Dear [NAME],

I am an information security professional working in the Information Security

Department. I am managing the project to establish an Information Security
Management System (ISMS) that will help us identify and mitigate unacceptable
information security risks within [ORGANIZATION]. The purpose of this email is to
tell you a little about the project we�re working on and to give you an insight
into how you can help.

The management of information security within [ORGANIZATION]

------------------------------------------------------------

Information security is a complex area to manage. Potential risks to our

information assets (particularly the valuable proprietary information in our
computer systems and filing cabinets) are difficult to determine and bring under
control, especially in ways that don't unduly interfere with our legitimate use of
the information.

The most practical and cost-effective way for [ORGANIZATION] to handle its
information security and governance obligations, and to be seen to be doing so, is
to adopt an ISMS that complies with the international standard "ISO 27001" (see
below). An ISO 27001 ISMS comprises a framework of policies and processes to
manage our physical, technical and procedural security controls systematically.

At a high level, the ISMS will help minimize the costs of security incidents and
enhance our reputation.

In more detail, the ISMS will be used to:

- Systematically assess the organization's information security risks in order to
establish and prioritize its control requirements, primarily in terms of the need
to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information;
- Design and implement a suite of security controls, both technical and non-
technical in nature, to address any risks deemed unacceptable by management;
- Ensure that our security controls comply with applicable laws, regulations and
contracts (such as privacy laws, SOX, PCI-DSS and HIPAA);
- Operate, manage and maintain the security controls (e.g. using security metrics
to measure and improve security performance);
- Monitor and continuously improve information security, updating the controls when
the risks change (e.g. responding to novel hacker attacks or frauds, preferably in
advance thereby preventing us from suffering actual incidents!).

ISO 27001, the international standard for information security management

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"ISO 27001" (or more formally, ISO/IEC 27001:2013, "Information Security Management
Systems - Requirements") is a standard that was developed by an international
committee of security experts. ISO 27001 lays out a good practice framework for
establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and
improving an ISMS. The key purpose of the ISMS is to bring information security
under management control, using a management system similar in structure to those
used for quality (ISO 9001), environment (ISO 14001) and others.

The ISMS will provide us with a systematic approach to combating a broad range of
security risks to both our own proprietary information assets and those (such as
customer data and personal information about employees) over which we have a duty
of care. In addition, a formal certificate of compliance with ISO 27001 will
enable us to demonstrate to customers, business partners and other stakeholders
that we take our information security obligations seriously, hopefully without them
needing to conduct their own audits on us.

The certified ISMS will help us satisfy our information security and governance
requirements. In today's global information economy, applying internationally-
respected good security practices is arguably even more important than simply
demonstrating compliance with local laws and regulations.

To find out more about ISO 27001, please visit www.ISO27001security.com or contact
me. I'd be happy to explain it in more detail and tell you about the other
"ISO27k" security standards.

The ISMS implementation project, and your role in it

----------------------------------------------------

Senior management has approved the investment necessary to establish an ISO 27001
ISMS. As project manager for the ISMS implementation project, I am working with a
team consisting of:
- [NAME]: [ROLE]
- [NAME]: [ROLE]
- [NAME]: [ROLE]

While we will do most of the implementation work, at various times the project team
will require input from key individuals like you. We are determined to ensure that
both the project and the ISMS are driven by the business, reflecting the
organization's needs for information security, hence we will be seeking your
assistance. For example, we will need to determine the potential business impacts
of security incidents affecting information assets upon which your department
depends. However I assure you that we will do our best to fit in with your day to
day work.

One of the first steps I have to take is to tap into your knowledge in order to
determine 'where we are now' in terms of information security. This Gap Analysis
involves assessing the gaps between [ORGANIZATION]'s actual information security
controls and related security management practices, and those recommended by ISO
27001. As well as examining the security policies, procedures and systems, we will
be conducting informal interviews with you, [NAME], and various colleagues over the
next few weeks. We will then produce a report with a list of security improvement
recommendations, prioritized according to the corresponding risks. The report will
also detail the work needed if we are to be certified against ISO 27001, pointing
out priority areas to help managment with the next stage of planning.

What happens now?

-----------------

Within the next [NUMBER] weeks we will distribute questionnaires to the heads of
departments that have been identified as being in scope of the [ORGANIZATION] ISMS.
These questionnaires have been written to assist the planning team with the Gap
Analysis and are being sent ahead of interviews to give you a feeling for what
we�ll be asking. The planning window to complete your department's Gap Analysis is
from [DATE] to [DATE].

Thank you, [NAME], for taking the time to read this introductory email. Please
don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions: I'm always happy to help
and I'm looking forward to working with you.

Kind regards,
[MY NAME]
ISMS Implementation Project Manager