You want to become ISO Certified?
If you want your company to become ISO certified, you probably already know the benefits. Other than operating under the governance of international standards, putting ISO Certification badge on your company website and paper publications is prestigious and will definitely contribute to a positive image towards your clients as well as your own staff. However, it is very important to know how to promote your ISO certification without breaking the rules. In this article we’ll highlight the do’s and dont’s of promoting your ISO certification, but first let’s tell you a little bit about ISO.
A little about ISO
ISO (International Organization of Standards) is an international standard-setting organization located in Geneva, Switzerland with presence in 161 countries through National, Correspondent or Subscriber members. For example: US ANSI, Canada SCC, Saudi Arabia SASO, Emirates ESMA, Lebanon LIBNOR are all national standard bodies in the mentioned countries and members in ISO General Assembly that meet once a year to decide on strategic objectives.
ISO formed partnership with other International organizations: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) specialized in setting standards for Electrical and electronic-related technologies, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specialized in setting standards for information and communication technologies. In 2001, ISO, IEC and ITU formed the World Standards Cooperation (WSC).
One of the most popular standards is ISO 9001 Quality Management, but there are many others such as:
- ISO / IEC 27001 Information Security Management
- ISO / IEC 20000 IT Service Management
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management
- ISO 22000 Food Safety Management
and many others.
Why it is wrong to say ISO Certified or ISO Certification?
Your corporate can for example become ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified not just ISO Certified, it can get ISO 20000-1:2011 certification not an ISO Certification. Meaning, that you’ll have to choose a domain that is relevant to your business, choose a scope within this domain, prepare the necessary documentation, implement the management system based on the standard, get audited and become certified in the chosen scope, and maintain your certification year after year.
ISO itself doesn’t provide certifications, certification bodies provide certifications. It is very important to choose your certification body, an ISO certification issued by a reputable and accredited certification body will reflect a better image to your business and inspire confidence. To name a few, here is a list of reputable certification bodies with global presence:
- PECB, Canada
- BSI, UK
- TUV, Germany
- Bureau Veritas, France
- SGS, Switzerland
Do’s and Dont’s in promoting your ISO Certification
- Use the full name of the standard ISO/IEC 27001:2013.
- Be specific on what areas of your business are covered in the awarded certification
- Use the registrar certified mark.
- Don’t use ISO logo on your products, ISO certification are awarded to a management system not a product.
- Don’t use ISO name next to your product, company name, website name, social media accounts …etc.
How can CIATEC help you Become ISO Certified
CIATEC plays the role of remote consultant that can help prepare the necessary documentation to become ISO certified, currently focused on two main standards: ISO 27001 and ISO 20000 Certifications. ISO 27001 is a specification for an information security management system (ISMS), a framework of policies and procedures that includes all the needed controls involved in an organization’s information risk management processes. While ISO 20000 is a standard developed in 2005 and revised in 2011 it describes best practices to implement IT service management system. CIATEC catalyzes your process toward getting certified by helping you prepare the necessary documentation, implement the system and audit your work.
Finally, if you need help implementing a management system and become ISO certified, @AskCiatec or drop us a line here for assistance.
