Dear [NAME], I am an information security specialist working in the Information Security Department alongside [NAMES]. I am managing the project to establish an Information Security Management System (ISMS) that will help us identify and mitigate unacceptable information security risks within [ORGANIZATION]. The purpose of this email is to tell you a little about the project we’re working on and to give you an insight into how you might be able to help. I'll keep this as brief as possible but there is a bit to tell so please do bear with me. The management of information security within [ORGANIZATION] ------------------------------------------------------------ Information security is a complex area to handle well. The possible risks to our information assets (including our computer systems and countless filing cabinets full of valuable proprietary information) are difficult to determine and bring under control, especially in ways that don't unduly interfere with legitimate use of information by authorized users. The most practical and cost-effective way for [ORGANIZATION] to handle its information security and governance obligations, and to be seen to be doing so, is to adopt an ISMS that complies with the international standard ISO 27001. An ISO 27001 ISMS is a framework of policies, processes and controls used to manage information security in a structured, systematic manner. At a high leve, the ISMS will help minimize the costs of security incidents and enhance our brand. In more detail, the ISMS will be used to: - systematically assess the organization's information risks in order to establish and prioritize its security requirements, primarily in terms of the need to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information; - design a suite of security controls, both technical and non-technical in nature, to address any risks deemed unacceptable by management; - ensure that our security controls satisfy compliance obligations under applicable laws, regulations and contracts (such as privacy laws, PCI and HIPAA); - operate, manage and maintain the security controls; - monitor and continuously improve the protection of valuable information assets, for example updating the controls when the risks change (e.g. responding to novel hacker attacks or frauds, ideally in advance thereby preventing us from suffering actual incidents!). ISO 27001, the international information security management standard --------------------------------------------------------------------- You may have already heard it mentioned but if not you'll soon begin to hear people talking about "ISO 27001" (or more formally, ISO/IEC 27001 since it was developed by both ISO and IEC). ISO 27001 is an international standard that embodies a good practice framework for establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and improving an ISMS. In short, it formally specifies a management system that will bring information security under explicit management control. This is a very similar approach to quality management using ISO 9001 and environmental management using ISO 14001. The ISMS will provide us with a systematic approach to combating a broad range of security risks to both our own proprietary information assets and those (such as customer data and personal information about employees) over which we have a duty of care. In addition, a formal certificate of compliance with ISO/IEC 27001 will enable us to demonstrate to customers and other stakeholders that we take our information security obligations seriously. As well as continued assurance for our existing customers, the certified ISMS will help us satisfy information security and governance requirements often included in Requests For Proposals (RFPs) and similar pre-tender questionnaires and commercial contracts. In today's global information economy, applying internationally respected good security practices is arguably even more important than simply demonstrating compliance with local laws and regulations. To find out more about ISO 27001, please visit www.ISO27001security.com or contact me. I'd be happy to explain it in more detail and tell you about the other members of the family of security standards commonly known as "ISO27k". The ISMS implementation project, and your role in it ---------------------------------------------------- Senior management has approved the investment necessary to establish an ISMS that complies with ISO 27001. The ISMS will ensure the selection of adequate and proportionate security controls, giving confidence to customers and other interested parties that their information is being protected in accordance with an internationally-recognised security standard, while at the same time assuring management that our own proprietary information is being properly protected. As project manager for the ISMS implementation project, I am working with a team consisting of: - [NAME]: [ROLE] - [NAME]: [ROLE] - [NAME]: [ROLE] While we will do most of the implementation work, at various times the project team will require input from key personnel like you. We are determined to ensure that both the project and the ISMS are driven by the business, reflecting the organization's security needs, hence we will need your assistance for example to determine the possible business impacts of security incidents affecting information assets that your department depends upon. However I assure you that we will do our best to fit in with your day to day work. One of the first steps I have to take is to tap into your knowledge in order to determine 'where we are now' in terms of information security. This Gap Analysis involves assessing the gaps between [ORGANIZATION]'s actual information security controls and related security management practices, and those recommended by ISO 27001. As well as examining the security policies, procedures and systems, we will be conducting informal interviews with you, [name], and various colleagues over the next few weeks. We will then produce a report listing the findings plus a list of security improvement recommendations prioritized according to the relative risks. The report will also detail the work needed if we are to be certified to ISO 27001, pointing out priority areas through a heat-map to help managment with the next stage of planning. What happens now? ----------------- Within the next [NUMBER] weeks we will distribute questionnaires to the heads of departments that have been identified as being in scope of the [ORGANIZATION] ISMS. These questionnaires have been written to assist the planning team with the Gap Analysis and are being sent ahead of interviews to give you a feeling for what we’ll be asking. The planning window to complete your department's Gap Analysis is from [DATE] to [DATE]. I fully appreciate how precious time and resource are so your participation in the Gap Analysis will be controlled to ensure that you will not be inconvenienced any longer than is necessary for me to gather the information I require; furthermore you won’t need to attend any unnecessary meetings aside from the interview already mentioned, unless you wish to get more involved in the process. Thank you for taking the time to read this introductory email [NAME]. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me, I'm always more than happy to help. Kind regards,