Webinar Description
Key Takeaways
- Practical guidance on navigating the compliance journey from initial requirements through successful audit completion
- Focus on ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2 and related security and privacy frameworks
- Insights from compliance consultants, GRC platform specialists and auditors
- Strategies for building audit-ready information security management systems
- Common implementation mistakes and how to avoid costly delays
Introduction
A forthcoming virtual session hosted by Prescient Security, Kertos and AxiPro will examine the practical realities of achieving compliance with major security and privacy frameworks. The event is designed for organisations preparing for certifications such as ISO 27001 or working to meet regulatory obligations under GDPR and NIS2. With regulatory scrutiny intensifying across industries and supply chain security requirements becoming standard in vendor assessments, understanding what separates genuine compliance readiness from superficial checkbox exercises has become increasingly valuable for security, IT and compliance professionals.
About This Event
This collaborative session brings together perspectives from three distinct points in the compliance ecosystem. Prescient Security contributes audit and assessment expertise, Kertos offers insight into governance, risk and compliance platform capabilities, and AxiPro provides implementation consulting experience. The combination aims to give attendees a comprehensive view of the compliance journey rather than a single-vendor perspective.
The session follows the compliance lifecycle from the moment an organisation receives a compliance requirement—whether from a customer, regulator or internal mandate—through to successful audit completion. This end-to-end approach addresses a common gap in compliance education, where guidance often focuses on either the technical platform configuration or the audit itself without connecting the stages in between.
Why Compliance Initiatives Stall
One of the session’s central themes addresses why compliance programmes frequently lose momentum before achieving meaningful progress. Organisations often underestimate the foundational work required before any platform implementation begins. Defining scope, identifying stakeholders, establishing ownership and securing executive commitment are prerequisites that technology cannot replace.
The distinction between purchasing a compliance platform and building genuine compliance capability is significant. A GRC tool can automate evidence collection, track control status and generate reports, but it cannot compensate for unclear policies, undefined processes or absent accountability structures. Organisations that treat platform acquisition as the solution rather than an enabler frequently discover this gap during audit preparation when auditors request documentation that was never created.
The Role of GRC Platforms in Continuous Compliance
Modern governance, risk and compliance platforms have evolved considerably from their origins as document repositories and spreadsheet replacements. Contemporary solutions offer integration with cloud infrastructure, identity providers and business applications to automate evidence collection that previously required manual screenshots and periodic exports.
This automation supports a shift from point-in-time compliance to continuous compliance monitoring. Rather than scrambling to gather evidence in the weeks before an audit, organisations can maintain ongoing visibility into their control effectiveness. When a control fails—perhaps a backup job stops running or access reviews fall behind schedule—the platform can alert responsible parties before the gap becomes an audit finding.
However, the session will address how platform capabilities must align with organisational processes to deliver value. Automated evidence collection is only useful if someone reviews the collected evidence, investigates anomalies and maintains the underlying controls. The technology layer supports but does not replace the human governance layer.
Building an Audit-Ready Information Security Management System
For organisations pursuing ISO 27001 certification, the information security management system represents the core deliverable. An ISMS is not a product or platform but a documented system of policies, procedures, controls and continuous improvement processes that govern how an organisation manages information security risk.
The session will explore what transforms a compliance platform deployment into a functioning ISMS. This includes establishing the risk assessment methodology, defining the statement of applicability, documenting control objectives and maintaining the evidence that demonstrates controls operate effectively over time. The ISMS must also include management review processes and mechanisms for identifying and addressing nonconformities.
Organisations new to ISO 27001 sometimes focus heavily on implementing technical controls while underinvesting in the management system documentation and governance processes that auditors evaluate. A well-configured firewall matters less to certification than demonstrating that firewall rules are reviewed periodically, changes follow an approved process and exceptions are documented and risk-accepted appropriately.
What Auditors Evaluate During Assessments
Understanding auditor expectations can significantly improve preparation efficiency. Auditors assess whether controls exist, whether they operate effectively and whether the organisation can demonstrate both through appropriate evidence. The session will clarify which types of evidence carry weight and which common documentation approaches fall short.
Auditors also evaluate the maturity of the management system itself. They look for evidence that the organisation treats compliance as an ongoing programme rather than a one-time project. This includes examining management review meeting minutes, internal audit findings, corrective action tracking and evidence of continuous improvement activities.
The difference between organisations that appear compliant and those that genuinely are often becomes apparent during auditor interviews. Staff who participated in building and operating the compliance programme can speak authentically about processes and controls. Those working in organisations where compliance was treated as a documentation exercise by a small team often struggle to explain how controls function in practice.
Regulatory Context: ISO 27001, GDPR and NIS2
The frameworks covered in this session reflect the current European regulatory environment and international certification landscape. ISO 27001 remains the predominant international standard for information security management, increasingly required by enterprise customers and specified in procurement requirements across sectors.
GDPR compliance continues to demand attention as enforcement activity matures and organisations refine their data protection programmes. NIS2, the updated Network and Information Security Directive, expands cybersecurity obligations across a broader range of sectors and introduces more stringent requirements for incident reporting, supply chain security and management accountability.
These frameworks share common foundations in risk-based approaches, documented controls and evidence of effective implementation. Organisations pursuing multiple frameworks can often leverage overlapping requirements, though each framework has distinct elements that require specific attention.
Who Should Attend
The session is relevant for information security managers, compliance officers, IT leaders and risk professionals responsible for achieving or maintaining certifications. Organisations at the beginning of their compliance journey will benefit from understanding the full scope of work ahead, while those preparing for imminent audits can refine their readiness approach based on auditor perspectives.
The content assumes familiarity with basic security and compliance concepts but does not require prior certification experience. Professionals evaluating GRC platforms or considering ISO 27001 certification for the first time will find the practical orientation particularly useful.