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Interested Parties

11/09/2025

Author: Stuart Barker | ISO 27001 Expert and Thought Leader

Interested Parties Definition - ISO 27001 Glossary

Individuals or organisations that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by a decision or activity related to the information security management system (ISMS). Also known as stakeholders, these parties can be both internal and external to your organisation.

Examples

  • Internal: Employees, management, shareholders, and IT department personnel.
  • External: Customers, suppliers, regulators (e.g., those enforcing GDPR or HIPAA), business partners, and auditors.

ISO 27001 Context

Identifying interested parties is a key requirement of ISO 27001 Clause 4.2: Understanding The Needs And Expectations of Interested Parties. The organisation must determine who these parties are and what their specific needs and expectations are regarding information security. This understanding is crucial for designing an effective ISMS that meets both internal and external demands. For example, a customer might have an expectation of data privacy, while a regulator might have a legal requirement for data breach reporting.

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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.