ISO 27001 Checklist with Downloadable

Any data breach spells disaster for your company. At times when client trust is as fragile as a house of cards, adhering to standards like ISO 27001 is critical to maintaining your reputation. 

Last year, 43% of companies failed a compliance audit, making them ten times more likely to experience a data breach. Among those that failed, 31% had a data breach within the same year, compared to just 3% of those that passed. 

This strong link between compliance and data security highlights how crucial ISO 27001 is for protecting your organization. Meeting these standards helps you avoid fines, secure your data, maintain customer trust, and safeguard your business’s future.

What is ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 is the internationally recognized Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) standard. It offers a systematic approach to managing sensitive company information, focusing on its confidentiality, integrity, and availability. 

This certification is a smart move for any organization, no matter the size or industry, that wants to tackle information security risks head-on and manage them effectively. It adds significant business value by enhancing customer trust and competitive advantage.

Once certified, your ISO 27001 status remains valid for three years. During this period, you'll need to undergo regular surveillance audits, usually on an annual basis. After the initial three years, a recertification audit is required to maintain your certification.



The ISO 207001 certification process

Getting ISO 27001 certified involves three main steps:

• Step 1 - The auditor examines your documentation and identifies gaps where your practices do not meet the requirements. This stage often highlights insecure coding, improper logging and monitoring, and areas where security controls could be better integrated into your SDLC workflows.
• Step 2 - The auditor conducts a thorough evaluation, including an on-site visit, a detailed review of your policies and procedures, and interviews with key staff.
• Step 3 - An external auditor then performs the final certification audit, testing the effectiveness of your security measures and confirming that your ISMS fully complies with ISO 27001 standards. The auditor will look for evidence that your ISMS adapts to changing risks from software releases, updates to your infrastructure, or shifts in the threat landscape. 

Why you need an ISO 27001 checklist

• Understanding Requirements - ISO 27001’s requirements can be complex, making it hard to know where to start. A checklist breaks down these requirements into clear, manageable steps.
• Documentation - Certification involves significant paperwork, including policies, procedures, risk assessments, and incident reports. Keeping these documents comprehensive and current is critical to audit readiness.
• Risk Management - Creating a risk register, evaluating risks, and developing mitigation strategies under ISO 27001 requires careful attention. Identifying and addressing every potential risk is no small feat.
• Change Management - Managing changes in your ISMS involves documenting every change, assessing its impact on security, and communicating these changes. 
• Maintaining Certification - Certification is an ongoing process. To maintain it, you must regularly review and update security policies, conduct internal audits, and verify that staff follow procedures. 



The complete ISO 27001 checklist

1. Establish an ISMS (Information Security Management System)

Creating a robust ISMS is your pathway to ISO 27001 certification. This system protects sensitive information and provides a structured approach to managing risks, meeting compliance requirements, and strengthening defenses against cyber threats.

• Define the scope of the ISMS by identifying the information assets, processes, and business units it will cover.
• Develop an information security policy that outlines your objectives and establishes a framework for handling security controls.
• Appoint an ISMS team with cross-functional representation from IT, HR, legal, and other relevant departments.
• Align the scope definition with critical assets like source code repositories, development pipelines, and cloud environments.

2. Get leadership buy-in

Getting leadership buy-in is essential for the success of your ISMS. To get senior management on board, clearly explain the benefits of ISO compliance, using data to show the impact of security breaches and how an ISMS can prevent them. 

When leadership takes ownership of security initiatives, it sets the tone for the organization to be more proactive and security-conscious.

• Assign clear roles and responsibilities for ISMS management.

• Clearly explain the benefits of establishing an ISMS and complying with ISO, using data to back this up. 

• Regularly communicate between leadership and the ISMS team through meetings and progress reports.

• Allocate necessary resources (time, budget, personnel).



3. Perform a risk assessment

ISO 27001 requires a structured approach to risk assessment. This process is crucial for identifying all information assets, such as databases, application servers, CI/CD pipelines, and customer data.  This assessment must extend beyond traditional IT infrastructure and include critical software elements like APIs, third-party libraries, and cloud environments. 

