Global fastenings manufacturer and distributor TR Fastenings (TR) has demonstrated its commitment to information security by gaining ISO 27001 certification for its IT service desk and technical teams in the UK. The certification has been awarded after an official audit of these departments which took place earlier this year.
The quality stamp from BSI (British Standards Institution), which is voluntary, relates to the handling and storage of data and information on staff, the company and its customers. The board of TR’s parent company Trifast Plc, led by CEO Mark Belton, was keen to obtain certification to the standard to show customers its commitment to information security, which is a major issue facing businesses around the world.
TR’s IT department in the UK has been audited and certified to the 2013 version of the standard, and there are now plans to roll this out to other departments and locations. In order to prepare for the audit, TR undertook a comprehensive review of processes including access to information, data storage, security measures, data transmission and disposal of information. In practical terms, this meant ensuring screens showing sensitive information were not left unattended, shredding confidential documents and keeping detailed logs of activity and any potential incidents. Policies covering use of the internet, social media and IT facilities were also visited and updated.
Having passed the audit, the ISO 27001 certificate will now be valid until 2020, but the auditing process will be renewed every year for the first three years to ensure measures are kept in place. The company will conduct internal audits every year to check assets and processes are in line with the terms of the standard.
Mark Belton, CEO of Trifast Plc, comments: “Information security is an extremely topical issue at the moment, thanks to recent high profile attacks on the NHS and international governments. As a global business, we are committed to maintaining an excellent standard across all of our processes and departments, and IT is no exception. We take great care in storing, curating and protecting our company data and our customers’ data, and this certification is recognition of that commitment and care.”
Carla Whyte, Senior Client Propositions Manager at BSI said: “Protecting personal records and commercially sensitive information is critical to any business and TR Fastenings should be proud that they’ve achieved this certification. It will undoubtedly give assurance to both stakeholders and customers that they are carrying out best practice in information security management.”
