Whatdoes a Security Officer do?
The Security Officer (abbreviated SO) is responsible for all security-related tasks and their coordination within an organization. The SO does everything possible to guarantee the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. In doing so, he looks at possible risks and the way the organization operates, taking into account legal rules and frameworks.
The SO is sometimes confused with the Information Security Officer, also known as ISO. However, there is no difference in function between these two roles. The CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), on the other hand, is responsible for information security and serves as the point of contact at the executive level. This is common in large organizations.
Is a Security Officer mandatory?
From the ISO 27001 standard it is mandatory to appoint a Security Officer. This can be done in several ways. Especially in smaller companies an IT employee is often appointed, but he or she does not always have the right knowledge and experience. An external party is therefore often chosen to fill the role of Security Officer properly. They take on the role and responsibility and take all your worries off your hands.
What are the duties of a Security Officer?
A Security Officer is responsible for all security-related tasks and their coordination within an organization. Organizations that want to obtain or already have an ISO 27001 or NEN 7510 certificate will assign the following tasks to a Security Officer:
- Establish and enforce an information security policy
- Maintain, improve and evaluate the Information Security Management System (ISMS)
- Implement technical and policy measures to ensure the availability, integrity and confidentiality of information within the organization
- Establishing and periodically evaluating screening procedures, backup and password policies and performing risk analysis, among other things
- Monitor compliance with information security laws and regulations
- Organize and supervise Internal Audits
- Support information security issuesof other business units
- Managing the system and available resources
What should you be able to do in the role of Security Officer?
In most cases, a Security Officer has a completed college or university education. In addition, practical experience with information security is important and knowledge of implementing and managing an ISMS is important. Some organizations require additional certifications such as CISSP, CISA, CISM or RE training.
Other important skills:
- Communication skills for good communication with the board, management and other team members.
- Strong personality because not all changes are appreciated
- Being discreet and an example to others
¨As a Security Officer, I manage and maintain the ISMS of NowOnline and J&J, so that the ISO 27001 certification remains guaranteed.¨
SecurityOfficer vs. Privacy Officer
Whereas the Security Officer focuses on securing information and systems from threats and breaches, the Privacy Officer concentrates on protecting sensitive personal data and enforcing privacy policies.
Is protecting information an important issue for your organization? Check out our Security Officer as a service and other Interim Specialism and get all the knowledge and expertise you need. Available as little as 4 hours per week.
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