External Information Security Officer

An Information Security Officer (Informationssicherheitsbeauftragter, ISB) is the person within an organisation responsible for information security management. They develop and maintain the ISMS, coordinate security measures, report to management and serve as the primary contact for regulators, auditors and business partners in all matters relating to information security.

For many small and medium-sized enterprises, maintaining an internal full-time ISB is not economically viable. The role requires deep expertise across a broad range of disciplines – from risk management and regulatory compliance to technical security measures and security awareness – that is difficult to find in a single internal hire, particularly in the current talent market.

An external ISB from Blackfort Technology provides exactly this expertise as a flexible service: the right level of engagement for your current needs, senior experience from dozens of security projects and full independence from internal political constraints.

The obligation to appoint an ISB arises from multiple regulatory frameworks. ISO/IEC 27001 requires a defined role for information security responsibility within the ISMS. The BSI IT-Grundschutz prescribes an ISB for all organisations implementing the framework. NIS2-affected entities (operators of essential and important services under the German NIS2 implementation act) must designate responsible persons for information security and ensure their training and resources.

In the financial sector, DORA requires that ICT risk management responsibilities are explicitly assigned and that management bodies are directly responsible for digital operational resilience. For telecommunications companies, TKG §166 requires a security officer responsible for the security concept. In each case, the external ISB model is explicitly permitted as long as the service provider has the necessary expertise and independence.

Beyond regulatory requirements, an ISB is increasingly expected by enterprise customers, public sector clients and cyber insurers as evidence of a mature security programme. Without a named ISB, ISO 27001 certification is not achievable, and many public procurement processes require written confirmation of the ISB's identity.

Blackfort's external ISB service is structured around your actual needs. Core tasks include maintaining and developing the ISMS, conducting regular risk assessments and reviewing the risk treatment plan, preparing for and supporting internal and external audits, reporting to management on the current security posture and regulatory developments, and acting as the named ISB in regulatory submissions and contracts.

The service includes a defined monthly contingent of advisory hours, which can be flexibly used for project work, incident support, policy review or training. For acute security incidents or regulatory queries, additional capacity is available at short notice. You have a named senior consultant as your permanent contact – not a helpdesk.

The annual effort for the ISB role is manageable and transparent: most mid-sized organisations require between 1 and 3 days per month for ongoing ISB tasks. This is far below the cost of a full-time internal hire while delivering senior expertise that would be difficult to source internally.

The external ISB service is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing ISO 27001 certification processes or to prepare organisations for initial certification. Blackfort has accompanied numerous organisations through ISO 27001 certification as both ISB and lead consultant – a combination that avoids the common problem of a certification project running in parallel with but separate from the operational ISMS.

For organisations that are not yet ISO 27001 certified, the external ISB can serve as the starting point for building a compliant ISMS incrementally: first establishing the governance framework and risk management process, then progressively implementing the Annex A controls, and finally preparing for certification when the organisation is ready.

The external ISB also provides independent challenge to internal security decisions – a function that is structurally difficult to fulfil with an internal hire who is embedded in the organisation's hierarchy. This independence is explicitly valued by auditors and regulators as a sign of a mature security governance structure.