Seal of approval for information security

The firm has been awarded ISO 27001 certification for information security management by BSI, the business standards company for all three of its offices – Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.

High standards – Ward Hadaway information security manager Jennifer Kilmartin receives the ISO 27001 status certificate from BSI UK & Ireland training director Shahm Barham.

ISO 27001 is an internationally recognised best practice framework for an information security management system.

In order to secure ISO 27001 certification, Ward Hadaway had to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve an information security management system and pass a rigorous inspection process, involving a number of visits by BSI auditors at its offices in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester. During the certification process all aspects of security were assessed from IT to physical security.

The firm is now certified to both ISO 27001 for information security management and ISO 9001 for quality management systems.

Jennifer Kilmartin, information security manager at Ward Hadaway, said: “ISO 27001 is an exacting standard and one which cannot be implemented overnight so we are delighted to have secured the status.

“It demonstrates that the way we handle information and data in whatever format – electronic, written or online, as well as the procedures and processes we have in place, are in line with international standards.

“Securing ISO 27001 certification involved not just our IT team but all of the staff at Ward Hadaway so this achievement is as much a product of all their hard work and dedication.

“As part of the status, we will continuously monitor and maintain our information security management systems to ensure they are the best they can be for our clients.”

Jamie Martin, managing partner at Ward Hadaway, said: “Our aim as a law firm is to always provide the very best in client service and securing ISO 27001 certification is very much a part of that.

“Clients’ data and information needs to be treated with the utmost care, particularly as threats to information security are growing every day and the consequences of a security breach can be extremely serious indeed.

“We will, of course, remain vigilant when it comes to information security management but securing ISO 27001 certification demonstrates how seriously we take the issue and our commitment as a firm to ensuring we deal with it in the best way.”

Toni Jones, UK Head of Client Propositions at BSI commented: “The security of information is of utmost importance today and by gaining certification, Ward Hadaway has demonstrated a proactive approach to ensuring the protection of their customer’s data’ and in ensuring that they keep security risks under control now and in the future.”