If you have successfully implemented ISO 27001, you’ll need to perform regular internal audits to ensure your organisation remains compliant with the standard’s requirements. This means you develop an ISO 27001 internal audit plan to help facilitate the continual improvement of your organisation’s ISMS framework. Below is everything you need to know about this standard’s audit requirements.
How Often Do You Need to Carry Out an Internal Audit?
An ISO 27001 framework is usually valid for 3 years from the time of certification. Again, you need to maintain the information security management systems (ISMS) throughout the whole time. Remember the certification body conducts audits annually and may revoke your certification if it fails to meet the requirements.
There are no hard and fast rules on how often an organisation should conduct ISO 2700 internal audits. This is because every organisation’s ISMS framework is unique and should be treated as such. Many experts suggest you perform an ISO 27001 audit at least once per year. This is also when most certification bodies review a company’s information security system.
ISO 27001 Internal Audit Requirements
There are many ISO 27001 requirements that organisations must meet to remain compliant. We’ve created an internal audit checklist you can follow to meet these requirements.
- Effective management review – This is a critical component of any audit activity. Before developing a comprehensive audit plan, you need to collaborate with team leaders to set the appropriate timing and resources for the audit. That may include establishing checkpoints for interim updates to ensure everyone stays afloat of any changes to the framework.
- Updated documentation review – You should also check the documentation you developed during implementation. The purpose of documentation review is to ensure you remain compliant and that the audit’s scope matches your company’s. Documentation review allows you to set limits for what is to be audited.
- Field review – This involves performing a surveillance audit, often scheduled within the first and second years of certification and recertification audits. In this review, you will need to complete audit reports and document the results, conduct audit tests, observe how the standard works in practice, and assess ISMS documents and other related data.
- Analysis – The audit report from the certification should be evaluated in conjunction with your company’s risk management program and control objectives. Sometimes, this analysis may indicate major gaps in the report or the need for further audit tests.
- Report – The last step is to deliver audit findings to the team leaders. Your audit report should include a plan identifying the timing, scope, and objectives of work, a comprehensive summary including crucial findings, a statement showing recommendations, an extensive analysis of the audit findings, and suggested corrective actions.
How Best Practice Biz Can Help
If you’re having trouble implementing and operating your ISO 27001 framework, Best Practice Biz can assist. We offer various programs and services to help with your internal and external audits. You can also contact us if you need help with ISO 27001 certification.
