NBI awarded ISO/IEC 27701 certification in privacy information management

National Broadband Ireland, the company delivering the new high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network under the National Broadband Plan on behalf of the Government, has been awarded ISO certification 27701 for its high standards in privacy information management.

In the short space of two years, NBI has achieved certification to seven international standards in quality (ISO 9001), environmental (ISO 14001), occupational health & safety (ISO 45001), energy (ISO 50001), information security (ISO/IEC 27001), IT service management (ISO/IEC 20000-1) and privacy information (ISO/IEC 27701).

Grace Kelly, HSQE Director, National Broadband Ireland said: “Through its certification, NBI demonstrates its commitment and ability to deliver a first-class quality of service to its customers, to minimise its impact on the environment and promote sustainability, to protect workers and the public, and to handle all information – including Personal Identifiable Information – securely.

“NBI’s ISO certification further demonstrates the company’s culture of continuous improvement, at all levels of the organisation.

“For NBI, addressing data privacy is just as important as addressing information security. We are extremely proud of our team for achieving this significant milestone. Achieving ISO 27701 certifies that NBI is utilising the right practices in processing personal data and that it is compliant with the requirements of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).”

ISO 27701 is serving as a basis for upcoming and subsequent GDPR certifications. The ISO 27701 standard recommends organizations include information security and the protection of personal data requirements into their management system activities. 

As one of the first telecommunication providers in Ireland to obtain the ISO 27701 certification, NBI has completed a rigorous audit of its internal Privacy Information Management System by National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

Quality, safety, and environmental processes are well integrated into the day-to-day operational decisions and planning functions of NBI while the company is monitoring and measuring key performances, evaluating results, continually improving operational controls and maintaining regulatory, company and industry compliance.

ISO 27701 details the necessary provisions for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) using a risk-based approach.

Of the other ISO standards that NBI has achieved, Quality Management Systems ISO 9001 are designed to improve customer satisfaction levels, internal efficiency and process consistency. Environmental Management Systems ISO 14001 helps organisations meet their environmental obligations, control their environmental impacts and improve their environmental performance. Health and Safety Management Systems ISO 45001 helps organisations meet their health and safety obligations, control the impact of potential and actual hazards, and improve their health and safety performance.

Pictured L to R: Rob Hickey, Ciara Byrne, Daragh O’Mahony, Peter Hendrick, Caroline Mullins, TJ Malone, John Power, Grace Kelly, Garry Mannering and John Holland