ISO/IEC 27007 management system auditing

Why is ISO 27007 important?

Businesses will increasingly need to manage massive volumes of data in order to continue offering the products and services consumers demand. Security of sensitive data is a big worry for businesses and consumers, exacerbated by several high-profile breaches.

The havoc wreaked by these assaults ranges from celebrities humiliated by thoughtless photographs to the loss of personal information to ransom demands in the millions, which have targeted even the most powerful businesses. 

Where such data contains personally identifiable, financial, or medical information, businesses have a moral and legal duty to safeguard it against cybercriminals.

That is where International Standards such as the ISO 27000 family come into play, assisting enterprises in managing the security of assets such as financial data, intellectual property, employee information, and information entrusted to them by third parties.

This current state of affairs means that anyone tasked with auditing the ISMS of an organisation will likely have their work cut out for them. Similarly, preparing for a smooth audit necessitates planning and attention to detail. That is why ISO 27007 was created. It facilitates full preparation for both parties by providing explicit direction.

What is the scope of ISO 27007?

In the standard, the framework describes a range of audit criteria that can be used individually or in combination for an information security management system audit including, but not limited to:

• Defining the requirements for ISO/IEC 27001
• Guidelines and requirements provided by relevant parties
• Regulatory and statutory requirements
• The organisation’s ISMS processes and controls

It identifies and describes the management system plan(s) related to the outputs of an ISMS, (for example, a plan to deal with risks and opportunities when establishing an ISMS, a plan for achieving information security objectives, a plan for treating risks).

In addition to being relevant to all organisations regardless of size, this standard also covers ISO audits of different scopes and scales, including those conducted by large audit teams often affiliated with larger organisations, as well as those performed by individual auditors whether they are in large or small companies.

Specifically, ISO 27007 covers ISMS audits performed by companies on their internal systems (first-party) and by their external service providers and other external stakeholders (second-party). It can also be used in audits that are conducted for other purposes than a third-party certification of management systems.

What other standards do ISO 27006 work with?

ISO 27007 is relevant to people who need to grasp or perform internal or external audits of an information security management system, as well as those who administer an information security management system audit programme.

ISO 19011 was created to standardise the process of conducting internal and external audits for management systems in general.

ISO 27007 adds to the ISO 19011 guidelines by making additional suggestions. Whereas ISO 19011 specifies that proof of compliance must be sought, ISO 27007 suggests specific proofs and assessments for ISO 27001 clauses and controls in Annex A.

This means that ISO 27007 is more suggested in a specific ISO 27001 context. ISO 19011 on the other hand is a preferable choice if you need to audit other ISO management systems as well, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

What is ISO 19011?

ISO 19011 is a collection of auditing principles for management systems.

It is a global standard that assists companies in conducting these audits.

ISO 19011 is intended to provide guidance to organisations on how to develop audit programmes for their management systems, such as risk management systems, quality management systems, and environmental management systems.

ISO 19011 is not a series of standards that must be followed sequentially by an organisation, as no organisation can become ISO 19011 certified. Rather than that, an organisation should tailor ISO 19011 recommendations to the specific needs and requirements of the audit programme.

ISO 19011 is distinct from the international standard ISO 9001, which establishes standards for quality management systems. ISO 9001 is the only standard in the ISO 9000 series that organisations may certify against.

What Is the Difference Between ISO 27007 and ISO 27008?

ISO 27008 will provide recommendations for auditing ISM (Information Security Management) systems for security controls.

This is distinct from ISO 27007, which is more concerned with the Management System (ISMS) as a whole, rather than with specific controls.

Why is information management system auditing important?

Having information security policies and processes in place is insufficient to ensure the protection of an organisation’s information assets.

Policies may be insufficient or compliance with policies may be insufficient. An audit must be conducted to ensure that they are successful in accomplishing their objectives.

An information systems audit determines the efficacy of an information system’s controls.

An audit is designed to determine if an organisation’s information systems are adequately securing business assets, preserving the integrity of stored and transmitted data, successfully supporting organisational goals, and performing efficiently.

An information management system audit is a methodical, quantifiable technical examination of how an organisation’s information security policy is implemented. It is a necessary component of the ongoing process of developing and implementing good security policies. Security audits are a transparent and quantifiable method of determining how secure a website truly is.

This audit is being conducted to:

• Establish an information security baseline for your organisation.
• Identify the present information security procedures’ strengths and shortcomings.
• Prioritise the riskiest exposures.
• Provide risk mitigation suggestions that are compliant with applicable rules, industry best practices in the security sector, client industry best practices and client business objectives.

The information gathered during an information security audit enables the organisation to make better-educated decisions about how to spend finances and resources in order to manage risk most effectively.

How ISMS.online can make implementing ISO 27007 easy

At ISMS.online, we make it easy for you to document your Information Security Governance so that it is in line with the ISO 27007 standard. We provide you with a logical, usable, cloud-based information management interface that will help your organisation check its infosec governance processes and progress against the ISO 27007 standard.

Our cloud-based platform allows you to access all your ISMS resources in one place. We have an in-house team of information security experts who can provide guidance and answer questions to help you on your way to ISO 27007 implementation so that you can demonstrate your dedication to information security governance best practices. Call ISMS.online on +44 (0)1273 041140 to find out more about how we can help you get certified to ISO 27001.