CIO Magazine Honors Shook for Creating Value With Innovative Use of IT

Shook, Hardy & Bacon has been named a CIO 100 honoree by IDG’s CIO magazine. Shook’s Chief Information Officer John Anderson will accept the award on behalf of the firm at the 28th Annual CIO 100 Symposium and Awards Ceremony on August 11, 2015, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo. The awards recognize innovative companies using IT to create business value.

Shook was selected as a CIO 100 honoree based on the firm’s work to obtain ISO 27001 certification. Anderson and his IT Department crafted the plan to gain certification, led the efforts toward achievement, recommended and oversaw all of the necessary process and procedure updates, and participates in annual audits and updates to maintain the certification. The initiative began in mid-2013 and certification was granted in September 2014.

“For 28 years now, the CIO awards have honored the innovative use of technology to deliver genuine business value,” said Maryfran Johnson, editor in chief of CIO magazine and events. “Our 2015 winners are an outstanding example of the transformative power of IT to drive everything from revenue growth to competitive advantage.”

Recipients of this year's CIO 100 Award were selected through a three-step process. First, companies filled out an online application form detailing their innovative IT and business initiatives. Next, a team of external judges (many of them former CIOs) reviewed the applications in depth, looking for leading-edge IT practices and measurable results. Finally, CIO editors reviewed the judges' recommendations and selected the final 100.

Although Shook already had detailed security policies in place before pursuing ISO 27001 certification, Anderson said that one benefit of the certification “was to create an internal process that promotes best practices for handling sensitive data and to demonstrate externally that we have a proven program for information security.”

Anderson also shared that Shook’s clients have positively responded to the extra steps the law firm took to protect their data and privacy.

“Client response validated the ISO 27001 certification as the best in class from an information security perspective. Being able to prove we have a robust information security program provides a competitive advantage for keeping and attracting new business going forward,” Anderson said in his CIO 100 application. “Having this program in place greatly reduces the risk for a security incident, which would be devastating for any firm to absorb.”

In addition to prompting positive client feedback, the ISO 27001 certification enhanced Shook’s culture of sensitivity and awareness of the collective responsibility for safeguarding client and firm confidential information.