Whether you are a business or a consultant, this is the most ruthlessly effective ISO27001 toolkit on the market. The only toolkit to offer free support, pay once and a consultant edition that can be used on all your clients at no extra cost. In use globally in thousands of business that are ISO27001 certified first time, every time. These toolkits cannot be beaten on price.
You are a business going for your ISO27001 certification. A single business use license gives you everything you need to do it yourself.
You are a consultant helping your clients get ISO27001 certified and you want the tools to do the job. Use on all your clients at no extra
Key Takeaways
- ISO 27001 Toolkits remove the need for consultants or software saving time and money
- An ISO 27001 Toolkit should include all templates, guides, tutorial videos and access to an ISO 27001 expert
What is an ISO 27001 Toolkit?
An ISO 27001 toolkit is a comprehensive collection of resources designed to help organisations implement and maintain an Information Security Management System (ISMS) in accordance with the ISO 27001 standard. They should come mapped to the ISO27001 standard, create your Information Security Management System and, where possible, be pre-populated with best practice. The toolkits should include the mandatory ISO27001 policies.
What are the benefits of using an ISO 27001 Toolkit?
There are many benefits to using an ISO 27001 toolkit. Some of the most common benefits include:
- Save time and money: Implementing an information security management system (ISMS) can be a time-consuming and expensive process. Using an ISO 27001 toolkit can help you save time and money by providing you with a ready-made set of policies, procedures, and documentation.
- Reduce risk: An ISO 27001 toolkit can help you reduce the risk of information security breaches and data loss by providing you with a comprehensive set of security controls.
- Improve efficiency: An ISO 27001 toolkit can help you improve the efficiency of your security operations by providing you with a standardised approach to security management.
- Increase compliance: An ISO 27001 toolkit can help you increase compliance with industry regulations and laws by providing you with a framework for managing information security.
- Improve customer confidence: An ISO 27001 certification demonstrates to customers that you are committed to protecting their information. This can help you improve customer confidence and loyalty.
Why do people buy ISO 27001 toolkits?
There are 2 kinds of people that buy ISO27001 Toolkit
- Professionals that do what we do for a living.
- Businesses looking to fast track their ISO27001 implementation and save money on expensive consultant fees.
Information Security Professionals buy ISO 27001 toolkits because:
Information security professionals are busy people and they know what they are doing. They know the work they need to do and they know the tools they need to get the job done. The magic for them doesn’t come from the tool but from having the right tool to satisfy their unique requirements.
Having someone else keep the tools that they need up date save’s them a massive amount of time that they can dedicate to their day job of either helping clients or helping the business in which they are working to become more secure.
For them it is not about the learnings but about getting quality tools to enable them to be faster and better at their job.
Businesses buy ISO 27001 Toolkits because
Businesses buy ISO27001 Toolkits because they want to fast track their ISO27001 certification based on best practice and they want to save the vast sums of money involved in the consulting fees. The tend to know that they can do it themselves, and they can, with the right tools, guidance and help.
Are ISO 27001 toolkits any good?
They can be. It really depends on where you get them from, who wrote them, how up to date they are, how often they are updated. At the end of the day they are tools.
They can be. It really depends on where you get them from, who wrote them, how up to date they are, how often they are updated. At the end of the day they are tools.
If you want your garden to be landscaped, with an ISO 27001 Toolkit you will have the tools to do the job, but you will not have a landscaped garden.
What is the best ISO 27001 Toolkit 2026?
The answer is simple. The High Table ISO 27001 Toolkit: Business Edition.
DO IT YOURSELF ISO 27001
STOP SPANKING £10,000s on CONSULTANTS and ISMS ONLINE PLATFORMS
What kinds of ISO 27001 toolkits are there?
ISO 27001 Toolkits fall into 2 categories. They are either
- An ISO 27001 document toolkit
- An on line ISMS portal
Let’s explore both in a little more detail.
