Which is the best form of ISO certification?

The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is an independent, non-government agency that develops sets of global standards for companies, aiming to make products compatible, define an international code of practice, improve business processes and facilitate the collaboration between companies across the globe. 

The Most Popular ISO Certifications

ISO has defined tens of thousands of standards throughout its activity, which are grouped in families, according to the specific aspect they refer to. Some of the most popular families of ISO standards, which you might’ve heard of already, are the following:

• ISO 9001: the ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) for business, a system that can be applied to any industry. Small and big businesses alike can get ISO 9001 certified.
• ISO 27001: very popular in our days, this family of standards deals with information security for any business that collects or manages informatic data on its customers, employees, business partners, etc.
• ISO 14001: with climate change affecting the entire globe, a sustained effort at an international level is needed to reduce our impact on the environment. The ISO 14001 standard defines good practices for business when it comes to environmental issues. 
• ISO 45001: This ISO standard can enable businesses to create a better and safer work environment for their employees. 

These are only a few examples of the standards developed by ISO, and have been the most popular over the years because they are general enough to be followed by businesses in various industries. Sometimes, when ISO standards are a bit too general, industries adapt them to their own sectors and come up with ISO-inspired standards of their own. 

What Companies Benefit from ISO Certifications?

As you can see, there is a great variety of aspects ISO focused on when setting these international standards. Some of them are very general, as the ISO 9001 standard, while others are highly specific. 

The bottom line is, if you want to gain your customers’ confidence and see a continuous improvement of customer satisfaction with your product or service, do consider getting ISO-certified. Amongst the benefits of ISO 9001 2015 certification and other sets of standards is getting in the supply chain of bigger companies.

What set of standards is right for your business depends on the industry you are active in, and how important it is for you, your customers, and your business partners to have such a certification. In some cases, the law requires you to be certified, while other times it’s imposed by business partners who only work with certified companies.

The first step in determining which certification you are ready for is to perform an internal audit focused on your processes: your quality control system, risk management process, and information security. Taking a close look and also a full-picture view of how your business performs will give you insight into what your strong points are and where you need to improve. 

Click Here for Your Free ISO Gap Analysis Checklist

Contact an ISO Certification Consultant

As ISO only develops the standards but doesn’t offer certifications itself, you will collaborate with third-party agencies like certification bodies and consultancy firms. We at Best Practice can work with you to get your business ready for an ISO certification, after determining which set of standards would be most beneficial for your company. 

Contact us today at +61 1300 402 602 to learn more about the certification process and how we can help. 

The international organisation for standardisation (ISO) develops and publishes international standards. ISO doesn’t provide compliance certificates therefore, Australian and New Zealand companies need to be certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited ISO certification body. Once a company completes the certification process, it can use the certification body’s logo for advertising its compliance. The ISO certifications that are most important in 2021 depend on the business and industry that you belong to and what types of accreditation your clients want to see. We give a brief description of a few of the more popular ISO certifications below. 

ISO 9001: Quality Management System

Any business in any industry can gain ISO 9001 Quality Management certification. The ISO 9001 certification indicates that your company has a quality management system that is up to international standards. The ISO updates standards roughly every seven years, and the ISO 9001 2015 is the latest.

The ISO 9001 certification deals with a company’s ability to provide products and services while consistently meeting or exceeding their customers’ expectations. You can expect an organisation with ISO 9001 to deliver excellent customer satisfaction and have systems to ensure continuous improvement.  

ISO 27000: Information Technology

The ISO 27000 family of standards deals with improving security and protecting assets in the IT-sphere. ISO 27001 is an information security management system. ISO 27002 focuses on having a code of conduct in place for the individual. 

ISO 27001 is a thorough document. The certifying body has some leeway to tailor the certification for the company’s needs. There are over 22 000 ISO 27001 certified companies across the world. 

ISO 14001: Environmental Management

ISO 14001 is a voluntary standard designed to help companies manage their environmental impact. To be able to claim ISO 14001, a company needs to conform to all the requirements of the ISO with no exclusions. The system put forward in this standard is based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) model. This ISO aims to help companies improve environmental performance, follow local environmental laws and achieve their stated objectives.  

ISO 45001: Health and Safety

The health and safety ISO brings decades of health and safety regulations and best practices into a single document. ISO 45001 takes a risk-based approach, including many of the OHAS 18001 requirements. It creates a path to ongoing health and safety awareness and improvement. By detailing a practical OH&S management ideal, it saves international companies money by already having the tools to comply with any local safety regulations that may be in place. Having the ISO 45001 Certification also has the advantage of inspiring both employee and customer confidence in a company and saving downtime caused by accidents. 

Conclusion

Your company will start experiencing the benefits of ISOs almost straight away. You will have globally accepted management tools in your grasp. With certification, any other company you do business with can see that you adhere to global best practices. The most critical accreditation depends on your company’s work and the sector that you service. A more specific ISO is better for you if you belong to the health or food sector. An ISO 9000 certificate shows that you focus on customer satisfaction and improving your products and services. 

What are the 3 types of ISO?

What are some of the top 5 isos?

How many types of ISO certification are there?

What is the difference between ISO 9000 and 9001?