I've just started implementation of this standard, to which I'm quite new, though familiar with other ISO standards.

An initial gap analysis has revealed those areas where there is some overlap with the existing integrated management system, and where there are huge gaping holes.

The next step is risk assessment. How far is this expected to go? I mean, realistically you could fill 100s of pages and try and cover every eventuality, but end up listing most of it as "chalk it down to experience". For example, use of memory sticks, emailing documents, emailing anything, IT specialists access to s ervers etc? Where do you stop? I don't want to spend the rest of 2009 doing a risk assessment? But at the same time I don't want to gloss over it. Any hints?

Also, in terms of the risk treatment programme (is it possible to just get some tablets for it?) can we make use of the "reasonable practicable" defence, i.e. if it takes an unreasonable amount of time/money to plug a hole, then accept it can't be done.

I realise that's a lot of questions, but any light that can be shed I'd be grateful!

Cheers....

Risk management should be used to select the KEY, or critical, processes or characteristics, from all of the possibilities. Ask yourself:
How severe are the problems that could arise? Don’t nickel and dime yourself to death.
How often does nonconformance in this area occur? If you’ve never had a problem before, then I wouldn’t start looking here, save this for later.
How easy is it to determine if nonconformance has occurred? If you aren’t tracking or measuring your processes, do you know much time and money could be saved?
To get started in risk assessment, categorize your risks. Generalize. Figure out which processes you aren’t performing and which of these missing processes are likely to cause nonconformance. Weigh the cost vs. benefit of addressing these categories and processes and the riskiest will stand out. These are the areas you attack first.
When starting out with risk assessment, you can’t know everything. You label and generalize and start tracking process performance. The procedures/work instructions that will be created as you proceed will cover the minutiae. Try not to let personal perception determine risk. You and I may have differing opinions of what is risky and what is not. The more your processes can be measured. The easier it will be to be objective and determine which risks to address first. Subjectivity can be the cause of many misdirected and misguided hours, leaving greater risks unattended.
Set up some objectives for the risk assessment process. This might help you from getting too sidetracked. Compliance with the standard is important, of course, but don’t forget the purpose of a QMS is to add value to a company, not tie its hands with red tape.

Thanks for the info. I tried to take a more overarching approach using mindmapping to identify all those areas that might be a risk and how they interact - unsurprisingly in terms of information security people tend to provide the biggest risk!!
:thanx:

how can i download it

how can i download it

Download what?

Stijloor.

Risk management should be used to select the KEY, or critical, processes or characteristics, from all of the possibilities. Ask yourself:
How severe are the problems that could arise? Don’t nickel and dime yourself to death.
How often does nonconformance in this area occur? If you’ve never had a problem before, then I wouldn’t start looking here, save this for later.
How easy is it to determine if nonconformance has occurred? If you aren’t tracking or measuring your processes, do you know much time and money could be saved?
To get started in risk assessment, categorize your risks. Generalize. Figure out which processes you aren’t performing and which of these missing processes are likely to cause nonconformance. Weigh the cost vs. benefit of addressing these categories and processes and the riskiest will stand out. These are the areas you attack first.
When starting out with risk assessment, you can’t know everything. You label and generalize and start tracking process performance. The procedures/work instructions that will be created as you proceed will cover the minutiae. Try not to let personal perception determine risk. You and I may have differing opinions of what is risky and what is not. The more your processes can be measured. The easier it will be to be objective and determine which risks to address first. Subjectivity can be the cause of many misdirected and misguided hours, leaving greater risks unattended.
Set up some objectives for the risk assessment process. This might help you from getting too sidetracked. Compliance with the standard is important, of course, but don’t forget the purpose of a QMS is to add value to a company, not tie its hands with red tape.


ISO/IEC 27001 presents the steps in the conduct of risk assessment. It starts with asset identification. Identify all your information assets and their asset owners. Then you can go with the rest of the steps - threat and vulnerability identification, damage, likelihood, etc.

The values you will use for risk assessment shall ensure comparability throughout the organization. An activity which I call "levelling of risks" should be done after the risk assessment to avoid discrepancies in the output. For example, one department may classify their printer as high risk because they have only 1 and another department may classify it differently.