ISO 27001 vs. NIST: Which is Better For Your Business?
ISO 27001 is a famous international information security standard that helps organizations maintain compliance while keeping data secure. It’s also easy to enforce!
In contrast, NIST developed its guideline, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
This article compares these two standards to help you choose one better.
What is ISO 27001?
The ISO is a non-regulatory compliance framework that provides a set of standards to help organizations keep the corporate data they need confidential. IS0 certification isn’t legally required, but it can achieve by any business that wants to improve its security processes.
There’s a significant risk factor of transmitting data within the organization’s network: whether it’s done over the Internet or via a company-wide private network.
The ISO 27001:2013 standard helps your team build a comprehensive infosec program to protect your clients and data, provide tools for risk assessment, and identify which industry regulations are applicable. It can achieve it through a successful audit carried out by an accredited certification body.
What is NIST?
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is a non-regulatory agency founded in 1901. NIST was created to help the US industry become more competitive with economic rivals such as the UK and Germany.
The institute has developed measurements, metrics, and standards for technology in different sectors. NIST doesn’t have to be mandatory for any company, but businesses can benefit from complying with NIST compliance guidelines.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology works with many commercial sectors and government agencies to create policies, like the cybersecurity framework. It is considered a standard best practice for many security professionals and experts. It’s flexible, cost-effective, and iterative, providing various layers of security through DLP tools and other scalable security protocols.
NIST vs ISO: Which is right for your business?
There are both benefits and drawbacks to using either framework-based security. It will depend on the needs of your business.
The NIST framework is flexible and easy to implement. It uses by many organizations with the ISO 27001 principles combined. At the same time, they have a voluntary, self-certification process which can make it easier to implement than the ISO 27001 certification process. Certifications are granted as an independent audit by reputable certification agencies.
On the surface, an ISO 27001 certification may seem more complicated than it is. However, many experts maintain that it can be simpler than what it looks like at first glance with flexible assessment instruments and best practices for risk-based management.
It leads to a critical difference in the operational maturity level each risk framework addresses, which the NIST is best at handling early-stage scenarios. ISO 27001, on the other hand, is better suited to later-stage businesses. Additionally, part of this is cost — NIST is free, whereas ISO certification costs anywhere from $5,400 to $20,000.
Customers demand security and trust, which is why it’s essential to stay up-to-date with developments in the industry. NIST is an easy way to find out if your network is secure, but ISO 27001 has a reputation for being a more recognized standard among IT professionals. You’ll likely want to choose between these two standards depending on where you’re looking for funding or launching new products or services.
Conclusion
ISO 27001 and NIST are the two most commonly used information security standards, but which is better for your business? ISO 27001 is more comprehensive and offers more flexibility in terms of compliance. Additionally, it is easier to implement and manage than NIST. However, suppose you are not expecting a lot of changes or modifications to your operations. In that case, NIST might be a better choice because it offers similar levels of protection while being less costly to implement. Choosing the standard that meets your specific needs and goals is vital.
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