarter, or the number of sales per year, you are encouraged to do so in ISO 9001.

This is a great opportunity to learn real facts about your organization, in an effective manner, that you can then share with your customers. These are real, tangible numbers than can really impress prospective clients.

If you are looking to attract new people to your organization, you might want to look into obtaining ISO 14001:2015 certification. “Of those born between 1981 and 1996, 62% want to work for a company that makes a positive impact”. 

Companies with an active interest in sustainable practices, and the certification to prove that, can gain a lot of edge in the competitive hiring market place. Not only that but showcasing your commitment to sustainability and quality of goods and workplace safety with certification to ISO 45001, the standard for occupation health & safety, can prove to prospective hires how committed to their wellbeing you are.

Standards help you as an organization navigate best practises while allowing you to thrive as a unique organization and culture.

ISO Certification does not ask you to subscribe to a one size fits all approach to business. But it does show you how to eliminate inefficiencies and set you on a path for growth and longevity with a base set of tools for success.

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iso50001-energy-management

Written by Jorine Bibi

With people and companies around the world growing steadily more conscious of the need to conserve energy and protect our environment, ISO certifications are becoming all the more relevant. With this in mind, let’s take a fresh look at the ISO 50001 standard, and how companies today can address energy management and the benefits of pursuing certification.

ISO 50001 is an international standard that sets forth requirements companies need to meet in order to establish effective energy management systems (or EnMS). Effective EnMS under ISO 50001 entails meeting expectations with regard to energy performance, energy efficiency, and reduced environmental impact — all of which can be brought about in a variety of ways, depending on a company’s functions and practices.

In other words, while ISO 50001 outlines general ways for companies to achieve meaningful progress, different companies can set different specific goals for their system, its success rate and scope.

To offer a glimpse of how companies can go about the process, here are a few steps that can help to spark progress toward measurably improved EnMS.

Establishing Energy Data Transparency

It is important to track and analyze energy data to reliably report and measure success and failure. A company hoping to demonstrate meaningful progress toward improved EnMS will need to establish greater transparency regarding its energy consumption, use, and change. This way, the company can not only offer a clear picture of its energy management but also conduct the analysis necessary to identify potential areas of improvement. You can’t effectively know if a change was successful if you don’t have accurate measurements to prove otherwise.

Improving Electrical Efficiency

Before looking to bigger and bolder technologies or methods, companies can also address energy performance on a more granular level, by assessing any relevant electrical functions. In today’s highly capable electronic devices, more is demanded of the printed circuit boards that actually communicate electrical signals. This demand can sometimes lead to lost or incomplete signals, which can result in a sort of hidden energy waste. It’s for this reason that more advanced PCBs can now be designed with impedance calculators that effectively ensure reliable connections and smooth signals. Transitioning to electronics using more reliable PCBs can be a means for a company to revamp its electronic functions in a way that moves in the direction of greater energy efficiency. It’s not just your lightbulbs that can be updated to be more efficient, take a look at all your technology and see where improvements can be made, the timeline needed for these changes, and measure these changes inefficiencies for evidence for your ISO 50001 certification audits.

Adjusting Spending Priorities

To some extent, the idea of adjusting spending priorities is present in all other relevant suggestions. Companies may have to spend on ways to establish energy data transparency, as well as on assessing and replacing electronics, for example. It’s worthwhile to consider this as a specific step toward better EnMS. Energy management can save a company money, but the process of establishing new processes and obtaining more efficient technology can require some adjustment of company’s spending priorities, however, demonstrating that adjustment will prove to your auditor of your commitment and continual improvement which will help in achieving ISO 50001 certification.

Seeking Out Energy-Efficient Tech

We discussed addressing energy management on a granular level, through internal electrical designs. However, companies striving for meaningful change in these areas should also seek to identify bigger changes they can make in favor of energy-efficient technology. One way to do this can be to look to clean-tech companies and the products and services they provide. For instance, a company conducting this sort of search might be inspired to install solar panels or implement water-waste monitors at office locations. This can make for a good general start, though it’s also wise for companies working on energy efficiency to find ways to improve that specifically relate to their primary functions as well – look internally at where there are opportunities and risks that can be a chance for real change!

Any company can achieve ISO 50001 certification. Through establishing clear progress toward better energy management and efficiency, companies can prove to stakeholders, the community, new customers, and current customers of their commitment to a better tomorrow.

About The Author

Jorine Bibi Author LogoJorine Bibi is an environmental blogger. She hopes that her articles provide her readers with information on what the world can do to reduce its energy use. She also believes that if we don’t address the issue of climate change soon it will be too late. In her free time, she likes to tend to her garden.