The best ISO 27001 document toolkit
When it comes to the best ISO27001 toolkit the answer is going to be subjective. You could say that our best ISO27001 toolkit recommendation is a little biased. And you would be correct but the bias is based on over 2 decades of experience in the field. For small business and professionals, we have no doubt that the best ISO27001 toolkits are those that are document template packs. If we had to compose our list of top 10 ISO27001 toolkits then over 80% would be document template packs.
An ISO27001 template toolkit document pack is usually a pack of the required documents for an information security management system. This is our recommended and preferred solution. After over 25 years in information security, as a team, it is our opinion that document packs provided the greatest benefit with the least down sides. Let us explore why.
ISO 27001 ISMS Online Portals
A portal is a great way for complex organisation to manage their documentation. There is still a heavy reliance on staff to create the content of the documents and for expert help in making it all work but if management of your documents is a problem for you then portals could be the way to go.
There are several considerations for ISO27001 toolkit portals. As a rule they are cloud based so you are going to want to check that they come with all of the required information certifications. As they are software based there will be on going license costs to consider. In addition it is likely that you will require training that often comes at an extra cost.
Getting data into and out of the system is going to be a key. So work hard to understand how staff are going to keep the information up to date. Are they entering it into the portal directly or are they uploading existing documents. When clients ask for documents or it comes to the time to be audited you need to know how easy it is to get the information out and what format will it be in. Can it be easily ported to the clients questionnaire tool or is there some extra steps and extra work involved.
Make sure to clarify who owns your data. It seems a strange question, but if you want to move to an alternate supplier or the portal goes out of business be sure you understand if and how you will get access to all your data that exists in the system.
Understanding your own processes and way of work is a vital step. Check that the portal and tool fully supports your way of working. Is it flexible enough to adapt to your demands or are you going to have to work the way the portal wants you to work. If you can make changes, are they free or are they a paid add on.
Comparison of ISO 27001 Document Toolkit verses Portal / Cloud Solutions
| ISO 27001 Toolkit Templates Documents | ISO 27001 Portal / Cloud Software |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Office Documents so no software licenses needed | Portals are licensed to use the software, usually per user. |
| Microsoft Office Documents so no software training needed | Portals usually require you to be trained. At a cost. |
| Microsoft Office Documents so no ‘users’ to set up | Portals need users to be set up, maintained and adminstitered. You have better things to do. |
| Microsoft Office Documents so stored on your infrastructure, secured and controlled and owned by you. | Portals often do not have certifications for ISO 27001 or similar and it can be unclear on where the data is and what happens to it if you don’t want to use the portal anymore |
| Easy to maintain. | Complex to maintain due to user admin overhead, training. |
| Easy to share with potential customers and auditors who also use Microsoft Office documents. | Hard to share documents. Usually exported to Microsoft Office or PDF documents. Ironic right? |
| No third party security worries, no availability worries, no security worries, no where is my data stored worries. | |
| Flexible and easy to configure | Requires code changes to configure tools. You have to work how the portal wants you to work. |
| Ideal for professionals that need flexibility and ease as well as small businesses that need to keep complexity and cost to a minimum. | Ideal for large organisations as a step up from a standard document management system. |
An ISO 27001 Document Toolkit or an Online Portal for ISO 27001?
Choosing between an ISO 27001 document tool kit and an online SaaS platform can be daunting, confusing and challenging and in this article we give a clear comparison – Why You Should Use an ISO27001 Document Toolkit Over An ISMS Online Portal
Get Straight Answers for Your Certification
We believe in being honest and direct. We want to help you understand what you need without all the confusing industry words. We have 30 years of experience in information security. We truly care about helping you get certified. You won’t get that personal support from a basic online ISMS portal.
We’ll teach you the best ways to implement ISO 27001—and the ones you should avoid. We show you how to get certified both quickly and affordably. We are the fastest-growing ISO 27001 company globally because we do things differently. We are real people, not just computer programs.
