ISO Certification - An Overview
International Standards Organization (ISO) is an international body providing guidelines for companies in terms of product quality, health, and performance. An ISO registration enhances the reputation of your service or productThere are different types of ISO certification like ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 5001, etc.
ISO 9000 is a viewed in terms of quality and prestige. To meet the regulatory requirement and customer satisfaction, companies go for ISO 9001:2015, ISO 19011:2018, ISO 9000:2015.
QMS is structured framework of policies, processes and procedures for planning and execution in the core business areas of an organization. ISO 9001:2015 is the international standard for QMS. It is globally recognized and accepted and can be implemented by all small, medium and large enterprises to enhance efficiency, quality and profits. It also helps in reducing waste, and lowering costs.
Vakilsearch helps businesses in all types of ISO certification. Some of the certifications we deal with are:
- ISO 9001:2015
- ISO 14001:2015
- ISO 45001:2018
- ISO 22000:2005
- ISO 50001:2011
- ISO 28000:2007
- IATF 16949:2016
The Need for an ISO Certification for a Company - Benefits
The primary reason a company needs an ISO certification is that it is mandatory by law or contract. The secondary reasons to conform to the standards are:
- It gives an organization a platform that is recognized by game changers and decision makers.
- Identification of recurrent issues and resolving them saves valuable time and financial support.
- Processes become more efficient which improves the system.
- They give a company a competitive edge needed during contract tenders
- The same resources lead to more value and worth.
- The perception the customers hold on business increases tenfold and consequently, satisfaction rises.
An increasing number of organizations are opting for ISO 9001 certification because the standard benefits them by consistently improving their outcomes and processes, and because it is a valuable prerequisite for customer acquisition.
The certification is bound to exponentially benefit an organization if ISO 9001 is implemented with the right legal guidance.
Additional advantages of ISO Certification
An ISO Certification is a mark of guarantee that every item produced or sold by the business fulfils the standards set at a global level. It ensures that the company offers only top-notch quality products or services
Furthermore, a certification gives the customer a reliance that the product or service is in compliance with superior quality standards. The ISO mark puts a product a step above others in the eye of the customer which increases the sales. In simpler words, the certification is the easiest tool to market and brand your services or goods.
- Nowadays government tenders and proposals accept tenders of businesses that are ISO certified.
- Since ISO certifications meet international standards, they help businesses reach global customers.
- There are varied types of ISO certifications in the market, so that it can meet the requirements of varied types of organizations. It has been seen ISO certifications leads to goodwill of the business and increases repeat purchases.
- A flawed product is duly rejected. When the standards set at an international level are adhered to, these rejections rarely occur.
- The efficiency of business increases because the SOPs of ISO demand seamless operations. The functionality and operations of the firm, thus, rise.
- The mark of an ISO 9001 Certification is automatic branding and marketing of a product because it doubles the credibility of a business.
- An ISO 9001 certification will set your business or organization on the path of profit and set it on par with world standards.
- The business will see consistent improvement and performance which will in turn provide customers with services and products beyond their level of expectation. This is a cycle which will indirectly be a positive influence on the satisfaction and morale of the organization as a whole.
Prerequisites for ISO registration for a business
Before getting an ISO Certification the following aspects have to be considered:
- The first thing is to get the right ISO 9001 certification that benefits a business
- The second step is to find the best ISO registrar who is certified by ISO and follows the CASCO standards to the T. The ISO body can be IAF certified and non-IAF certified. IAF stands for International accreditation forum. An IAF accreditation only adds more credibility to the certificate and an absence of an IAF accreditation does not impact the legality of the certification. It is these third-party agencies who will test the company on behalf of ISO and judge its worth.
At Vakilsearch, we do the basic groundwork and help find the perfect ISO registrar and the precise certification a firm needs.
ISO certification & registration in India – A detailed process
At bigvakil our experts assist in the step by step procedure of registering for an ISO certification. The process in India includes:
Complete ISO Form
An online form of ISO application has to be filled with complete information and the corresponding documents. Some of the data would be like details on the nature of the business, company address and years of operation.
Consultation on registration type
As ISO has many types of certifications and hence it is highly recommended that you consult an expert to select the best accreditation standard that fits.
