So – you have decided to implement an ISO management standard. Whether you’re implementing one of the popular standards such as ISO 9001 for quality management or a more specialist one like ISO 13485 dealing with medical devices you can rest assured that the benefits you’ll get will make it all worthwhile.
ISO 27001 is now seen as the “go-to” information security management standard for modern businesses. Originally developed by the International Organization for Standardization and first published in 2005 it offers an excellent framework to improve and strengthen data security protocols. Achieving ISO certification enables organisations of all sizes, structures and sectors to demonstrate they follow best practices regarding the security of the information they hold and handle.
BS OHSAS 18001 is an occupational health and safety management system designed for use in all kinds of workplaces. Published in 1999, this popular British Standard was originally developed to protect the safety of workers by providing a framework that would ensure businesses adopting the standard would meet all minimum health and safety requirements expected of them.
Quality assurance – it’s a phrase that tends to elicit groans from some, and it’s easy to see why. However, if you intend to develop a new product or service for your target audience, quality assurance or QA should be one of the most important elements of the development and production process that you consider.
Whichever management system or systems you are using in your organisation, you will only know how well they are operating if you conduct an internal audit of the systems to determine if they are being used efficiently and what benefits you get from operating them. The results of the audit will do one of two things: