For companies seeking to improve the quality of their services and products as well as consistently meet customer expectations, ISO certification is the best solution. The process of getting ISO certified can be a daunting task for any organization. However, an ISO consultant helps a company to craft a valuable and successful management system, making the process easier and quicker. A great way to understand this process is to apply it to an example. Cavendish Scott helped 6e Technologies to achieve ISO certification. So, Cavendish Scott spoke to Angela Fisher, the GRC Analyst and Executive Assistant at 6e Technologies to understand what their ISO certification journey looked like.
6e Technologies – Modern IT for Modern Government
“What new technology does is create new opportunities to do a job that customers want done.” – Tim O’Reilly
The goal of most IT firms is to provide and/or implement high-quality technology solutions for their customers. But achieving this goal becomes very difficult when a company is unable to prove its ability to provide excellent IT solutions that meet customer needs and regulatory requirements. The best way to evade such a situation is to conform to relevant ISO standards and continually meet current requirements. That is exactly what 6e Technologies chose to do.
About The Company
6e Technologies is a technology company that specializes in providing consulting support and technology solutions in IT automation, business intelligence, HR, and ERP. Founded in 2003, 6e Technologies has evolved from an Oracle consulting firm into a tech powerhouse. Today, it helps federal, state, and local governments as well as private firms to select, implement, and manage the right IT solutions for their unique business problems. Moreover, the firm helps these organizations to integrate and automate processes across any system with hybrid, on-premise, and cloud environments. Headquartered in Denver, CO, 6e Technologies is esteemed for providing the highest caliber tech solutions and IT resources to its clients.
The ISO Standards 6e Technologies Wanted to Achieve
6e Technologies sought to achieve ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certification. The following is a quick overview of these two ISO standards.
ISO 9001
The ISO 9000 family addresses different aspects of quality management. It also contains some of the best-known ISO standards. One of them is ISO 9001, which specifies the criteria that an organization should satisfy to achieve quality management systems. Both small and large organizations can seek ISO 9001 certification, regardless of the industry they are in or field of activity. The standard emphasizes several quality management principles including a process approach, strong customer focus, and continual improvement. Any organization needs ISO 9001 in order to provide good quality and consistent products and services to its customers.
ISO 27001
ISO 27001 is a leading management system standard that requires an organization to set up a system for managing security. This international standard provides a framework of policies and processes to help organizations protect their information systematically and cost-effectively. ISO 27001 not only helps companies to protect their valuable information but also proves to partners and customers that a company safeguards their data. In itself, this international standard doesn’t require organizations to apply any aspect of actual security. Rather, it requires firms to have systems to identify risks and issues and treat them to an acceptable risk level. These management systems should be comprehensive such that they cover all areas of a company. The goal of ISO 27001 is to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
Why 6e Technologies Needed ISO Certification
6e Technologies wanted to conform to these standards because it was expanding further into the government sector. So, being ISO certified would prove its dedication to quality and information security standards. Angela emphasized that ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications would give their clients peace of mind to know the tech company provides high-quality solutions. Besides, compliance with ISO standards would help 6e Technologies to provide the best possible quality as well as store clients’ information safely and securely while enhancing service delivery.
To achieve these objectives, Angela says they researched for the best ISO consultants, and that is how they met up with Cavendish Scott. Angela mentioned that the expertise and confidence that Cavendish Scott staff exhibited in the first meetings appealed to them. From that point going forward, they had full confidence that Cavendish Scott consultants would help them achieve their goals. She adds that Cavendish Scott staff communicated the plan and helped to clarify the way 6e Technologies team wanted to move forward.
How Did Things Get Going?
To start with, Cavendish Scott consultants sought to understand what the 6e Technologies does and its processes. This was followed by writing all their processes while making necessary changes and ensuring clarity to guarantee the provision of the best service to their customers. At this stage, processes that were not documented were put into writing. Angela says that the bulk of the work was to write down all their processes as well as ensure that all controls were functioning properly and they were measurable. Although the work wasn’t hard for her, it was tedious and time-consuming.
The 6e Technologies team was well prepared and up to the task. Cavendish Scott staff helped to clarify the process including what it entailed, making the work easier for 6e Technologies. With the help of Cavendish Scott, Angela says that they never experienced the challenges, problems, or roadblocks, which companies that choose to pursue ISO certification on their own struggle with. According to Angela, the support and direction that Cavendish Scott provided were amazing. Cavendish Scott professionals worked diligently to ensure that the 6e Technologies team was fully prepared, making everything move smoothly. 6e Technologies found out that Cavendish Scott staff had the right expertise in ISO.
In particular, Angela states that consultant (Andy) was amazing. He walked her through everything in a methodical manner and made sure everything was clear and concise. In addition, she expressed that the approach taken by Cavendish Scott was good for 6e Technologies as it made the process possible.
ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 Certification Success
6e Technologies got ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified. According to Angela, Cavendish Scott delivered the success it promises. The Cavendish Scott team provided professional help on all the necessary processes to ensure that the 6e Technologies’ management system was effective. In addition, Cavendish Scott staff kept their schedules. They answered all the questions that came their way and were very flexible with the 6e Technologies team.
Moving ahead, 6e Technologies will use the ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications to demonstrate its dedication to information security standards and provision of the best quality IT solutions. Subsequently, 6e Technologies will be able to easily branch further in both the government and private sector, thus helping it to continue growing and thriving.
Outsourcing ISO Internal Audit
Any organization certified to ISO 9001 is mandated to internally audit its processes and activities to assure they are operating as expected. By outsourcing Cavendish Scott’s internal audit service, customers do not need to train people internally. This eliminates the constant need to train auditing staff after people move, change positions, or leave the organization.
So, one year later, Cavendish Scott’s Internal Auditor, Emily Myers, performed an internal audit at 6e Technologies. The goal was to assess the effectiveness of the quality management system and the company’s conformity to information security standards. Emily found out that the 6e Technologies team had immense improvement in their understanding of the requirements. Besides, she noted that the ISO company was benefiting from the ISO certifications because it had secured additional contracts.
Regarding the internal audit, Angela Fisher felt that it was well planned. They knew what was needed for the audit. She says that Cavendish Scott notified them about the audit, including the requirements, timeline, and the auditor. She mentioned that Emily is a pro and that the audit went on smoothly to completion. As the company expands further into government services, it hopes to conform to ISO 20000 and ISO 22000 standards in the future.
Get Professional ISO Consulting, Auditing & Training
Are you confronted with an ISO certification project but you don’t know how to go about it? Cavendish Scott can help. Cavendish Scott consultants have a high level of expertise in implementing ISO standards in different industry sectors. Cavendish Scott works closely with clients, providing hands-on training and familiarization to help them implement quality standards and improve business efficiency.
Reach out to Cavendish Scott and get professional help with your ISO project.
About the Author
John Muriuki is a freelance writer and business journalist with 5 plus years of experience. He is passionate about success and getting it right as well as committed to accuracy and value. An information scientist by profession, John has a knack for packaging information in a manner that is easy to understand and use.
If you have comments about the article or questions, please feel free to contact info@cavendishscott.com
