As the CIO of a company engaged in business today, one of the main areas of focus is data protection. Discuss the key data protection points that must be taken into consideration prior to a strategy plan and policy being established for a company that has large data repositories and numerous external partners.

Assess the value that the International Standards Organization (ISO) provides CIOs, regardless of the industry in which the company is engaged. Explain whether adherence to the standards is essential to overall security management.