Applying ISO27001 in the Telecom Industry

During the last few years, the Telecom industry has gone through a substantial development period and is aspiring to reach even higher levels of growth by exploring new possibilities in the market. Lastly, this industry has become a quite important piece in the giant puzzle of social interaction.

Along with this significant expansion in the Telecom industry, the need for implementing a Security Management System has had an increase as well. This  increase is based on the fact that Telecom companies are prioritized to protect the huge amount of data that they possess and reduce the number of outages.

So, these telecom companies have requirements which include being strict and legal, in terms of their information security management. Consequently, if there is no shield to protect Telecom from various networking threats; it could result in network services becoming unreliable and even losing integrity.

The Telecom Industry contains a lot of complexity which derives from network elements being owned by different vendors, such as proprietary applications, different operating systems, and procedures that seem unfamiliar for non-Telecom organizations. In fact, this case becomes even more complicated when Telecom operators are supplied with equipment from different manufacturers and when the network management is outsourced, which means that there will be multiple network vendors.

Nevertheless, the Telecom Industry frequently encounters other complex situations that need to be taken into consideration when applying an information security framework in telecom, for instance:

• Security incidents
• Complication of operations
• Changing technology
• Strict environment

The biggest security threats to the telecommunication industry: The possibility of information security risks is present in all Telecom organizations, however, the ability to ease and overcome these risks depends on the experience and maturity that operators have; Threats and results explained in a tabular format and Operators who fail to effectively protect their networks results in:

• Financial costs
• Damaged reputation for Telecom operators in the industry
• Loss of customer reliability
• Legal measures and penalties from governing bodies for failing to deliver secure services

Further, the weaknesses in the network of Telecom can also be used in the worst scenario by criminals and even by terrorist organizations. Evidently, that situation would occur when terrorists would interrupt and use the network communications for their own benefits. By interrupting the communication, a denial of service would occur and this interception can possibly be used to even launch attacks using the network.

Why implementing ISO27001 is the most effective way to eliminate these malicious threats?

In order for Telecom industries to protect their networks from various malicious attacks, an effective and strong security system should be implemented. Genuinely, the system being used the most is ISO27001 standard. By implementing ISO27001, the telecommunications organizations are being led towards having met information security management requirements such as confidentiality, integrity, availability and other matters related to the security property.

Moreover, an Information Security Management System (ISMS) is highly improved when implementing ISO27001 fundamentals, for the light of the fact that, it provides monitoring, reviewing, and continual maintenance.

Specifically, for the Telecom industries, this model is supported by ISO27011:2008 and is based and put to practice by ISO27002, which delivers clear identification of guidelines needed for maintaining a healthy ISMS in the Telecom industry.

This standard delivers an application of Information Security Management within the Telecom Industry to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and readiness of Telecom services. The main benefits are:

• Providing Telecom operators with general security control objectives that are based on ISO27002, leading to higher and safer levels of information security used inside the organization;
• Telecommunication industry will have an increased level of reliance, which will generate higher business profits;
• Discretion, reliability, and availability would be assured in Telecom organizations;
• Adopting processes and controls that are secure and collaborative, which makes certain that the level of risks is lowered in terms of providing Telecom services;
• Increased level of personal alertness as well as public confidence;
• Implementing a continual and complete methodology for information technology.

In conclusion, we are aware that Telecom organizations have progressed and developed significantly over the last years. In sync with this growth in the industry, requirements to have information that is secure and reliable is also increasing. That being said, and considering the fact that the information this industry possesses is fragile and confidential, information security is vital.

Customers want their personal information to be accessed by only the authorized personnel. Therefore, the Telecom industries are putting to use various methods to keep their network safe from different malicious attacks, one of which is by applying the ISO27001 standard.

Implementing ISMS by utilizing ISO27002 guidelines, followed by ISO27001 certification, results in Telecom organizations ensuring confidentiality, integrity and securing their customer data by maintaining a healthy and consistent ISMS.

So if you are a Telecom Operator or IT Provider that needs to operate in a critical environment where Information Security is a must have in all departments of your organization, then let the certified people at SEVOCOMM – consult, integrate and/or pre-audit you.