Insights

So the champagne has been drunk, the certificate is framed on the wall and the ISO project team have finally gone back to their day jobs. This is what’s known as the ‘Certification Hangover’ and in 2026, it’s the number one reason businesses fail their Year 1 surveillance audits.

In the modern digital economy, data is the most valuable asset an organisation holds and the most targeted. For CISOs, CTOs and compliance leads, achieving ISO 27001 certification is a landmark achievement. However, the real challenge in 2026 isn't just getting certified, it’s ensuring that your security posture remains resilient against an ever evolving threat landscape.

Risk assurance is the structured process of providing confidence to stakeholders that risk controls are effective, proportionate and operating as intended. Unlike traditional audits, which assess compliance at a fixed point in time, risk assurance is forward-looking and ongoing.