Know Different Types of ISO Standards to Decide Which are Required for Your Business

Most entrepreneurs or CEOs have heard about the ISO standards but have little knowledge on how to achieve them or how they can be beneficial for their business. Developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), these universal standards are set of practices, requirements and guidelines that businesses need to follow to ensure that their processes, management functions, products, services, and objectives fit the expectations of their stakeholders including customers. While there are more than a hundred standards, business owners or managers need to know first which ones best apply to their company. This blog article will explain the different types of ISO standards that are widely used across the world. If you are currently planning to get ISO certified, you can choose a standard among these. In this article you will read about the specifications and purpose of the standards.

Different Types of ISO Standards that are Universally Achieved by Businesses

ISO 9001

It is achievable by all businesses regardless of their type of operations, products/services, or size. If your business is totally new to the ISO standards, ISO 9001 is the most important standard to start with. It specifies the requirements for establishing a QMS or quality management system in the business. The QMS should help organizations at managing their processes, materials, employee roles, etc. to allow the output to meet every expectation of their customers. Quality is impacted by every process and aspect of a business. Therefore, this standard is intended to manage everything from the start to help your business deliver superior-quality products or services to the customers.

This standard is globally recognized and acts as a landmark achievement for companies. Achieving it can make your business more appealing to customers and can also make other businesses or partners more interested in working with you.

ISO 14001

This standard lays down the basics or foundation of the environmental management framework for businesses. It emphasizes the rules and practices that organizations need to adopt to minimize the environmental impacts of their routine business activities and sustain the natural resources. This specific environmental management standard is also applicable to businesses of all types, especially those whose activities have inevitable consequences on the environment, its resources, and living habitations. Business sectors that might need this standard are chemical manufacturing, mining, pharmaceutical, oil refinery, construction, automotive, and consumer goods manufacturing. To put it simply, any companies that extensively use up natural resources and release wastes into the environment need the standard. It helps them to fulfill their responsibility of saving the environment with the implementation of best practices in their business.

ISO 27001

This standard is for information security management system (ISMS) and is meant to help businesses strengthen their information and cyber security methods. It is also applicable to almost every business as all need to handle vital client data, financial data, intellectual property assets, and other critical business information. Therefore, this standard for ISMS is required to keep every type of information asset or data in your organization safe. It strengthens your ISMS by incorporating good security practices and preparing your business for mitigation of security breaches or thefts.

Achieving this information security standard is applicable to IT companies, financial institutions, research and development centers, healthcare organizations, legal institutions and other data-intensive businesses. It demonstrates their integrity and can help make the clients or stakeholders confident about sharing their valuable information.

ISO 45001

Organizations need this standard to establish a comprehensive workplace health and safety management system. Occupational risks or hazards are common in many work procedures for which employees need assurance of their safety. Many workplaces have harsh and unhygienic conditions which impact the health and mental wellbeing of the workers. Having this standard enables your organization to reinforce a management system that specifically addresses the health and safety concerns of workers. It enables you to assess risks or potential hazards at different levels and processes of your organization and implement immediate actions to prevent or alleviate them.

ISO 20000

This is the standard that specifies the requirements for an IT service management system or ITSMS. Based on the principles of the general quality standard, it is intended to help IT service providers to manage and improve the quality of their services with practices. If your organization is IT-based, this standard certification would demonstrate to the clients that your organization delivers high-grade services on time that can meet/exceed their expectations.

Final Takeaway

These are the different types of ISO standards widely adopted by organizations all around the globe, which one best fit your business? To decide that, you first need to determine a few things like objectives of your business, ongoing challenges, difficulties in management, employee concerns, external issues, and stakeholder interests. When you prioritize these, you better know which standard is needed first and which can be postponed for later. However, choosing a standard is only the starting point of the roadmap. When it comes to preparing your organization and meeting the requirements of an ISO standard, you need guidance from expert ISO consultants to prepare the essential documents, understand the ISO guidelines, train your employees and meet the requirements according to the standard.

At Compliancehelp Consulting LLC, we have adept ISO consultants who can assist you at every stage and make your certification simpler, faster and cost-efficient. To get our assistance or enquire about our services, feel free to contact us!