ISO27001 Consultants are subject matter experts on information security.   They have an in-depth knowledge of information security management standards, and on the steps that organizations need to take to conform to these standards.  They know how to identify information security risks associated with how businesses work, how they can best be evaluated and prioritized with actions to resolve, and the management systems that allow them to control and reduce these risks.  

ISO27001 Consultants help organizations improve their information security performance by establishing Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).  They also understand fully what it takes to achieve ISO27001 Certification.

They have gained experience across a number of business areas through many years working in this area, helping organizations reduce the risks associated with information security based on their incidents and risk profile.  They can therefore quickly identify focus areas for organizations, that will both help them reduce their incidents, achieve ISO27001, and develop programs for continued and ongoing culture of information security improvement in the organization.  

Good consultants understand and can articulate the link between information security improvement and business growth, and the importance of measuring information security performance. 

The expert knowledge required to reduce information security risks and implement ISO27001 could be attained by internal staff.  However, the cost to achieve the same competence level as an external consultant is considered prohibitive by most organizations, given that the implementation project is always going to be short-term.  Organizations therefore make the decision to use external consultants.

There are other additional benefits from the use of an external ISO27001 Consultant that organizations do not always consider at the outset.  These include the knowledge of what would be acceptable to certification bodies, the benchmarking that the consultant brings to the organization, where the organization learns Best Practice from others that the consultant has seen.  There are also potential networking opportunities and contacts that the consultant may have. 

Many organizations also retain the services of the ISO27001 Consultant post certification, due to their knowledge of the organization and the implemented systems, to assist with maintaining the environmental management systems on an ongoing basis.  This utilises the knowledge the consultant has built-up through the course of the project, reduces spend on internal resource, and ensures ongoing recertification.