As the business world becomes increasingly digital, the need to protect sensitive information grows more critical. This is where ISO 27701 Compliance can help.
It’s vitally important for boards of directors to create strategies for handling governance, risk, and compliance issues. Among the many regulations designed to safeguard data is ISO 27701.
In this article, we will dive deeper into ISO 27701 compliance, its requirements, and how OnBoard can assist boards to easily comply with the standard while focusing on their mission-critical work.
What Is ISO 27701?
ISO 27701 is an international standard that outlines specific requirements to help organizations ensure Personally Identifiable Information (PII) confidentiality, integrity, and availability per a wide range of data protection and privacy laws, including HIPAA and the CCPA. This standard expands on the existing ISO 27001.
While ISO 27001 provides a comprehensive framework for information security, it doesn’t explicitly address the protection of PII. ISO 27701 fills this gap by providing additional guidance on securing PII in compliance with international privacy regulations.
As a board of directors, it’s your responsibility to safeguard the sensitive information of your stakeholders, which includes:
- Social Security numbers
- Credit card information
- Personal health information
A customer data breach or other security incident involving PII can result in significant financial and reputational damage to your organization. Therefore, implementing effective risk management strategies is crucial for minimizing the likelihood of such an incident occurring.
Before implementing new software that will store PII, boards should verify the software is ISO 27701 certified. At OnBoard, we believe boards should make informed decisions on complicated company matters with ease. That’s why we provide an ISO 27701-compliant online platform that ensures your board meetings not only run smoothly and effectively, but also makes it easy for boards to fulfill their compliance obligations.
How to Achieve ISO 27701 Compliance
Note: You must already be ISO 27001 certified before achieving 27701 compliance, or you must be pursuing both certificates at the same time. Information Management Security Systems Online outlines the steps for achieving ISO 27701 compliance, which include:
- Design, build, and implement a Personal Information Management System (PIMS) for your organization.
- Follow the ISO 27701 guidelines when designing and implementing the PIMS.
- Define how your organization will manage PII, including how this information is obtained, used, shared and deleted.
- Define strict user roles and strong passwords for all stakeholders who are processing and controlling privacy data.
Once those steps are complete, your organization can begin the three-step certification process:
- Engage a qualified certification body to conduct an audit of your organization.
- Undergo the audit, in which the assessor will look for a functional PIMS.
- The certification body decides whether you met the criteria, and if so, gives you a certificate that is valid for three years, or until your ISO 27001 certificate expires — whichever comes first.
Discover OnBoard's Secure System of Record
As a board member, protecting PII and ensuring compliance with regulations falls within your duty of care. OnBoard understands this and has taken the necessary steps to provide an ISO 27701 compliant system for board meeting content, communication, and data that limits risk exposure.
Using ISO 27701 compliant board management software can give customers and clients confidence that the software is secure and that their data is being handled properly.
Modern Boards Rely on OnBoard
Modern boards face increasing pressure to improve meeting effectiveness and efficiency. One way to do this is by investing in software that can streamline the agenda creation and file distribution process. OnBoard gets this right by providing an intuitive platform for creating agendas, distributing files, and conducting discussions.
Investing in software to improve meeting effectiveness helps boards save time, streamline communication, and make better decisions. Our software provides a centralized location for all board materials and enables real-time collaboration and communication.
Craft the perfect information security strategy for your organization with OnBoard. In addition to ISO 27701 compliance, it comes with the following security features:
- ISO 27001 Certified: OnBoard’s security and infrastructure are ISO 27001 certified, ensuring data assets such as financial info, intellectual property, and PII stay safe.
- Two-Factor Authentication: Two-factor authentication creates more secure access. OnBoard accounts can be enabled to verify the user’s identity separate from their password.
- Compliance and Records Controls: OnBoard enables you to deploy customizable, multi-level, and granular control for sensitive data, including the ability to purge notes and annotations.
To improve meeting effectiveness, OnBoard’s drag-and-drop agenda builder makes assembling a board book faster than ever. OnBoard sends reminders about upcoming meetings, and then lets directors track who engages with board materials and for how long so they know what needs the most discussion.
Download OnBoard’s free Meeting Minutes Template for an example of how the best boards write their minutes to accurately and legally reflect what occurred during the board meeting.
Ready to upgrade your board’s effectiveness with OnBoard the board intelligence platform? Schedule a demo or request a free trial.
About The Author
- Josh Palmer serves as OnBoard's Head of Content. An experienced content creator, his previous roles have spanned numerous industries including B2C and B2B home improvement, healthcare, and software-as-a-service (SaaS). An Indianapolis native and graduate of Indiana University, Palmer currently resides in Fishers, Ind.
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