Protecting your customers’ information right across your supply chain is important.
How ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance and certification in your mailhouse or email partner delivers.
1. Data Security and Privacy Assurance
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is a globally recognised standard for information security management systems (ISMS). Certification ensures that the third party has implemented comprehensive security measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, breaches, or leaks, and has been independently audited to those standards.
- Organisations certified to this standard follow a risk-based approach to information security, meaning they continuously assess and mitigate risks, ensuring that sensitive customer data is well-protected.
2. Legal and Regulatory Compliance
- Many data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, require businesses to ensure that third parties handling personal information implement adequate security measures. ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification provides evidence that the third party complies with such regulatory requirements.
- Under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, businesses must ensure that (quote) “if it is necessary for information to be given to a person in connection with the provision of a service to the agency, everything reasonably within the power of the agency is done to prevent unauthorised use or unauthorised disclosure of the information.” ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification provides evidence to you that a third party is protecting the information you entrust to them, by adhering to recognised standards for information security and privacy protection.
- Failing to ensure proper data protection may expose the governance body to legal liabilities, penalties, and reputational damage.
3. Minimised Risk of Data Breaches
- Third parties that are ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified are subject to regular audits and reviews of their security practices. This ensures that third parties have appropriate policies, processes and procedures in place to reduce the likelihood of data breaches, and that they have demonstrated that they are in use and effective.
- By selecting certified vendors, governance bodies minimise the risk of customer data being compromised, which could otherwise lead to financial loss, legal action, or loss of trust.
4. Trust and Transparency
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification demonstrates a commitment to information security, instilling trust in customers that their personal data will be managed securely. This can enhance the governance body’s reputation and increase customer confidence.
- The certification process requires transparent documentation of security controls and practices, providing governance bodies with greater visibility into how customer data is managed.
5. Standardisation and Best Practices
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 promotes international best practices for managing and securing information. Governance bodies that require third parties to be certified are ensuring that these vendors adhere to a high, standardised level of security.
- This consistency in security standards across different third parties simplifies due diligence processes and reduces the complexity of managing multiple vendors.
In summary, releasing your customers’ personal information to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified third parties ensures better data security, compliance with legal obligations, and greater trust and transparency, all of which are essential for safeguarding customer information and your brand and protecting your governance body from potential risks.
