Business context refers to the internal and external factors that influence an organisation’s objectives, strategies, and ability to achieve them. In the context of ISO 27001, understanding this is the foundational step for building an effective Information Security Management System (ISMS).
Key Components
- Internal Context: This includes factors within the organisation, such as its culture, governance, objectives, resources, and relationships with employees. For example, a company with a remote workforce has a different internal context than one with all employees in a single office.
- External Context: This involves factors outside the organisation, such as regulatory and legal requirements, technological changes, competitive landscape, and socio-economic conditions. For instance, an organisation handling credit card data must consider the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) as part of its external context.
ISO 27001 Context
The business context provides the framework for identifying and managing information security risks. By understanding its unique environment, an organisation can tailor its ISMS to protect the information that is most critical to its success. This is a core requirement of ISO 27001 Clause 4.1: Understanding the Context of the Organisation of the ISO 27001 standard.
