BSI Grundschutz Certification

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Athereon GRC: Secure Your Way Through Requirements, Process, and Benefits of BSI’s Grundschutz Certification

What’s Behind the BSI Grundschutz Certification

BSI Grundschutz certification is internationally recognized proof that a company has systematically established, documented, and successfully tested its information security. It is based on the German Federal Office for Information Security's (BSI) IT-Grundschutz, which brings together best practices and standards for information security.This standard can serve as the foundation for ISO 27001 certification based on IT-Grundschutz and combines German methodology with internationally applicable standards.

Appropriate certification is confirmed by accredited auditors: They shall verify that an Information Security Management System (ISMS) is set up, operated and continuously improved as required.

Prerequisites for a Successful IT-Grundschutz Certification

Before BSI IT-Grundschutz certification is possible, organizations must meet several requirements:

Settingup an ISMS according to BSI Grundschutz:

An information security management system must be set up in accordance with the specifications of the IT-Grundschutz compendium. This includes, but is not limited to:

• The definition of information networks and protection requirement
• The collection of relevant assets, processes and applications,
• Structured documentation of security measures

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Protectionneeds assessment and risk analysis

The assessment of confidentiality, integrity and availability as well as a complementary risk analysis are central components in the preparation for certification.

Evidence management and operational implementation

All technical and organizational measures must be documented and implemented throughout the company, including audit trails, measure status and audit evidence.

Internal audits and readiness checks:

An internal audit or readiness assessment should be carried out prior to the external BSI Grundschutz audit in order to close remaining gaps.

BSI Grundschutz Certification as a Structured Process

The path to certification can be brokendown into distinctive steps. Athereon GRC supports you along the entire process:

1. Define Scope: Determining the scope, e.g. information networks, locations, and business units
2. Define protection requirement: Standardized protection needs assessment for all assets according to the BSI methodology.
3. Select model: Choice of different protection models depending on risk profile and internal requirements.
4. Implementation and documentation: Automated assignment of measures, progress checks and centralized documentation.
5. Audit preparation: Create audit-proof reports, logs, and audit trails for auditors to maintain evidence.
6. External audit and certification: Final examination by anaccredited testing and certification body with the issuance of theorresponding certificate upon passing the audit.

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How Athereon GRC Supports You on Your Way to BSI’s ITG Certification

The requirements of a BSI Grundschutz certification are complex, full of details and can hardly be implemented efficiently for many organizations without digital support. Athereon GRC supports companies along the entire certification journey: From initial structuring to sustainable development of ISMS after successful certification.

1) Centralized control of all IT-Grundschutz requirements

Athereon GRC maps the entire BSI IT-Grundschutz methodology catalog in a structured and comprehensible manner. Information networks, business processes, IT systems, applications and spaces can be modeled and linked centrally. This creates a consistent database that is absolutely necessary for IT-Grundschutz certification.

The platform enables all relevant objectsto be clearly assigned to a scope and changes to be documented in an audit-proof manner—a decisive advantage over fragmented Excel or isolated solutions.

2) Automated identification of protection needs and risk transparency

One main success factor of every BSIIT-Grundschutz certification is a consistent identification of protection requirements. Athereon GRC supports this process through structured queries, inheritance logic, and automated assessments based on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Athereon GRC automates the assignment of compendium blocks and also enables the structured derivation of target measures as well as the assignment of responsibilities. Supplementary risk analyzes for increased protection requirements can be systematically documented, evaluated and linked to specific measures. This creates full transparency about existing risks, accepted deviations and prioritized fields of action. Just as auditors expect as part of the certification according to BSI IT-Grundschutz.

3) Efficient implementation and tracking of measures

The implementation of the security measures defined in the IT-Grundschutz compendium is, according to experience, one of the most resource-intensive elements of certification. Athereon GRC supports organizations with clear workflows, task distribution, and status overviews. Measures can be assigned, prioritized, provided with deadlines and documented in an audit-proof manner. Progress and deviations can be traced at any time. This not only facilitates operational control, but also the preparation for internal audits and external audits as part of the BSI IT-Grundschutz certification.

4) Audit readiness and audit-proof evidence

A common issue in certification projects is incomplete or inconsistent evidence management. Athereon GRC ensures that all relevant documents, protocols and decisions are centrally stored and available across all versions.

Structured reports, action summaries and status reports can be generated at the push of a button for all auditors. This means that organizations are ready to audit at all times, both for initial certification and for monitoring and recertification audits.

5) Sustainability beyond certification

Athereon GRC does not see BSI IT-Grundschutz certification as a one-off project, but as an ongoing management process. The platform supports continuous improvement of ISMS through regular reviews, internal audits and adaptations to new regulatory requirements.

The multiframe approach is particularly valuable: Requirements from other standards such as ISO 27001 can be integrated and linked together. This not only prepares further certifications, but also makes them efficiently achievable from the existing IT-Grundschutz setup.

6) More efficiency, less complexity

By centrally mapping all requirements , Athereon GRC reduces manual effort, minimizes sources of errors, and creates visibility throughout the certification process. Organizations benefit from clear responsibilities, consistent data, measurable progress, and significant time savings in BSI IT-Grundschutzcertification.

A regulatory obligation thus becomes a strategic added value for information security, compliance and trust.

What Makes BSI IT-Grundschutz Certification so Important

A successful certification according to BSI Grundschutz shows to customers, partners and authorities that information security has not only been formally established, but also functions effectively. Key benefits include:

• Building trust and competitiveness: A recognized certificate signals professional risk management and strengthens trust of all stakeholders.
• Clearly defined processes: Standardization of security processes creates transparency and clearly defines responsibilities.
• Sustainable safety culture: The integration of an ISMS promotes continuous improvement and makes security measures effective in the long term.
• Facilitate further certifications: A BSI Grundschutz certification ideally prepares for certification according to ISO 27001, as many requirements overlap and synergies can be exploited.

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Step by Step to Certification According to BSI IT-Grundschutz with Athereon GRC

BSI Grundschutz certification is far more than a formal demonstration of regulatory compliance. It is the expression of structured, measurable, and continuously improved information security management. At the same time, it increases organizational maturity, strengthens the trust of customers, partners and regulatory authorities, and reduces long-term security and liability risks.

Companies that deal with the BSIIT-Grundschutz certification at an early stage benefit from clear structures, comprehensible decisions and a high degree of transparency in information security management. Certification according to BSI ITG is becoming an increasingly competitive factor, especially in regulated industries.

With the Athereon GRC platform, all relevant steps of the IT-Grundschutz certification can be digitally mapped and controlled:

• Modeling of information networks: Visual structuring of all assets and processes.
• Automated protection needs assessment: Consistent assessment across all object
• Efficient implementation of measures: Centralized control and progress checks including backlogs.
• Audit readiness at the push of a button: Audit-proof evidence, protocols, and reports for internal and external audits.
• Multiframe support: Link other standards such as ISO 27001 or TISAX® in one platform.

This makes the entire certification process not only mappable, but also transparent, comprehensible and sustainably controllable.

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Learn more about the solutions offered byofficial BSI partner Athereon GRC to help you master certificationaccording to IT-Grundschutz.

Or reach out to us today and schedule a personal consultation.

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