ISO 27001, the International Information Security Standard

What is an ISMS?

An ISMS provides a systematic approach to managing information security. It consists of policies, procedures and other controls involving people, processes and technology to help organisations protect and manage all their data

 To find out more about what an ISMS is, download our free infographic.

ISO 27001 and risk management

ISO 27001 emphasises the importance of risk management, which forms the cornerstone of an ISMS. All ISO 27001 projects evolve around an information security risk assessment - a formal, top management-driven process which provides the basis for a set of controls that help to manage information security risks.

By implementing an ISO 27001-compliant ISMS, organisations will be able to secure information in all its forms, increase their resilience to cyber attacks, adapt to evolving security threats and reduce the costs associated with information security.

ISO/IEC 27001: 2013 controls

• A.5 Information security policies
• A.6 Organisation of information security
• A.7 Human resources security
• A.8 Asset management
• A.9 Access control
• A.10 Cryptography
• A.11 Physical and environmental security
• A.12 Operational security
• A.13 Communications security
• A.14 System acquisition, development and maintenance
• A.15 Supplier relationships
• A.16 Information security incident management
• A.17 Information security aspects of business continuity management
• A.18 Compliance

ISO 27001 benefits

ISO 27001 is one of the most popular information security standards in the world, with certifications growing by more than 450% in the past ten years.

It is recognised globally as a benchmark for good security practice and enables organisations to achieve accredited certification following the successful completion of an audit.

ISO 27001 supports compliance with a host of laws, including the EU GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the NIS Regulations (Network and Information Systems Regulations).

  Learn more about the benefits of ISO 27001 certification

Demonstrating GDPR compliance with ISO 27001 and ISO 27701

ISO/IEC 27701:2019 is an extension to ISO 27001, which expands its requirements to cover privacy management – including the processing of personal data/PII (personally identifiable information).

Implementing both ISO 27701 and ISO 27001 will enable you to meet the privacy and information security requirements of the EU GDPR and other data protection regimes, and demonstrate that you have management arrangements in place for “appropriate technical and organisational measures” to protect the personal data you process and uphold data subjects’ rights, in line with the EU GDPR’s accountability principle (Article 5(2)).

  Learn more about ISO 27701

How to implement an ISO 27001-compliant ISMS

Implementing an ISO 27001-compliant ISMS involves several steps, of which the following are the most important:

• Scoping the project
• Securing management commitment and budget
• Identify interested parties, and legal, regulatory and contractual requirements
• Conduct a risk assessment
• Review and implement the required controls
• Develop internal competence
• Develop the appropriate documentation
• Conduct staff awareness training
• Continually measure, monitor, review and audit the ISMS
• Get certified

  Discover our ISO 27001 implementation checklist and solutions

How IT Governance can help you

• Our implementation methodology has been honed over 15 years.
• We are known as the global authority on ISO 27001 – our management team led the world’s first ISO 27001 certification project (formerly known as BS 7799).
• We offer everything you need to implement an ISO 27001-compliant ISMS – you don’t need to go anywhere else.
• We guarantee certification (provided you follow our advice!).
• You benefit from real-world practitioner expertise, not just academic knowledge.
• We have trained more than 7,000 professionals on ISO 27001 implementations and audits worldwide.
• We’ve helped more than 600 consultancy clients achieve certification to and compliance with ISO 27001.
• We have a proven and pragmatic approach to assessing compliance with international standards, no matter the size or nature of your organisation.
• Our pricing and proposals are completely transparent, so you won’t get any surprises.
• We can help small organisations prepare for ISO 27001 certification in three months.