Kara Connect is a company, founded in 2015, with offices both in Reykjavik and Dublin. Originally starting as an office software provider for professionals in welfare, the company has evolved to focus on wellbeing hubs. Additionally, the team’s size had significantly expanded over the past 18 months, growing from 8 members to 25. This growth was propelled by the increase in sales of wellbeing hubs.

These hubs are tailored to their client’s needs, giving their employees easy access to professional advice on mental health, wellbeing, career, finance, and physical health. Employees can confidentially book sessions with specialised professionals through these custom-made wellbeing hubs.

“We’d always acknowledged the importance of ISO 27001, but it never quite made it to the top of our priority list. That is until a looming deadline forced our hand. With a key corporate client demanding compliance, we had to swiftly secure a partner”

John McElligott

COO, Kara Connect, Ireland

Kara Connect’s journey began when they wanted to achieve their ISO 27001 certification and invested in Vanta, an automated compliance platform, to help with this. Vanta was recommended by a professional connection, that holds Vanta in high regard.

As Kara Connect began integrating with Vanta and taking initial steps to strengthen their risk & compliance posture, the team realised they would benefit from further support to drive efficiency and help them move faster. In particular, the small size of the internal team combined with external pressure from a client to gain ISO 27001 certification as quickly as possible prompted the team to tap into Vanta’s extensive list of partners.

After evaluating three different options provided by Vanta, Kara Connect ultimately chose Cognisys as their Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) partner to help them quickly unlock the power of Vanta’s platform in their pursuit of ISO 27001 certification. The decision was influenced by the deep level of knowledge our Cognisys GRC team displayed, giving Kara Connect the confidence they needed to make the right decision. They wanted a partner capable of guiding them through the process swiftly and effectively, which Cognisys was able to provide.

“Our collaboration with Vanta and Cognisys not only facilitated our decision to pursue further compliance initiatives, but also validated Cognisys’ assurance that they could efficiently complete the ISO 27001 certification within the specified timeframe.”

Thorbjorg Helga Vigfusdottir

CEO, Kara Connect, Iceland

We assisted Kara Connect in obtaining ISO 27001 certification by leveraging Vanta’s automated platform and guiding the team through the process. We made sure to stay in touch with their team regularly to make collaboration seamless. Our team worked closely with them to guide them in a practical and organised manner. John McElligott, COO at Kara Connect, acknowledged our persistence in a positive light and understood that while we warned it would be a lot of work, this was an essential part of the process.

Both teams understood that obtaining the ISO 27001 certification wasn’t just a checkbox task, but a vital requirement for a significant contract. It became the highest priority in the company at the time, which is why our GRC team made sure they stayed on track by knowing exactly what they had to do.

Our main objective was to assist Kara Connect in obtaining an ISO 27001 certification quickly and efficiently, which was accomplished through a joint effort. The involvement of the entire Kara Connect team in the collaborative effort made the project run smoothly. This shared commitment and cooperation across Cognisys and Vanta was instrumental in successfully navigating the complexities associated with Kara Connect obtaining their ISO 27001 certification.

Both teams understood that obtaining the ISO 27001 certification wasn’t just a checkbox task, but a vital requirement for a significant contract. It became the highest priority in the company at the time, which is why our GRC team made sure they stayed on track by knowing exactly what they had to do.

“Cognisys meticulously reviewed every detail within Vanta, providing us with a comprehensive understanding of our tasks, upcoming milestones, and the project’s overall trajectory”

Jón Helgi Jónsson

Product Manager, Kara Connect, Iceland

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