Impartiality

Fortreum INTL is responsible for the impartiality of its ISO CB audits and will not allow commercial, financial, or other pressures to compromise our impartiality. While Fortreum INTL may clarify requirements and findings for the client, Fortreum INTL lines of business never provide ISO 27001 or ISO 27701 consultancy or internal audit services to clients.

To protect impartiality, Fortreum INTL does not:

Certification Oversight: Certify other certification bodies for their management systems.

Audit Delegation: Outsource audits to another management system consultancy organization.

Internal Audit Practices: Conduct internal audits for the standard(s) being certified or other related standards that have significant overlap with the standards being audited (i.e., any information security standards/requirements).

Marketing Strategy for Certification Services: Market or offer CB services linked to management system consultancy activities or make statements that certification would be simpler, easier, faster, or less expensive if a specific management consultancy organization is used.

Consultancy Collaboration Policy: Allow any management system consultancy organization to state or imply that use of Fortreum INTL’s ISO CB would make certification simpler, easier, faster, or less expensive. 

Audit Personnel Assignment Policy: Assign any personnel to an ISO CB audit (including management) or certification activities that has provided management system consultancy to the client for a minimum of 2 years.

Impartiality and Independence Assurance: In the event an opportunity arises to perform an audit or inspection activity, we must first validate that we meet the requirements for impartiality and independence. To do this, we review all previous work performed for that client in the past 2 years. If any organization that Fortreum INTL has a relationship with that could impair impartiality served as an advisor/consultant/internal auditor to any security standard within that 2-year period, then we will turn the work down. It is as simple as that, as Fortreum INTL executives have over 20 years of experience performing these services and know where the line needs to be drawn to maintain independence. As a result, we are confident that we employ sufficient processes and separation to ensure audit and certification services are properly isolated and that any potential organizational conflicts of interest are mitigated. All determinations on impartiality and independence are routed to the president for final approval.