ISO 27001 Toolkit Roles and Responsibilities
Responsibility
Ultimately, the responsibility for the overall success of the ISMS, including the effective use of the toolkit, lies with the organisation’s top management. This could be the CEO, board of directors, or other senior leadership. They are accountable for:
- Providing resources: Ensuring that the necessary financial, human, and technological resources are allocated for the ISMS implementation and maintenance, including the toolkit.
- Setting direction: Defining the information security policy and objectives, and ensuring they align with the organisation’s strategic goals.
- Promoting a security culture: Fostering an environment where information security is valued and everyone understands their responsibilities.
Day to Day
However, day-to-day accountability for the ISO 27001 toolkit usually falls to a designated individual or team. This could be:
- Information Security Manager: This role is often responsible for overseeing the ISMS, including selecting, implementing, and maintaining the toolkit.
- ISMS Project Manager: If the toolkit is being used for a specific implementation project, a project manager might be assigned to oversee its use.
- Compliance Officer: In some organisations, the compliance officer may be responsible for ensuring the toolkit is used to meet regulatory requirements.
The Organisation
It’s important to note that using an ISO 27001 toolkit is not just the responsibility of one person or team. Everyone in the organisation has a role to play in information security.
Therefore, it’s crucial to:
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities: Everyone should understand their role in using the toolkit and contributing to the ISMS.
- Provide training and awareness: Employees should be trained on how to use the toolkit and understand its importance in protecting information.
- Regularly review and update: The toolkit should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains relevant and effective.
By clearly defining accountability and ensuring everyone understands their role, organisations can effectively use an ISO 27001 toolkit to build a strong and robust ISMS.
Applicability to Small Businesses, Tech Startups, and AI Companies
An ISO 27001 toolkit is useful for businesses of all sizes, including small businesses, tech startups, and AI companies.
- Small Businesses: You handle sensitive data (like customer lists or payment info) and want to look professional to bigger clients. A toolkit gives you the structure you need without having to hire a full-time security expert right away. It saves you money and time.
- Tech Startups: You’re moving fast and handling a lot of innovation or user data. Getting certified early gives you a huge competitive edge, especially when pitching to investors or enterprise clients who demand proof of security. The toolkit lets you build a strong security foundation quickly, so you can focus on growth.
- AI Companies: You work with vast, often sensitive, datasets for training models. Your intellectual property (the models and data) is your most valuable asset. The toolkit helps you establish clear rules for data handling, access, and secure development to protect that valuable IP and meet growing privacy regulations.
What’s included in a complete ISO 27001 Toolkit package?
A good toolkit gives you the core documents you need to prove you’re managing information security correctly. These are usually pre-written and just need you to add your unique company name and processes.
Common documents include:
- Information Security Policy: Your company’s high-level commitment to security.
- Risk Assessment Forms: Templates to help you identify threats and how you plan to deal with them.
- Statement of Applicability (SoA): A required document that lists which security controls you’ve chosen to use and why.
- Access Control Procedures: Rules for who can get into your systems and data.
- Disaster Recovery Plan: What you’ll do if something goes wrong (like a fire or a major hack).
- Training and Awareness Materials: Resources to help train your staff on security best practices.
- Rules and Steps: These are key documents like your Information Security Policy, the Access Control Policy, your Business Continuity Plan, steps for Incident Management, and your Data Protection Policy.
- Records and Outlines: You get templates for your Risk Assessment and Treatment Plan, a Statement of Applicability (SoA), an Information Asset Register, and a plan for Training and Awareness.
- Implementation Checklists and Help: The toolkit includes internal audit checklists, tools to spot gaps in your security, and simple, step-by-step instructions to help you put the system in place.
- Easy-to-Change Files: The documents normally come in formats like Microsoft Word or Excel. This means you can easily customise them to fit your specific needs, coverage, and brand.
