Purpose of Control 5.37

Control 5.37 deals with the concept of information security as an operational activity, with its constituent elements being carried out and/or managed by one or more individuals.

Control 5.37 outlines a series of operational procedures that ensure an organisation’s information security facility remains efficient and secure, and in line with their documented requirements.

Attributes Table

Control 5.37 is a preventive and corrective control that maintains risk through the creation of a bank of procedures associated with an organisation’s information security activities.

Control Type Information Security Properties Cybersecurity Concepts Operational Capabilities Security Domains
#Preventive #Confidentiality #Protect #Asset Management #Governance and Ecosystem
#Corrective #Integrity #Recover #Physical Security #Protection
#Availability #System and Network Security #Defence
#Application Security
#Secure Configuration
#Identity and Access Management
#Threat and Vulnerability Management
#Continuity
#Information Security Event Management

Ownership of Control 5.37

Control 5.37 deals with a diverse set of circumstances that have the potential to include multiple departments and job roles under the remit of documented operating procedures. That being said, it can safely be assumed that most of the procedures will affect ICT staff, equipment and systems.

Where this occurs, ownership should reside with a senior member of the management team responsible for all ICT-related activities, such as a Head of IT.




Compliance doesn't have to be complicated.

We've done the hard work for you, giving you an 81% Headstart from the moment you log on.
All you have to do is fill in the blanks.

Book a demo



General Guidance on Control 5.37

Procedures should be created for information security-related activities in accordance with 5 key operational considerations:

  1. Any instance of an activity that is performed by one or more people, in the same way.
  2. When an activity is not often carried out.
  3. When a procedure carries the risk of being forgotten.
  4. Any new activities that are unfamiliar to staff, and are therefore subject to a higher degree of risk.
  5. When the responsibility for carrying out an activity is transferred to a different employee or group of employees.

Where these instances occur, documented operating procedures should clearly outline:

  1. Any individuals responsible – both incumbents and new operators.
  2. A set of guidelines that maintain security during the installation and subsequent configuration of any related business systems.
  3. How information is processed throughout the activity.
  4. BUDR plans and implications, in the event of data loss or a major event (see Control 8.13).
  5. Linked dependencies with any other systems, including scheduling.
  6. A clear procedure for dealing with “handling errors” or miscellaneous events that have the potential to occur (see Control 8.18).
  7. A full list of personnel to be contacted in the event of any disruption, including clear escalation procedures.
  8. How to operate any relevant storage media associated with the activity (see Controls 7.10 and 7.14).
  9. How to reboot and recover from a system failure.
  10. Audit trail logging, including all associated event and system logs (see Controls 8.15 and 8.17).
  11. Video monitoring systems that monitor onsite activities (see Control 7.4).
  12. A robust set of monitoring procedures that cater to the operational capacity, performance potential and security of said activity.
  13. How the activity should be maintained, in order to be kept at optimal performance levels.

All of the above procedures should be subject to periodic and/or ad-hoc reviews, as and when required, with all changes being ratified by Management in a timely manner to safeguard information security activity across the organisation.




Manage all your compliance in one place

ISMS.online supports over 100 standards
and regulations, giving you a single
platform for all your compliance needs.

Book a demo



Changes and Differences From ISO 27002:2013

27002:2022-5.37 replaces 27002:2013-12.1.1 (Documented operating procedures).

27002:2022-5.37 expands on 27002:2013-12.1.1 by offering a much broader set of circumstances that would warrant adherence to a document procedure.

27002:2013-12.1.1 lists information processing activities such as computer start-up and close-down procedures, backup, equipment maintenance, media handling, whereas 27002:2022-5.37 expands the remit of the control to generalised activities not limited to specific technical functions.

Aside from a few minor additions – such as categorising the individuals responsible for an activity – 27002:2022-5.37 contains the same general guidance points as 27002:2013-12.1.1

New ISO 27002 Controls

New Controls


Organisational Controls

ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control IdentifierISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control IdentifierControl Name
5.105.1.1, 05.1.2Policies for information security
5.206.1.1Information security roles and responsibilities
5.306.1.2Segregation of duties
5.407.2.1Management responsibilities
5.506.1.3Contact with authorities
5.606.1.4Contact with special interest groups
5.7NewThreat intelligence
5.806.1.5, 14.1.1Information security in project management
5.908.1.1, 08.1.2Inventory of information and other associated assets
5.1008.1.3, 08.2.3Acceptable use of information and other associated assets
5.1108.1.4Return of assets
5.12 08.2.1Classification of information
5.1308.2.2Labelling of information
5.1413.2.1, 13.2.2, 13.2.3Information transfer
5.1509.1.1, 09.1.2Access control
5.1609.2.1Identity management
5.17 09.2.4, 09.3.1, 09.4.3Authentication information
5.1809.2.2, 09.2.5, 09.2.6Access rights
5.1915.1.1Information security in supplier relationships
5.2015.1.2Addressing information security within supplier agreements
5.2115.1.3Managing information security in the ICT supply chain
5.2215.2.1, 15.2.2Monitoring, review and change management of supplier services
5.23NewInformation security for use of cloud services
5.2416.1.1Information security incident management planning and preparation
5.2516.1.4Assessment and decision on information security events
5.2616.1.5Response to information security incidents
5.2716.1.6Learning from information security incidents
5.2816.1.7Collection of evidence
5.2917.1.1, 17.1.2, 17.1.3Information security during disruption
5.30NewICT readiness for business continuity
5.3118.1.1, 18.1.5Legal, statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements
5.3218.1.2Intellectual property rights
5.3318.1.3Protection of records
5.3418.1.4Privacy and protection of PII
5.3518.2.1Independent review of information security
5.3618.2.2, 18.2.3Compliance with policies, rules and standards for information security
5.3712.1.1Documented operating procedures


People Controls


Physical Controls


How ISMS.online Helps

ISO 27002 implementation is simpler with our step-by-step checklist that guides you through the whole process, from defining the scope of your ISMS through risk identification and control implementation.

Get in touch today to book a demo.


Jump to topic

Max Edwards

Max works as part of the ISMS.online marketing team and ensures that our website is updated with useful content and information about all things ISO 27001, 27002 and compliance.

ISMS Platform Tour

Interested in an ISMS.online platform tour?

Start your free 2-minute interactive demo now and experience the magic of ISMS.online in action!

Try it for free

We’re a Leader in our Field

Users Love Us
Leader Winter 2025
Leader Winter 2025 United Kingdom
Best ROI Winter 2025
Fastest Implementation Winter 2025
Most Implementable Winter 2025

"ISMS.Online, Outstanding tool for Regulatory Compliance"

-Jim M.

"Makes external audits a breeze and links all aspects of your ISMS together seamlessly"

-Karen C.

"Innovative solution to managing ISO and other accreditations"

-Ben H.

DORA is here! Supercharge your digital resilience today with our powerful new solution!