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ISO/IEC 27001 ADVISORY AND CERTIFICATION SUPPORT

ISO/IEC 27001 certification, built on governance that works.

Hael leads the programme from initial scope and readiness through implementation, internal audit, management review and certification support.

We help you establish an information security management system that works in practice, stands up to independent assessment and remains current as the business changes.

THE VALUE OF ISO/IEC 27001

A recognised management system for governing information security with confidence.

ISO/IEC 27001 brings information security into one coherent management system. It gives leadership a structured way to define accountability, manage risk, oversee controls and improve them as the organisation changes.

For customers, boards and other stakeholders, independent certification provides credible assurance that the management system has been assessed against an international standard.

A coherent operating model

Bring policies, ownership, risk decisions, operational controls and oversight into a management system that people across the organisation can follow.

Clear management oversight

Give leadership a reliable view of information security risk, control operation and outstanding action across the certified scope.

Credible external assurance

Demonstrate that the management system has been independently assessed, without presenting certification as a substitute for wider compliance or judgement.

HOW WE WORK

ISO 27001 in practice

Certification requires an information security management system that leadership actually runs. We build it around your operating model, treat risks that are real to your business and prepare the organisation to defend its Statement of Applicability under scrutiny.

OUR APPROACH

One programme from readiness assessment to certification.

Hael provides the specialist capacity, structure and judgement needed to move the programme forward. We work across leadership, security, engineering, operations, legal and risk, while ensuring that ownership remains within your organisation.

Define the scope and governance model

We establish the intended scope of the management system, the entities, sites and services involved, the interested parties, applicable requirements and the governance already in place.

The result is a clear scope, readiness assessment and implementation plan, with named responsibilities and decisions for leadership.

Implement the management system

We develop and embed the policies, objectives, accountability, information asset inventory, risk assessment and treatment process, Statement of Applicability and Annex A control implementation.

The work is designed around how your organisation functions, not around a generic set of templates.

Build the evidence and prepare for audit

We help teams operate the controls, assemble the evidence, complete internal audit with appropriate independence, conduct management review and resolve findings before external assessment.

We then support preparation for Stage 1 and Stage 2, including evidence coordination, interview readiness and remediation.

CERTIFICATION SUPPORT

Independent certification, carefully prepared.

Hael does not issue the certificate. Our role is to prepare your organisation for assessment by an independent certification body and to ensure the management system presented for audit is supported by real ownership, operating controls and reliable evidence.

We help you select an appropriately accredited certification body, prepare the audit plan, coordinate evidence, brief the people who will be interviewed and support the response to findings. Certification decisions remain entirely with the certification body.

Once certification has been achieved, we can continue to support the surveillance cycle, internal audit, management review, corrective action and controlled expansion of scope.

PLANNING YOUR PROGRAMME

A clear plan, based on your starting point.

The route to certification depends on the intended scope, the size and complexity of the organisation, the controls already operating and the quality of available evidence. Certification-body availability also affects the final audit timetable.

We establish these facts before committing to a delivery plan. You receive a defined scope, workstreams, responsibilities, timetable and fee, based on the organisation you have rather than a generic certification promise.

Where SOC 2, ISO/IEC 42001 or established risk-management processes are already in place, we reuse relevant structures and evidence. We identify what transfers, what needs adapting and what must be created specifically for the management system.

WHY HAEL

Specialist advisory work, led by experienced practitioners.

Hael is the specialist AI governance and compliance practice within Buckingham Group, drawing on fifteen years of work across governance, risk and compliance. Our focus is deliberately specific: helping organisations put credible governance around the systems they build, provide and use.

We advise providers preparing for enterprise scrutiny, as well as established and regulated organisations formalising the security management arrangements already operating inside their businesses. We understand that these organisations have different commercial, regulatory and operational priorities. The scope and delivery model are designed accordingly.

Our work can cover readiness, scope, governance design, policy and control implementation, risk assessment, evidence, internal audit, management review, certification preparation and ongoing improvement. We can lead the complete programme or work alongside your existing legal, risk, security, product and engineering teams.

Every engagement has a named practitioner and an agreed scope, timetable and fee. We do not take commission from certification bodies. Certification is assessed and issued independently. Where the Hael platform supports an engagement, it maintains the underlying systems, controls, evidence, decisions and review record. It supports practitioner judgement and operational continuity; it does not replace either.

CONNECTED REQUIREMENTS

Make ISO/IEC 27001 part of a coherent assurance programme.

ISO/IEC 27001 should strengthen existing governance rather than create a parallel compliance structure. We map relevant controls, processes and evidence across related frameworks while preserving the distinct purpose of each one.

SOC 2

Run alongside ISO/IEC 27001 so one control set and evidence base serves both, reducing duplication and the marginal cost of the second report.

ISO/IEC 42001

Extend the management-system approach to the governance of AI, using compatible structures and reusing relevant evidence where appropriate.

GDPR

Integrate data-protection accountability, assessments and evidence into the security management system rather than running them in parallel.

NIS2 / DORA

Align sector-specific resilience and ICT-risk obligations with the management system and its risk-treatment process.

DISCUSS YOUR ISO/IEC 27001 PROGRAMME

Start with a clear view of scope, readiness and the route to certification.

In an initial scoping call, a Hael practitioner will review why you are pursuing ISO/IEC 27001, the entities and services that may sit within scope, the controls already in place and your intended audit window.

We will then set out the recommended scope, principal workstreams, responsibilities, timetable and fee. You will know what the programme involves before deciding whether to proceed.