ISO 27001 certification requirements: Your 2025 readiness guide

ISO 27001 is a cybersecurity standard created and managed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

According to the official website, “the ISO/IEC 27001 standard provides companies of any size and from all sectors of activity with guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an information security management system (ISMS).”

But what does this mean in practice? How does ISO 27001 help companies reduce the risk of data breaches, and who needs to comply with ISO 27001 standards? More importantly, how do they achieve this goal?

In our 2025 ISO 27001 readiness guide, we’ll offer actionable advice to help your organization navigate the evolving landscape of cybersecurity risk management and monitoring.

ISO 27001: What it is and why it matters

The first version of ISO/IEC 27001 was published in 2005. The standard underwent revisions in 2013, along with minor editorial changes in 2018, and the most current version went live in 2022 after a major update. This isn’t the final version of the standard — as threats evolve, ISO will update the document to keep pace.

The purpose of ISO 27001 requirements

ISO 27001 is designed to help companies deploy, manage, and improve security management systems. The standard defines three principles of information security, known as the CIA triad.

C: Confidentiality

Confidential systems ensure that only the right people can access information assets held by your organization. Tools such as identity and access management (IAM) controls and multifactor authentication (MFA) help ensure confidentiality.

I: Information integrity

Information integrity ensures that data remains accurate, complete, and unaltered, whether at rest, in transit, or in use. Solutions such as data encryption and real-time malware detection help maintain integrity.

A: Availability of data

Availability of data ensures organizations and authorized users, such as clients or customers, can access sensitive information as required. Systems such as cloud-based backups and redundant networking hardware help deliver consistent availability.

Who needs certification?

Any business that operates an ISMS benefits from ISO 27001 needs certification. For smaller organizations, the ISO standard provides a clear security framework that helps identify potential weaknesses and build cyber resilience. For larger enterprises, ISO 27001 is useful in staying ahead of evolving state, federal, and industry compliance obligations.

ISO 27001 is voluntary, but contractual obligations, vendor risk requirements, or data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA can make certification de facto mandatory for certain sectors. For example, if your company supplies networking services for a large financial organization, ISO 27001 certification may be part of your service-level agreement (SLA). Failure to obtain and maintain certification could be grounds for termination of your contract.

Companies may also benefit from ISO 27001 certification if they do any business with the Department of Defense (DoD) or other governmental agencies. The DoD requires that all of its contractors demonstrate compliance with the Cyber Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), which shares many components and concepts with ISO 27001. This makes ISO a great starting point to help ensure CMMC compliance.

ISO 27001 also shares many similarities with SOC 2. The biggest difference in ISO 27001 vs. SOC 2? While the ISO standard is international, SOC 2 is primarily used in North America. And if SOC 2 is your priority, AuditBoard’s SOC 2 compliance guide can help streamline the process. It’s also worth noting that there’s a significant amount of overlap between these two standards, meaning preparation for one goes a long way to ensuring alignment with both. In fact, many auditors offer dual SOC 2/ISO 27001 audits due to their similarities.

Key requirements of ISO 27001

The ISO 27001 standard is divided into two parts. The first contains 11 clauses, numbered 0–10. Of these, clauses 0–3 are introductory, and clauses 4–10 define mandatory requirements for compliance.

ISMS scope and documentation

Clauses 4, 5, 6, and 7 speak to scope and documentation. Here’s a look at each in more detail.

Clause 4: Context

ISMS are only effective if they account for the context of the organization. This context includes internal and external systems and potential vulnerabilities, along with any stakeholders — staff, customers, investors, and leadership — and regulatory expectations.

Context helps define the scope of your ISMS.

Clause 5: Leadership

Leadership plays a key role in ISO 27001 compliance. Leaders must develop security objectives and create policies that help achieve these goals. In addition, leaders are responsible for ensuring IT and infosec teams have the resources they need to build and maintain their ISMS.

Clause 6: Planning

Planning speaks to the need for an in-depth security risk assessment. Where is your company protected? Where is it vulnerable? Risk assessment provides the framework for an effective ISO 27001 adoption strategy.

Clause 7: Support

Support includes money, time, and other resources. These resources may take the form of skilled staff, third-party providers, and technology solutions that facilitate both intra-company communications and comprehensive data reporting.

Risk assessment and treatment

Clauses 8, 9, and 10 address the need for risk assessment and risk treatment plans.

Clause 8: Operation

Operation covers data security processes. These processes must be developed, implemented, and monitored to ensure they perform as intended. Risk assessment is one key process and must happen on a case-by-case basis. Treatment processes, meanwhile, look to both remediate current issues and prevent them from occurring again.

Clause 9: Performance evaluation

Your information security policy must be regularly reviewed and reevaluated. This is because changes in IT environments can lead to the emergence of new weak points or risk factors. Ongoing measurement, analysis, and evaluation keep companies aligned with ISO 27001 expectations.

Clause 10: Improvement

Information security practices are never “complete.” Once processes have been evaluated, companies must take action to resolve nonconformities and create continual improvement plans that help limit risk.

Annex A controls: What you need to know

The second part of ISO 27001 contains Annex A, which is a list of controls designed to help companies better manage their risk.

