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ISO 27000 Family of Standards: A Complete Guide

Picture of Gabriela Silk By   ·  4 minute read

What is ISO?

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization that develops and publishes standards to ensure quality, safety, and efficiency across various services and industries globally. Established in 1947, ISO has published over 25,000 standards covering almost every aspect of technology and manufacturing​.

 

Contents

What is The ISO/IEC 27000 Family of Standards (ISMS family of standards)? 

The ISO 27000 or ISO/IEC 27000 series (also known as the ISMS family of standards) provides a structured and comprehensive framework to manage and protect information security. Implementing these standards helps organizations enhance their information security, increase resilience against cyber threats, and ensure compliance with various regulatory requirements. ISO 27001, the central standard of the ISO 27000 series, allows for certification to validate an organization's security practices externally. This certification is particularly advantageous as it demonstrates a proactive approach to protecting data and managing business risks effectively. It aligns with other regulatory frameworks like GDPR, enhancing an organization's compliance across different regions and sectors.​

Demonstrating this commitment to information security can benefit businesses significantly by improving operational efficiency, reducing costs associated with information breaches, and building trust with stakeholders​.

 

Key Components of ISO 27000 Family of Standards

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What is ISO/IEC 27001?

ISO/IEC 27001 is a standard focused on establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS). This standard is designed to assist organizations of all sizes and sectors in managing the security of their information assets, such as financial information, intellectual property, employee details, or information entrusted by third parties.

ISO 27001 is comprehensive in scope, involving a systematic approach to managing sensitive company information so that it remains secure. It includes people, processes, and IT systems by applying a risk management process and has specific requirements that organizations must follow to establish, operate, maintain, and continuously improve their ISMS. ISO 27001 helps businesses meet legal or regulatory compliance obligations and provides a framework to protect sensitive company and customer information.

The standard defines the management processes that help prevent security breaches and mitigate their impacts. It requires organizations to assess their information security risks, considering vulnerabilities, threats, and effects, to design a comprehensive suite of information security controls and other forms of risk treatment to address those deemed unacceptable risks. Sectors that commonly implement ISO 27001 include FinServ, healthcare, IT and telecom, education, ecommerce, and government agencies.

 

What is ISO/IEC 27701?

ISO/IEC 27701 is designed as an extension to the well-established ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002 standards, specifically addressing privacy information management. This standard provides guidance on managing and processing personally identifiable information (PII) in line with privacy regulations such as the GDPR. ISO 27701 sets out requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continuously improving a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS), which works in conjunction with an organization's existing ISMS.

The scope of ISO 27701 includes both data controllers and processors, making it applicable to a wide range of organizations that handle personal data. It aims to enhance the existing ISMS with privacy-specific controls and practices that meet legal compliance and manage privacy risks associated with processing PII. By implementing ISO 27701, organizations can demonstrate to regulators, customers, and other stakeholders that they have a robust system for managing privacy and data protection consistently and effectively. In addition to highly regulated sectors, ISO 27701 is particularly important for technology and cloud services that process vast amounts of data across jurisdictions. It provides a global standard that aligns with international privacy regulations like GDPR, making it applicable universally. This standard facilitates the consistent application of privacy controls and simplifies compliance for organizations operating in multiple legal territories.

Cloud security requires additional guidelines and controls for managing the unique security risks and privacy concerns associated with cloud computing environments.

 

What is ISO/IEC 27017?

ISO/IEC 27017 enhances cloud security by extending ISO/IEC 27002 controls to the cloud and introducing additional cloud-specific controls, benefiting providers and users.

 

 

What is ISO/IEC 27018?

ISO/IEC 27018 focuses on protecting personally identifiable information in public clouds, establishing guidelines for privacy that align with established privacy principles.

 

The Benefits of ISO 27001 and ISO 27701

Implementing ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 enhances the security of information assets and improves compliance with laws and regulations. ISO 27001 provides a systematic framework that helps identify and manage security risks and integrates with ISO 27701 to extend these benefits to privacy information management. This combination helps organizations comprehensively address security and privacy aspects, building trust with customers and stakeholders by demonstrating a commitment to protecting sensitive data and adhering to privacy laws like the GDPR.

 

The Challenges of Implementing ISO 27701

Implementing these standards can present challenges and requires a significant commitment from an organization's leadership and the allocation of adequate resources to develop and maintain an effective ISMS and PIMS. The complexity of aligning these systems with ever-evolving regulatory requirements and the technical challenges of integrating new security and privacy controls can also pose difficulties. Nevertheless, the strategic benefits, including enhanced compliance, improved trust, and stronger data protection capabilities, often outweigh these challenges, making the investment in ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 highly beneficial for long-term operational resilience​.

Effective resource allocation, such as investing in regular training, technology upgrades, and expert personnel to ensure that security measures evolve in line with organizational growth, will create a foundation that can be adapted as the organization expands. Scaling security measures appropriately is key to safeguarding expanding data sets and infrastructure.

 

Prescient Security, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701

Prescient Security has helped 450 + clients navigate the intricacies of ISO 27001 and 27701 certification processes. Our team provides end-to-end support, from an initial readiness assessment to successful audit completion, ensuring compliance and transforming operational and security practices.

 

To talk to one of our experts and learn how your organization can implement ISO into your cybersecurity strategy today, click here