For each potential threat you find, consider the possible financial loss, legal consequences, or operational disruption should it materialize. After prioritizing vulnerabilities, you can develop a risk treatment plan to define the controls and resources required to mitigate each risk. 

• Evaluate current controls through a gap analysis to spot any weaknesses. 

• Conduct risk identification workshops to gather input from various departments.

• Develop a risk assessment methodology that aligns with ISO 27001 guidelines.

• Engage stakeholders to define the organization’s risk appetite.

• Document risks, prioritize them, and create a risk treatment plan.

4. Implement security controls

Deploy appropriate security controls to mitigate identified risks. ISO 27001 Annex A offers a comprehensive list of control objectives and controls organized into 14 domains, including information security policies, asset management, access control, cryptography, and physical security. 

Jit’s Open ASPM platform helps you implement the proper security controls across your application, infrastructure, and cloud. Jit integrates with dozens of robust security tools, automating security testing across your pipeline and making it easier to create a tailored security plan that covers your specific needs and weaknesses. 

Available tools include OWASP ZAP for dynamic application security testing (DAST), Trivy for container scanning, Prowler for AWS security assessments and audits, and Semgrep for static code analysis. 

• Create a control implementation roadmap detailing each control's deployment timeline, responsible personnel, and required resources.

• Deploy technical controls like intrusion detection systems and data loss prevention tools.

• Use tools like Jit to ensure that you are implementing the proper controls and automate security testing. 

• Establish physical security measures such as biometric access controls and surveillance systems.

• Develop policies and procedures for data monitoring and handling, incident response, and user training.



5. Documentation and record keeping

Proper documentation provides a clear, auditable trail that shows your ISMS is functioning as intended and meeting all ISO requirements. Detailed records help track progress and measure the effectiveness of implemented controls over time, offering insights that drive continuous improvement and adaptation. 

• Document the ISMS by maintaining detailed records of the scope, policies, procedures, and controls.

• Keep logs of all security activities: record incidents, changes, and audits to create a comprehensive history of ISMS performance. 

• Store records securely with strong access controls and encryption. 



6. Provide security training

Training your employees on information security policies and procedures is critical to ensuring compliance and creating a security-aware culture. ISO 27001 mandates that you ensure your staff are competent through appropriate education, training, or experience. A well-crafted training program helps your team understand their roles in the ISMS, spot security risks, and follow established protocols.

• Schedule regular training sessions, including initial onboarding and ongoing refresher courses. 
• Customize training content for different roles and offer in-depth training on secure coding, vulnerability management, and security tools for SAST, DAST, and automated scanning within CI/CD pipelines.
• Use quizzes, practical exercises, and simulations to measure training effectiveness and verify that employees can apply what they’ve learned.
• Maintain training attendance records, content covered, and assessment results to provide evidence during audits.

7. Monitoring and review

Security is an ongoing project. Schedule and conduct internal audits to spot non-compliance and areas for improvement. These audits will help you continuously check the effectiveness of your controls and adjust as needed, ensuring continuous security monitoring. You should also hold management reviews with top leadership to evaluate ISMS performance and make strategic decisions. 

• Use automated tools to collect and analyze security metrics continuously.
• Establish a schedule for periodic risk reassessments.
• Implement a feedback loop for employees to report security issues and suggestions.
• Regularly update incident response plans based on lessons learned from tracked incidents.

Streamline your path to ISO 27001 certification with Jit

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 certification can be challenging due to its complexity and the resources it demands. The process involves ongoing compliance checks, detailed risk assessments, and a lot of documentation.

Jit automates vital parts of information security management, helping you navigate the certification journey smoothly. It offers tools like Trivy and OWASP ZAP for risk assessments and automatically takes care of your documentation. With real-time alerts, detailed audit trails, and customizable security controls, the ASPM platform makes it much simpler to achieve and maintain ISO 27001 certification. Learn more here.