What’s new in the 2022 update

The 2022 update makes significant changes to Annex A controls. In both the 2013 and 2018 versions, there were 114 controls divided into 14 categories. These categories included access control, cryptography, physical security measures, and security incident management.

In 2022, the Annex was condensed into four categories and 93 controls. Some controls were combined to form the 2022 versions. Others were revised, and still others were eliminated. Another significant change is that Annex A controls are now required as a starting point for compliance. In previous years, Annex A controls were optional. In the 2022 update, these controls — or custom controls of comparable intent and coverage — must be used.

Annex A control categories

Annex A now contains four categories of ISO 27001 controls: Organizational, People, Physical, and Technological.

• Organizational: 37 controls. Organizational controls include the creation of policies for information security, the segregation of duties, and the development of threat intelligence programs.
• People: 8 controls. Examples of people controls include information and security education, clear disciplinary processes for non-compliance, and security event reporting.
• Physical: 14 controls. These controls include physical security perimeters, equipment maintenance, and the secure disposal of equipment.
• Technological: 34 controls. Technological controls include information backups, data masking processes, and the use of cryptography.

How to prepare for an ISO 27001 audit

To obtain ISO 27001 certification, companies must complete both internal and external audits. Internal audits occur first — companies conduct these audits to ensure they’re compliant with ISO 27001 standards, then remediate any identified issues before requesting external audits for certification.

Audit requirements are found in clause 9.2 of the standard. These requirements include the definition of audit scope and criteria, the identification of auditors, and the reporting processes used by the audit.

What to expect

Once your internal audit and gap remediation are complete, you engage a third-party certification body for a two-stage audit. Stage 1 is a documentation review, and stage 2 is an implementation audit.

During the documentation review, the external auditor checks your ISO 27001 documentation and compares it against the ISO standard. At the end of this stage, you will receive an audit report.

In the second stage of the audit process, the auditor reviews your documents, policies, procedures, and controls — and the implementation of these components — to determine if they meet ISO standards and are working as intended.

Your audit report will contain details of any minor and major nonconformities and provide a list of opportunities for improvement (OFI). Minor nonconformities are typically identified as areas for improvement but do not affect your ability to obtain certification. Major nonconformities may require you to be reaudited once these issues have been addressed. You do not, however, have to start from scratch. Instead, you can provide proof that you have corrected major nonconformities to earn your certification.

Pre-audit checklist

Before carrying out an internal audit, it’s worth making sure you’re prepared. While you can conduct as many audits as needed before requesting an external audit, each of these internal evaluations requires time and effort.

To help streamline the process, start with a pre-audit checklist:

1. Locate documentation. First, find and collect all relevant documentation to make audits faster and easier.
2. Review current processes. Next, review current security processes and pinpoint any obvious issues or errors.
3. Standardize audit reporting. Reporting comes next. Define standard reporting procedures to ensure audit reports are easy to integrate and apply.
4. Define action plans. Finally, define where you’re going. What comes after the audits are complete? What steps are next, and how do they align with business strategy?

Maintaining certification

ISO 27001 certifications are valid for three years. During your initial certification period, however, you must undergo two surveillance audits, typically at the end of the first and second years. Your ISO conformity is reassessed, and you are given three months to provide proof of corrective action required for any nonconformities.

When your three years are up, you must undergo a recertification audit. This is similar to your initial audit but with the caveat that corrections must be made before the end of your third certification year. Failure to do so will result in the loss of your ISO certification.

To reduce this risk, it’s worth scheduling your audit between three and six months before your certification expires. This gives you time to address any issues while your current certification is still valid.

How AuditBoard helps you get certified

AuditBoard can help streamline your ISO 27001 certification process.

Framework mapping and documentation

The AuditBoard CrossComply Risk and Compliance platform offers pre-mapped security controls aligned to ISO 27001 Annex A requirements. This offers two benefits. First, your teams can spend more time testing and evaluating risk management processes and treatment strategies rather than building control frameworks.

Second, since these controls are fully functional and documented, your business can rest easy knowing that they conform to ISO 27001 specifications, meaning they won’t appear as minor or major nonconformities on your audit report.

Evidence management and audit trails

With AuditBoard, audit details and corrective evidence are automatically collected and documented. Complete visibility into all internal and external audit details lets your teams better prepare for surveillance or recertification audits, while evidence management makes it easier to find and provide documentation to auditors for approval.

Staying ahead of ISO 27001 expectations

ISO 27001 is an evolving document, with new versions issued every four to five years. Given that the most recent version was released in 2022 and considering the meteoric rise of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), businesses should expect another ISO 27001 update sometime in the next two years.

While it’s impossible to know the scope and scale of this update, organizations can set themselves up for success by ensuring current processes are compliant with ISO 27001:2022 expectations and taking the time to regularly review and confirm their compliance with solutions such as AuditBoard.

Achieve and maintain ISO 27001 certification with an audit-ready platform. Learn how AuditBoard supports infosec efforts and helps streamline standards compliance. Start your demo today.

About the authors

Alan Gouveia is Head of Customer Experience, CrossComply at AuditBoard. Alan has worked in the GRC and cybersecurity space for over 20 years across multiple industries and organizations of different sizes. He specializes in a collaborative approach to GRC and cybersecurity, showing customers how to work across the entire organization to achieve business goals. Connect with Alan on LinkedIn.