Choosing Your ISO 27001 Solution
When you’re preparing for ISO 27001 certification, you need to decide how you’ll manage all the necessary documents and processes. You have two main options: a simple document toolkit or a more comprehensive online portal or cloud solution.
The Best Toolkit for You
For smaller businesses and individual professionals, we truly believe the best ISO 27001 toolkits are those that contain document templates. If we created a list of the top ten toolkits, more than 80% would be document template packs.
Why Choose Template Packs?
An ISO 27001 template toolkit document pack generally gives you all the necessary documents for an information security management system. This is our go-to choice. After more than 30 years of experience in information security, our team agrees that document packs offer the most advantages with the fewest problems. Let’s see why this is the case.
Document Toolkit Approach
A document toolkit is basically a set of pre-written templates and forms, often provided as files like Microsoft Word or Excel documents.
- You’re in Control: You own the documents and can save them wherever you like—on your computer or internal file server. This gives you complete control over your information.
- Easy to Use: Since the files are familiar, using the toolkit is straightforward. You edit the templates, save the files, and organize them yourself.
- Lower Initial Cost: The cost to purchase a toolkit is usually lower than a subscription to a cloud service. You pay once for the templates.
- Manual Work: You have to manually manage all the documents. This means you must keep track of version numbers, make sure everyone uses the latest copies, and link all the documents together yourself.
Portal / Cloud Solution Approach
A portal or cloud solution is a web-based system where all your ISO 27001 documents and activities are managed online.
- Integrated Management: Everything is kept in one place. The system automatically handles things like version control and linking related documents. You don’t have to worry about people using old copies.
- Better Collaboration: It’s easier for your team to work together, as everyone accesses the same online system.
- Added Features: These systems often include extra features like task management, audit tracking, and automated reminders. This makes managing your security easier.
- Subscription Cost: You typically pay a monthly or annual fee to use the service. Over time, the cost may be higher than buying a simple toolkit.
- Dependence on Provider: You are relying on the cloud company to keep your data secure and available.
Making Your Decision
Think about what’s most important for your company:
- If you prefer simplicity, total control over your files, and a lower upfront cost, a document toolkit may be best for you.
- If you need automated version control, integrated features, and better teamwork—and are comfortable with a subscription fee—a portal or cloud solution is likely the better choice.
How to implement an ISO 27001 Toolkit
1. Establish Your Foundation
You must start by defining the scope and objectives of your Information Security Management System (ISMS). A common issue here is failing to clearly mark the system’s boundaries or set achievable targets. To solve this, you should do a full business impact assessment to find your most important information assets. This ensures your ISMS goals align with what your business needs. You’ll need to formally document this scope. Next, you have to secure management buy-in. Without support from the top, you won’t get the needed resources. Present a clear business case that shows the benefits, like lower risk and a better reputation. Remember to keep everyone updated on your progress.
2. Select and Customising Your Tools
Your next crucial step is to choose the right toolkit. It’s easy to select a system that’s too complicated or just doesn’t suit your organisation. To avoid this, evaluate potential toolkits based on your company’s size, budget, industry rules, and how much support they offer. If possible, try a test period. Once you have your toolkit, you must customise its templates and documents. Simply using generic templates makes your documentation weak. You need to tailor every document to properly reflect your specific processes, risks, and business situation. Make sure all relevant people review and approve this customised documentation.
3. Manage Risks and Implement Controls
It’s vital to conduct a thorough risk assessment. If this isn’t accurate, your security controls will be inadequate. You should use a clear, structured way to assess risk, such as the ISO 31000 standard, to identify, analyse, and evaluate all information security risks. Involve staff from different departments in this process. After assessing risks, you need to implement security controls. A frequent difficulty is choosing and applying the correct controls. You should check the controls listed in ISO 27001 Annex A and other best practices. Rank the controls based on how risky the situation is and if they are practical to apply, then write down why you chose them.
