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Boundary

11/09/2025

Author: Stuart Barker | ISO 27001 Expert and Thought Leader

Boundary Definition - ISO 27001 Glossary

A boundary defines the scope of an organisation’s Information Security Management System (ISMS). It specifies which business processes, physical locations, assets, and technologies are included within the ISMS. The boundary ensures that the security controls and policies implemented are applied consistently to everything within that defined scope.

ISO 27001 Context

Defining the ISMS boundary is a mandatory and foundational step in ISO 27001 Clause 4.3: Determining The Scope Of The Information Security Management System of the ISO 27001 standard. A clearly defined boundary is essential for the effectiveness of the ISMS and for successful certification, as an auditor will use it to determine what is and isn’t included in their review.

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Stuart Barker, ISO 27001 expert

Stuart Barker
ISO 27001 Expert and Thought Leader

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Stuart Barker, ISO 27001 expert

About the author

Stuart Barker is an information security practitioner of over 30 years. He holds an MSc in Software and Systems Security and an undergraduate degree in Software Engineering. He is an ISO 27001 expert and thought leader holding both ISO 27001 Lead Implementer and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor qualifications. In 2010 he started his first cyber security consulting business that he sold in 2018. He worked for over a decade for GE, leading a data governance team across Europe and since then has gone on to deliver hundreds of client engagements and audits.

He regularly mentors and trains professionals on information security and runs a successful ISO 27001 YouTube channel where he shows people how they can implement ISO 27001 themselves. He is passionate that knowledge should not be hoarded and brought to market the first of its kind online ISO 27001 store for all the tools and templates people need when they want to do it themselves.

In his personal life he is an active and a hobbyist kickboxer.

His specialisms are ISO 27001 and SOC 2 and his niche is start up and early stage business.