Its dedication to safety and security prompted the familyowned company to take the steps to gain certification to particular ISO standards: ISO 27001 (information security) and ISO 14001 (environmental), to complement its ISO 9001 certification for quality management.
Stor-a-File set on a path to certification by ensuring they increased their knowledge into ISO 14001, a standard that targets environmental management, and ISO 27001, a standard that focuses on cybersecurity strategies, customer confidence, asset protection and more.
NQA offered resources in the form of blogs, webinars, videos for the team to review before the company underwent two successful audits by experienced assessors. As a part of its commitment to drive internal growth, Stor-a-File also started refresher team meetings, plus hung staff communications for ISO certification in communal areas.
For Stor-a-File, the decision to gain ISO 14001 and ISO 27001 certification was a natural one due to the nature of the business.
"Certification itself is important to reassure our customers that we take these seriously, and the standards aren’t just for show. We have had a great longstanding relationship with NQA since 1996 and felt they were a better fit for our SME multisite operation."
As a part of its certification, Stor-a-File also wanted to consolidate its partners, working with a sole partner to gain structure and efficiency. For our team, we were thrilled at the opportunity to work with Stor-a-File and provide its team with the necessary training and support to achieve certification.
ACHIEVING CERTIFICATION WITH NQA
Following its successful audits for ISO 27001 and ISO 14001, Stor-a-File attained its goal not only to receive certification for those standards but also to consolidate them with a single provider. It was a smooth, streamlined experience that prompted Stor-a-File to schedule a transition audit for June 2018 for its ISO 9001 certification.
Looking back on the recent experience with our certification body, Gavin Prior, the operations director of Stor-a-File, remarked:
“Consolidating our key management systems with NQA has allowed our SME business to reinforce our foundations, ensuring we strive to improve our multisite operational effectiveness and build a reputation that services our clients’ requirements, whilst maintaining a flexible and adaptive approach.”
"Gaining the various ISO certifications, whilst being a challenge, has been very rewarding. It allows you to look at how your business operates and how the standards work within it.
This has meant being able to adopt an impartial approach to the work required and address it accordingly. It has been an energised team effort, which we will be building upon to ensure that we enhance all areas."
Meanwhile, Nick Wright, managing director at NQA, commented:
“We’re proud of the longstanding relationship we’ve built with Stora- File. It’s a testament to what we bring to the table as a partner, and we’re excited about what we could do for Stor-a-File recently, from cutting down on the inefficiencies of multiple audits to improving team communication and learning. We’re looking forward to seeing what standards they focus on next and how they no doubt continuously improve the systems they have in place.”
MOVING FORWARD
As the above example demonstrates, it’s essential for companies to choose a certification body that meets their needs. Whether you’re a corporation or a midsized enterprise, you want a partner that’s familiar with the scale and demands of your organization, as well as the goals you may have for certification. The story of Stor-a-File’s certification also highlights that consolidating audits also offers a multitude of benefits.
Read more of our case studies to learn about our clients and their accomplishments, or contact us today for a free quote for certification to any of the standards mentioned above.
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