Document submission
Every document that is submitted along with the application is verified and the information is double checked. They are then filed with the concerned ISO registrar. Once the submission is confirmed, online payment needs to be done through one of the various payment modes available.
ISO Audit
An ISO audit is an examination or verification to check the genuineness of your business’ process records. Three main types of audits are:
- First party audit or internal audit: Conducted internally by your own staff who are trained. It can also be performed by an external company.
- Second party audit or supplier audit: Conducted by lead auditors in your organisation. This is done to ensure your suppliers function properly and that you get the supply of products/services correctly. As internal audits, these can also be performed by external agencies if you don’t have the qualified resources.
- Third party audit or certification audit: This must be carried out only by auditors of Certification Bodies.
Depending on the documents submitted, an ISO audit for the business is conducted wherein the genuineness of the documents are checked. The authority then makes a decision based on the defined procedures.
ISO Certification
If the audit is successful, a certificate is issued to your company. It is couriered to the business address. ISO 9001 certification renewal has to be done once a year and for the renewal, the authorities conduct a surveillance audit to ensure adherence to all the standards.
Documents required for ISO Registration Process
- Company Profile
- Company Letterhead
- Copy of Sales & Purchase Bill
- Company Address Proof
- Company Pan Card
- Company Visiting Card
Understanding ISO standards categories
Under ISO Certificatiom, there are more than 22,000 standards that correspond to:
- Processes
- Services
- Goods
The latest version of ISO is 9001:2015. There are eight primary elements of the business it deals with:
- Leadership
- Customer focus
- Process approach
- Involvement of people
- Continual improvement
- System approach to management
- Factual approach to decision making
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
- Process approach
- Process approach
The ISO 14000 certifications, on the other hand, deals with the environment such as the one used by waste management firms. A few other ISO certifications are:
- ISO 13485 for medical devices.
- ISO 18091 for local governments.
- ISO/IEC 90003 for software engineering.
- ISO/TS 29001 for the oil and gas industry.
- ISO 17582 for government electoral organizations.
- ISO 22000 that proves a company has operative food safety management.
- OHSAS 18001 shows customers that the company has effective health and safety management system.
- ISO 20000 demonstrates excellence and prove best practice in IT & improvement in the delivery of IT services.
- CE Marking on any product shows that it complies with the necessary requirements of the applicable European health, safety, and environmental protection benchmark.
- ISO 50001 describes best energy management practices which help save energy, conserve resources and tackle climate change.
- ISO 27001 describes a best practice of company that involved in the information security management system (ISMS).
Choosing between the varying classifications of ISO can be confusing.
bigvakil’s ISO consultation team helps you pick the right certification. We are a just a call away to assist you in determining what you need to register for the ISO certification.
Types of Digital Signature Certificate
There are three classes of DSC - Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 used for different purposes based on the type of entity and need.
Class 1:
Class 1 certificate is issued to both businesses and individuals, or private subscribers, to confirm the user’s name and email id as mentioned in the consumer database. This is just a basic assurance and is usually not considered to be of major significance.
Class 2:
Similar to Class 1, Class 2 certificate is issued to both the entities - businesses and private subscribers for confirmation of information in the database. It is used during monetary transactions or to access one’s personal information, and for other transactions, where there is a substantial risk of malicious activity. Also, Class 2 is used to file various government forms in India.
Class 3:
Class 3 certificate is an upgraded version of Class 2. It is issued to individuals and organisations that want to participate in bidding for government tenders or online tenders and auctions. Sometimes the applicants may be expected to be physically present before the CAs to receive a Class 3 certificate. Class 3 signatures are relevant to environments that are prone to data theft, fraudulence and failure of security.
How DSCs Work?
A DSC is created based on the PKI mechanism where two keys - a public key and private key are generated. The private key is kept by the signer and the public key is required by the receiver to decrypt the information regarding the identity of the user during information exchange. The user can store the private key on a computer or hard disk as a token and access it with his/her respective password issued.
During the transfer of information, both the keys are used by the browser and the server to encrypt and decrypt information, to authorise the identity of the user. The public key is disseminated with the encrypted information. The authentication process fails even if one of the keys does not match. Hence the encrypted data cannot be decrypted making it impossible for unauthorised access.