The old adage says, ‘Man’s best friend is his dog’, but who is the Quality Manager’s best friend? We would like to suggest that the QM’s best friend could be the organisations’ IT Manager!
The importance of robust information security procedures aligned with the quality management requirements cannot be underestimated. A number of accreditations and certifications within your forensic units require the evidencing of effective information security processes and these are subject to focused scrutiny during assessment visits and external audits.
In addition to recognised infosec-based principles, e.g. ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials, standards such as ISO 17025 and the FSR Code of Practice have significant compliance requirements for controlling data and information security. The level of interrogation into systems and controls requires specialist knowledge to be able to evidence such things as server and network hardening processes, monitoring and responding to vulnerabilities, patching and access controls etc.
Our own experience has repeatedly shown the immense value of having IT Support who not only understand the importance of forensic regulatory requirements but who are also prepared to engage with the assessors. There is nothing more reassuring to the Quality Manager than when they are fully supported by the technical expertise of their IT Team during an assessment visit.
We believe that to achieve success and meet the stringent requirements of many accreditations and certifications, it is essential for the QM to develop strong and close working relationships with key individuals throughout their organisation and IT Support should be at the top of their list.