Summary
The post provides insights into correctly setting an ISMS scope for the ISO 27001 certification. It discusses the requirements of ISO 27001 regarding the scope, how to write a scope statement, and more.
In today’s digitalized world, taking additional precautions to protect your company data is essential. And obtaining the ISO 27001 certification is the perfect step towards data protection.
However, to obtain the accreditation, your company must undergo several critical steps, including setting the scope of your information security management system.
But if you are unfamiliar with the ISO certification process, setting a scope for your management system can be daunting. Plus, the slightest mistake in the scope can lengthen your certification process.
Luckily, learning how to create a flawless scope for your ISMS is not hard. And you can start from right here!
So, continue reading, as the following section provides the most crucial details for setting an ISMS scope for your company!
The Scope of Your ISMS for the ISO 27001 Certification: Purpose
The primary purpose of an ISMS scope is to define the information your organization wants to protect. Regardless of the type or storage of that information, your ISMS scope should be able to clearly demonstrate how the organization is responsible for protecting that information.
For example, your organization is responsible for protecting its laptops given to the employees even if employees use them to work from home.
The scope is also crucial for ISO 27001 certification because auditors use them to ensure the ISMS elements work well and learn about all the departments involved in the system.
What are the Requirements of the ISO 27001 Certification Regarding the Scope?
According to the latest version of ISO 27001, you must fulfil these requirements when setting the scope of your information security management system:
• The scope must consider your organization’s external and internal issues impacting its information security as defined in clause 4.1
• Also, the scope should consider all the requirements of interested parties, as highlighted in clause 4.2
• Additionally, you should consider the dependencies and interfaces between the occurrences within the outside world and your ISMS
• The scope should include a description of your location and organizational units
• ISO 27001 controls also require you to record your ISMS scope through documentation. You can keep this documentation separate or merge it with other documents, like your information security policy
How to Define the ISMS Scope as per the ISO 27001 Standard?
According to ISO 27001:2022, deciding the scope boundaries is critical to successfully implement and operate an ISMS.
So, consider the following points to define the scope of your ISMS:
• Find out which external and internal issues should be in the scope. For instance, ask yourself which department of the business handles the most sensitive information
• Determine who can influence the scope. This can be stakeholders, shareholders, or government authorities.
• Locate the dependencies and interfaces that can influence the scope.
• Check which department or devices don’t belong to the scope, like the private devices of your employees.
• Next, you can start writing the scope document.
How to Write a Scope Statement for ISO 27001:2022 Certification?
Your ISMS scope document should be short and straightforward, and it must include the following matters:
• List of services and processes that falls under the scope
• The departments and units that come under the scope
• The physical locations mentioned in the scope
• Things that you have excluded from the scope
Summing Up
Writing a scope statement for the ISO 27001 certification does not have to be challenging. All you must do is focus on all the internal and external factors and interests that can affect your organization’s ISMS. Then, you can follow the above tips to draft the perfect scope statement for the system.
