What is it?
Think of an ISO 27001 Independent Review as a check-up for your company’s information security. It’s a key part of the ISO 27001 standard. Basically, you get an impartial expert to look at your security setup to make sure it’s working properly and meeting all the rules. It helps you find any weak spots before they become a real problem.
Table of contents
- What is it?
- Applicability to Small Businesses, Tech Startups, and AI Companies
- Are There Templates for This Review?
- Why Do You Need This Review?
- When Do You Need It?
- Who Is This Review For?
- How Do You Do This Review?
- How Does the ISO 27001 Toolkit Help?
- Which information security standards need this review?
- What are the relevant ISO 27001:2022 controls?
- ISO 27001 Independent Review Of Information Security FAQ
Applicability to Small Businesses, Tech Startups, and AI Companies
Independent Review Of Information Security is useful for businesses of all sizes, including small businesses, tech startups, and AI companies.
- For Small Businesses: It proves you take customer data seriously, which can help you win bigger clients. It also gives you a clear plan for protecting your business from online threats.
- For Tech Startups: When you’re growing fast, it’s easy to forget about security. This review keeps you on track. It’s also a great way to show investors and partners that you’re building a trustworthy company from the ground up.
- For AI Companies: Your whole business relies on data—often very sensitive data. An independent review ensures you’re handling all that information securely and responsibly. This is super important for building trust in a field where data ethics are a big deal.
Are There Templates for This Review?
Yes, you can find templates, but it’s important to remember that they’re just a starting point. Your review needs to be personal to your company. A good template will give you the structure you need, like a checklist of things to look at, but you’ll have to fill it in with details specific to your business and its unique risks.
Why Do You Need This Review?
You need it for a few simple reasons:
- To Check Your Work: It’s a way to double-check that your security system is working as intended.
- To Stay Compliant: ISO 27001 requires it. If you want to keep your certification, you must do this.
- To Find Problems: An independent eye can spot issues you might have missed.
- To Show You’re Serious: It proves to customers, partners, and regulators that you’re committed to protecting information.
When Do You Need It?
You need to do this review at planned intervals. Most companies do it at least once a year. It’s a good idea to do it anytime something major changes in your business, like when you start a new project, hire a lot of new people, or move to a new office.
Who Is This Review For?
The person who performs the review must be independent. This means they can’t be someone who built or manages the security system. It can be someone from inside your company who isn’t on the security team, or it can be a qualified outside consultant.
How Do You Do This Review?
You don’t need a fancy process. Start by writing down what you’ll check and when you’ll do it. Then, the reviewer should:
- Look at your security rules and procedures.
- Talk to the people on your team to see if they follow the rules.
- Check if your security system is doing what it’s supposed to do.
- Write a report on what they found.
Learn more in the step-by-step guide How to do an ISO 27001 Internal Audit
How Does the ISO 27001 Toolkit Help?
The ISO 27001 toolkit is a lifesaver. It includes templates, checklists, and guides that make the whole process easier. Think of it as a set of tools that help you build your security system and get ready for the review. It can save you a lot of time and hassle.
Which information security standards need this review?
ISO 27001 is the big one here. It’s the standard that requires this review. It is also applicable to:
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
- CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act)
- DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act)
- NIS2 (Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive)
- SOC 2 (Service Organisation Control 2)
- NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
What are the relevant ISO 27001:2022 controls?
The main ISO 27001 control requirement is ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.35 Independent Review Of Information Security.
Here are some of the key controls from the ISO 27001:2022 Annex A that are especially important for different types of businesses:
For Small Businesses
For Small Businesses: You’ll want to focus on the basics, like
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.1: Policies for Information Security
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.7: Threat Intelligence
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.13: Information Backup
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.9: Configuration Management
These help you get a solid security foundation.
For Tech Startups
For Tech Startups: Since you’re often building products, you’ll care about
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.27: Secure Systems Architecture and Engineering Principles
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.25: Secure Development Life Cycle
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.28: Secure Coding
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.21 Managing Information Security In The ICT Supply Chain
For AI Companies
For AI Companies: Your focus is on data. So, controls like
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.31: Legal, statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.11: Data Masking
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.12: Data Leakage Prevention
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.10: Information Deletion
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.34: Privacy And Protection Of PII
ISO 27001 Independent Review Of Information Security FAQ
An internal audit is the main review process. The “independent” part just means the person doing it is unbiased.
No, it has to be done by someone who wasn’t directly involved in setting up the security system.
At least once a year, or whenever something significant changes.
No, you can use someone from inside your company as long as they are independent of the security team.
That’s okay! The point is to find problems so you can fix them. You’ll need to create a plan to address what you found.
No, an external audit is done by a third-party organization (like a certification body) to get your ISO 27001 certificate. This review is one of the things you do to prepare for that.
It should explain what was reviewed, what was found (good and bad), and what needs to be fixed.
Yes, if you want to be ISO 27001 certified.
It depends on the size of your company, but it can be as quick as a few days.
The review can be scaled down to fit your size. The key is to make it relevant to your risks.
No, you can focus on the controls that are most important for your business.
Yes, there are tools and platforms that can help you manage the process and keep track of your security efforts.
It’s more than that. It should also involve talking to people and understanding how things really work day-to-day.
Get a good template or toolkit to guide you, and then decide who will do the review.
To make sure your information security management system is effective and continues to protect your important information.