4. Put in place Training, Auditing, and Continuous Improvement
You must train employees properly, as staff unawareness of policies can undermine your efforts. Develop and run detailed training sessions to educate everyone on their security duties, and reinforce this learning with regular updates and campaigns. Following this, you must implement an internal audit process. This is how you find gaps in your ISMS. Create a comprehensive audit program that covers every part of the system. Ensure your internal auditors are well-trained, skilled, and independent. Finally, you need to prepare for the certification audit. To ensure you’re ready for the external assessment, conduct a pre-assessment or gap analysis to spot any weaknesses and fix them before the final audit. Even after certification, you must maintain and improve the ISMS. To stop the system from becoming outdated, create a process for continual improvement. This includes regular reviews by management, internal audits, and getting feedback to ensure the system adapts to new threats and changing business needs.
How to audit an ISO 27001 Toolkit
In this tutorial, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor Stuart Barker explains the step-by-step process of How to audit an ISO 27001 Toolkit
10 Common ISO 27001 Toolkit Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
In this article, Lead Auditor Stuart Barker lays out the the top 10 mistakes people make for ISO 27001 Toolkits and how you can avoid them. Based on decades of experience and hundreds of audits these are the costly mistakes to avoid.
ISO 27001:2022 Clause 4.4
The ISO 27001 Toolkit provides an ideal solution to the implementation of ISO 27001:2022 Clause 4.4 Information Security Management System
About the author
Stuart Barker is a veteran practitioner with over 30 years of experience in systems security and risk management.
Holding an MSc in Software and Systems Security, Stuart combines academic rigor with extensive operational experience. His background includes over a decade leading Data Governance for General Electric (GE) across Europe, as well as founding and exiting a successful cyber security consultancy.
As a qualified ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and Lead Implementer, Stuart possesses distinct insight into the specific evidence standards required by certification bodies. He has successfully guided hundreds of organizations – from high-growth technology startups to enterprise financial institutions – through the audit lifecycle.
His toolkits represents the distillation of that field experience into a standardised framework. They move beyond theoretical compliance, providing a pragmatic, auditor-verified methodology designed to satisfy ISO/IEC 27001:2022 while minimising operational friction.
ISO 27001 Toolkit FAQ
A collection of resources (templates, guides, tools) designed to simplify ISO 27001 ISMS implementation and maintenance.
Templates for policies, procedures, risk assessments, and other required documents; implementation guides; checklists; and sometimes training materials.
Saves time and resources, ensures compliance, reduces costs compared to consultants, provides a structured approach.
No, but it’s highly recommended as it simplifies the process significantly.
Prices vary widely depending on the vendor, features, and level of support offered.
Some free ISO 27001 toolkits exist, but they may have limited features, outdated information, or lack support. Proceed with caution.
Not necessarily, but consultants can be helpful for complex implementations or if you lack internal expertise.
Consider your organisation’s size, industry, budget, complexity, and the level of support you need.
No, templates must be customised to reflect your organisation’s specific context, risks, and processes.
Not customising the templates and focusing on documentation over actual implementation.
No, a toolkit is a resource, not a guarantee. Successful implementation and adherence to the standard are essential.
Regularly, to reflect changes in your organisation, the ISO 27001 standard, and best practices.
Yes, but you’ll need to ensure the ISMS and its documentation are tailored to each location’s specific requirements.
A toolkit provides resources, while ISMS software helps manage the ISMS, often including workflow and automation features. They can sometimes be complementary.
Search online and do your due diligence before purchasing.
We find that the vast majority of ISO 27001 toolkits that we sell are to information security practitioners like ourselves. But whether a professional or a business the usual reasons are
To save time researching and writing them themselves
To save money on consultants
To fast track an implementation
ISO 27001 Toolkits fall into 2 categories. They are either
A template pack of documents
An on line portal
The answer is simple. The High Table ISO 27001 Template Toolkit: Business Edition
It is so good, it even comes with a money back guarantee.