With well-known brands such as Tesco, Saga and PayPal as clients, MiQ Digital recognised the importance of demonstrating its commitment to information security. By achieving ISO 27001 certification their team has been able to achieve exactly that.
Who Are MiQ?
MiQ is a programmatic media partner for marketers and agencies. Their approach to programmatic advertising means they can connect data, discover insights and activate them in high-performance campaigns to deliver real business outcomes for their clients in an increasingly divided world.
MiQ uses connected solutions to identify the right data sources, connect them together, and unearth insights for more effective targeting.
Why Did MiQ Choose ISO Certification?
MiQ’s key requirement was to structure and formalise information and cyber security initiatives by benchmarking their work and expertise against industry standards. By embedding ISO and other security standards throughout their work, they can drive best practices internally and reassure their clients and partners about our security controls.
What Was Their Experience of Certification?
MiQ had a fairly mature experience, having worked with blue chip auditors (financial and information security) as well as with global auditors. As a result, they were familiar with the process of trying to achieve ISO certification.
BAB was able to provide MiQ with an auditor with relevant experience and who could understand global security requirements, regulations, and standards. They were also aware that they could leverage the auditor’s experience to identify best practices.
Why Did MiQ Engage BAB To Audit Them?
MiQ was looking for a boutique certification body that could offer an auditor with the knowledge and skills to understand their industry. The auditor that worked with MiQ was noted by the MiQ team as being “extremely knowledgeable” and helped them to understand the importance of managing information security while having strong technical controls in place.
How Long Did the Audit Take?
MiQ expected a 3-week auditing window, whereas the audit only took 7 days. Two sites were in scope – both UK and India.
What Were MiQ’s Key Learnings?
The MiQ team highlighted three key learnings from the auditing experience:
- The importance of managing and monitoring strong technical controls.
- Iterative improvements in security every day deliver longer-term benefits.
- Using a framework such as ISO standards help to drive globally recognised best practices.
The Immediate Benefits
Following the audit process, MiQ identified some immediate benefits:
- Internally, with stronger management and controls.
- Externally, given that ISO reassures customers and other key stakeholders about MiQ’s security management and controls.
