Office Move

Hillside Software's registered office and main postal address has changed to Cutstraw Cottage, Cutstraw Road, Stewarton, Ayrshire, KA3 5HU.

ITIL Version 2 Withdrawn

Version 2 of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library was withdrawn on 30 June 2011.  Details of the current supported version of the framework can be found at the official ITIL site that is operated by the UK's Office of Government Commerce (OGC).

ISO 20000-1:2011 Coming Soon

A revision to the international standard for an IT Service Management system is due to be published shortly. ISO 20000-1:2011 is expected to include the following changes:

• Problem Management and Incident Management will be better aligned with ITIL V3


• Clarification regarding requirements for the design and the transition of new or changed services


• More specific requirements for control of documents and records


• Additional detail in the Budgeting and Accounting section


• Clarification on the content of contracts with suppliers

Some minor changes to the organization of the sections within the standard is also expected, with associated changes to section numbering.

Secure Data Erasure and IT Recycling Services Certified

Glasgow-based company Axis Computer Systems, trading as Disk-Demolition.co.uk, has been independently certified, by an UKAS-accredited certification body, as meeting the ISO  27001 standard for information security management. The company is also ISO  9001 certified and holds relevant SEPA licences. The ISO 27001 certification covers all of the organization's services including secure data erasure, hard disk destruction and secure recycling of IT equipment. Using portable equipment, Disk-Demolition.co.uk can securely erase and process computer media within your data centre or office building, and issue you with certificates of destruction on-the-spot.

British Standards Online is now available FREE from any Glasgow Library

The Mitchell Library and all Glasgow Community Libraries are now the only public access points in Glasgow for the full set of around 38,500 draft, current and historic British standards. These include corresponding international standards adopted by the UK (or vice versa) including BS EN ISO 9001, BS EN ISO 14001, BS EN ISO 27001 and BS EN ISO 20000-1.

Glasgow City Council subscribes to the British Standards Online Service (BSOL) and all visitors to The Mitchell or the City of Glasgow Community Library network can access and view all documents free of charge. Full copies can be purchased at the non-members price from Business @ The Mitchell. Visit the Glasgow City Council web site for further details.

Is your supplier's ISO 27001 certification body UKAS-accredited?

I'm increasingly encountering IT service providers that are choosing to use non-UKAS-accredited organizations to issue them with certificates of compliance with ISO 27001:2005. The reasons are unclear, but I suspect that this is largely driven by cost considerations.

In the UK there is no legal barrier to any organization offering to provide ISO 27001 certification.  For example, Hillside Software could, if it wished, issue ISO 27001 certificates to customers for whom it had helped implement an ISMS. However, we choose not to do so for obvious reasons, including 'conflict of interest'.

When we assist customers to set up and operate an information security management system (ISMS) we always recommend, if certification to ISO 27001 is required, that the customer chooses an UKAS-accredited certification body. The reasons for this are:

• The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the UK government to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.


• Knowledgeable purchasers and procurement departments may specifically require suppliers' ISO 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and other management system certifications to be by UKAS-accredited certification bodies.


• UKAS is appointed as the national accreditation body by the Accreditation Regulations 2009 (SI No 3155/2009) and operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government through the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.


• Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of certification bodies.

You can check if your organization's ISO 27001 certification or the ISO 27001 certifications of its key suppliers are UKAS-accredited by visiting the UKAS web site.

Up to 80% Council Support for QMS, ISMS and EMS Development

Glasgow City Council has announced that eligible Glasgow-based organizations can get up to 80% of the costs of getting training and support to implement a standards-compliant management system. (Previously up to 50% support was available.) Standards covered include ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 9001/TickIT (software quality), ISO 27001 (information security) and ISO 14001 (environmental). Find out more on the Glasgow City Council business support web site.

As one of the Council's Registered Trainers, Hillside Software is able to provide assistance under this scheme.