What is ISO 27001?

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ISO 27001 is the internationally recognized standard for information security management systems (ISMS).

It helps organizations of any size or industry protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their information assets.

More than a checkbox, it enables companies to manage security risks through a structured, continually improving framework.

Why it matters: With cybersecurity threats rising and regulatory expectations tightening, ISO 27001 certification communicates trust to customers, investors, and partners.

It shows that your business takes a proactive, risk-based approach to securing data.

What is ISO 27001 and how does it work?

ISO/IEC 27001:2022 defines the requirements for establishing, implementing, and improving an ISMS—essentially, a management system designed to protect information based on risk.

The process begins with defining the context of your organization, including stakeholder expectations and applicable legal or regulatory obligations.

You then conduct a risk assessment, select controls based on those risks, document them in a Statement of Applicability, and implement measures to manage the risks effectively.

Certification is optional, but for many, it's essential.

Working with an accredited certification body (CB) ensures third-party verification against the standard.

Initial certification involves two audit stages: a Stage 1 review of your documentation and planning, followed by a Stage 2 evaluation of implementation and effectiveness.

After certification, you're subject to annual surveillance audits and a recertification audit every three years.

This ensures the ISMS remains effective and aligned with current risks.

ISO 27001 through the years: the historical approach

Historically, ISO 27001 certification was a manual and consultant-heavy process.

Organizations would engage external advisors for months—sometimes years—to build policy and control documentation from scratch, conduct manual risk assessments, and prepare for audits on a one-off basis.

A common path looked like this: assemble a compliance team, hire a consultant, create a set of siloed documents, and scramble to collect evidence leading up to the audit window.

The result was a scramble-driven process, heavy in documentation but lacking ongoing visibility.

The 2013 revision of ISO 27001 introduced clearer requirements but still relied heavily on static documentation.

Internal audits, management reviews, and evidence collection became compliance rituals tied to annual timelines—not continuous improvement.

Why it matters: ISO 27001 wasn’t designed to be rigid.

But in practice, organizations often treated it as a snapshot achievement rather than a living program.

That undermined its real value: security embedded into the business.

Common challenges with ISO 27001 implementation

Even today, many teams run into the same obstacles when pursuing ISO 27001 certification.

Choosing the right certification body. Not all auditors are alike.

Choosing a non-accredited certification body can jeopardize trust in your certificate.

Accredited CBs follow strict rules under ISO/IEC 17021‑1 and ISO/IEC 27006‑1, ensuring their audits are impartial and competent.

Partnering with unqualified or conflicted providers introduces risk—certificates may not be accepted by customers or regulators.

Misaligned ISMS scope. A vague or overly broad scope can derail the process early.

If your scope doesn’t reflect how your business operates or what systems store sensitive data, your ISMS won’t protect what matters most.

Weak risk assessments. ISO 27001 is a risk-based standard.

But many teams overlook the tie between their risk assessment results and the controls they select.

That disconnect often leads to nonconformities during Stage 1 or Stage 2 audits.

Incomplete internal reviews. Certification requires internal audits and management reviews to be in place before your certificate audit.

These aren’t formalities—they demonstrate leadership involvement and program maturity.

Rushing them or skipping them altogether will set back your timeline.

Document chaos and manual evidence collection. Without clear ownership and centralized systems, evidence collection for the audit becomes a race against time.

Screenshot folders, emailed policies, and scattered logs prolong readiness and increase the chance of audit findings.

Why it matters: These aren’t edge cases—they’re common roadblocks.

And each one can delay or derail your path to certification.

The future of ISO 27001: what to expect in 2026

Organizations pursuing ISO 27001 over the next few years will do so in a different context than even a few years ago.

ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is the new baseline. The 2022 revision updates Annex A controls, emphasizes organizational context, and modernizes risk treatment approaches.

Certification bodies have set transition deadlines—many as early as October 2025—to migrate existing certificates to ISO/IEC 27001:2022.

If your organization is certified to the 2013 standard, you’ll need to demonstrate conformance with the new version soon.

Hybrid audits are here to stay. Recent updates to ISO/IEC 27006‑1 have clarified procedures for remote audits.

Certification bodies now have more flexibility to conduct hybrid or fully remote assessments—good news for teams managing distributed environments.

Auditor qualifications are shifting. The updated 27006‑1 standard removed strict hour-based experience requirements and now focuses on demonstrated competence.

That means CBs must prove their auditors understand security risks, industry context, and control effectiveness—not just that they’ve completed training.

Security as a business enabler. Increasingly, companies are aligning ISO 27001 with broader governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) strategies.

Risk registers, control rationalization, and multi-framework harmonization are no longer nice-to-haves—they’re key to reducing redundant work and maintaining scalable, real-time compliance.

Continuous monitoring and automation take center stage. Compliance can no longer run on annual checklists.

Tools that centralize evidence, monitor control effectiveness, and alert stakeholders to risks in real time are fast becoming standard operating practice.

Why it matters: ISO 27001 isn’t standing still.

And neither are your stakeholders.

Customers, investors, and regulators will expect more than just a certificate—they’ll want evidence that your security posture is strong year-round.

How Thoropass simplifies and accelerates ISO 27001

Compliance shouldn’t slow you down.

Thoropass streamlines ISO 27001 certification by combining expert guidance, smart automation, and audit execution into a single platform.

One platform, full visibility. Instead of juggling consultants, disconnected tools, or unclear communication between teams and auditors, Thoropass gives you a centralized view of your controls, evidence, status, and risk posture.

No more guessing where you stand.

Guided workflows and smart tasking. Thoropass walks you through ISO 27001 implementation step by step, from defining your ISMS scope to building your Statement of Applicability.

Risk assessments, internal audits, and management reviews are built into the workflow—reducing prep time and improving accuracy.

Continuous monitoring built in. Instead of manual evidence collection, Thoropass connects to your systems to automatically collect logs, user access reviews, and control evidence—ensuring that your compliance program is always audit-ready.

Integrated internal and external audits. Our certified auditors conduct your readiness and certification audits in the same platform where your controls and evidence live.

And because our audit team operates independently of implementation support, you meet all impartiality requirements under the standard.

Multi-framework mapping. Pursuing SOC 2 or other frameworks alongside ISO 27001?

Thoropass maps controls across frameworks to reduce redundancy, increase efficiency, and scale your compliance program as your business grows.

Why it matters: Whether you’re pursuing ISO 27001 for the first time or preparing for the 2022 transition, Thoropass cuts time, reduces manual effort, and ensures your ISMS is aligned with how your business operates.

Schedule a discovery session today, and see how Thoropass can help you build a security program that scales.