New book demystifies ISO 27001 compliance for US executives

With US businesses and organisations coming under intense regulatory pressure to secure their data and IT systems, a timely new management book explains in clear language how to create world class information security management systems that address US regulatory requirements and are compliant with the new global “gold standard’ of information security, ISO 27001.

“International IT Governance: An Executive Guide to ISO 17799/ISO 27001′ is written by leading IT security experts Alan Calder and Steve Watkins. The book provides comprehensive, executive-level guidance for the creation of an information security management system conforming to ISO27001/ISO17799, thereby ensuring that corporate data is secure, information assets protected and regulations complied with. The book is based on the authors’ existing, definitive guide to ISO 27001 compliance, which is recommended by the UK’s Department for Trade & Industry, Institute of Directors and Open University. The work has been extensively revised to address US regulatory regimes including HIPAA, GLBA, SB 1386 and other State breach laws, PIPEDA, FISMA and EU Safe Harbor regulations.

The book is based on Alan Calder’s experience of leading the world’s first successful implementation of BS 7799, the standard on which the new ISO 27001 is based. “International IT Governance: An Executive Guide to ISO 17799/ISO 27001′ (priced at $80.00) is published by Kogan Page and may be purchased at all good bookstores. It may also be purchased online at www.27001.com. The book comes complete with a free six-month subscription to IT Governance’s exclusive subscriber KnowledgeBase, which enables readers to keep on top of developments and changes in the subject matter of the book after its publication.

Alan Calder is an international authority on information security management. He led the world’s first successful implementation of BS 7799, the information security management standard upon which ISO 27001 is based, and with Steve Watkins wrote the definitive compliance guide for this standard, “IT Governance: A Manager’s Guide to Data Security and BS7799/ISO17799′. The 3rd edition of this book is the basis for the UK Open University’s postgraduate course on Information Security. He is a consultant to companies including Cisco. He regularly blogs on IT security issues at http://alancalder.blogspot.com.