What is the ISO 27001 Framework?
The ISO 27001 framework was developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and exists to create an “Information Security Management System (ISMS)” (e.g., a comprehensive IT security program). ISO 27001 leverages the controls from ISO 27002 for the details of what goes into building a comprehensive IT security program (e.g., ISMS).
ISO 27001 is capable of being certified against. Organizations can undergo a certification process to demonstrate compliance with the standard. Achieving ISO/IEC 27001 certification signifies that the organization has implemented and maintains an effective ISMS.
ISO/IEC 27001 specifies how organizations should systematically manage sensitive information:
- It outlines requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an ISMS, including risk assessments, treatment plans and performance monitoring.
- Annex A provides a comprehensive catalog of controls (aligned with risk treatment).
- Certification involves third-party audits assessing compliance and system effectiveness.
ISO 27001 emphasizes continual improvement (through Plan-Do-Check-Act cycles), management commitment, stakeholder approach and evidence-based risk treatment, making it a globally respected framework for demonstrating strong information security practices.
For a background on ISO 27001, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental organization that is headquartered in Switzerland. ISO can be a little more confusing for newcomers to cybersecurity, since a rebranding occurred in 2007 to migrate ISO’s IT security documents into the 27000 series of their documentation catalog (e.g., ISO 17799 was renamed and became ISO 27002). It is important to note that organizations cannot certify against ISO 27002, just ISO 27001.
ISO 27001 Appendix A contains the basic overview of the security controls needed to build an Information Security Management System (ISMS), but ISO 27002 provides those specific controls that are necessary to actually implement ISO 27001. Essentially, you can't meet ISO 27001 without implementing ISO 27002