ISO/IEC 27701:2019

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ISO/IEC 27701:2019 overview

ISO/IEC 27701:2019 is built as an extension of the widely used ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002 standards for information security management. It specifies requirements and provides guidance for a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS), making the implementation of PIMS a helpful compliance extension for the many organizations that rely on ISO/IEC 27001, as well as creating a strong integration point for aligning security and privacy controls. ISO/IEC 27701 accomplishes this integration through a framework for managing personal data that can be used by both data controllers and data processors, a key distinction for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance.

In addition, any ISO/IEC 27701 audit requires the organization to declare applicable laws/regulations in its criteria for the audit meaning that the standard can be mapped to many of the requirements under GDPR, California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), or other laws. Once mapped, the ISO/IEC 27701 operational controls are implemented by privacy professionals and audited by internal or third-party auditors resulting in a certification and comprehensive evidence of conformity. This universal framework allows organizations to efficiently implement compliance with new regulatory requirements.

Applicability

  • Azure
  • Azure Government

Services in scope

For a list of Microsoft cloud services in audit scope, see the Azure ISO/IEC 27701 certificate or Cloud services in audit scope:

  • Azure
  • Dynamics 365
  • Microsoft 365
  • Power Platform

Office 365 and ISO/IEC 27701

For more information about Office 365 compliance, see Office 365 ISO/IEC 27701 documentation.

Audit reports and certificates

The Azure ISO/IEC 27701 certificate covers Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and select Microsoft 365 cloud services. You can access Azure ISO/IEC 27701 audit documents from the Service Trust Portal (STP) ISO reports section. For instructions on how to access audit reports and certificates, see Audit documentation.

Frequently asked questions

How does ISO/IEC 27701 help with evolving regulatory requirements?
ISO/IEC 27701 includes an annex containing the operational controls of the standard that are mapped against relevant requirements in GDPR for controllers and processors. This mapping is just an example of how privacy regulations can be implemented relative to the ISO framework. As additional mappings with other regulations become available and are validated, the operational controls from the standard can be transferred directly from regulatory review to implementation. This universal framework allows organizations to reliably implement the relevant regulatory requirements.

How does ISO/IEC 27701 help with audit costs?
As more privacy regulations come into force in various jurisdictions, the pressure to provide evidence of compliance will also increase. But the costs of disparate regulatory certifications become prohibitive if every regulation calls for its own unique audit. By outlining a set of universal operational controls, ISO/IEC 27701 also outlines a universal compliance framework to audit against, and potentially certify, for multiple regulatory requirements.

It is important to recognize that the establishment of an official GDPR certification requires approval by the European regulators. While the alignment between ISO/IEC 27701 and GDPR is evident, an ISO/IEC 27701 certification shouldn't be taken as evidence of GDPR compliance or official GDPR certification until regulatory decisions are finalized.

How does ISO/IEC 27701 help with commercial agreements involving PII?
Commercial agreements involving movement of personal information may warrant certification of compliance. Modern organizations engage in complex data transfers with a deep network of business partners including partner organizations or co-controllers, processors such as cloud providers, and sub-processors such as vendors who support those same processors. Failure to comply with regulations in any part of this network may lead to cascading compliance issues across the supply chain. This is where a verification of compliance can be valuable beyond the assurance provided by contractual terms between these organizations. Since the global economy dictates that most of these organizations are spread across the world, it is practical to use an international standard from ISO to manage compliance across the network.

This reliance on compliance increases the importance of certification to the standard. While not all companies and organizations need to earn such certification, most will benefit from partners and vendors who do, especially when sensitive or high volumes of data processing are involved.

How does ISO/IEC 27701 relate to ISO/IEC 27001?
ISO/IEC 27701 is built on top of ISO/IEC 27001, one of the most widely adopted international standards for information security management. If your organization is already familiar with ISO/IEC 27001, it is logical and more efficient to integrate the new privacy controls provided by ISO/IEC 27701. This approach means the implementation and audit of both will be less expensive and easier to achieve. Key points of ISO/IEC 27701 and ISO/IEC 27001:

  • ISO/IEC 27001 is one of the most used ISO standards in the world, with many companies already certified to it.
  • ISO/IEC 27701 includes new controller- and processor-specific controls that help bridge the gap between privacy and security. It provides a point of integration between what may be two separate functions in organizations.
  • Privacy depends on security. Likewise, ISO/IEC 27701 depends on ISO/IEC 27001 for security management. Certification for ISO/IEC 27701 must be obtained as an extension of an ISO/IEC 27001 certification and can't be obtained independently.

What should your organization do with ISO/IEC 27701?
No matter the size of your organization and whether it is a controller or a processor, your organization should consider pursuing certification, either for your own organization, or requesting it from vendors or suppliers based on your business requirements. This situation applies especially for processors, sub-processors, and co-controllers that are processing sensitive or high volumes of personal data. Your organization should assess its business needs to determine if certification for its own products and services is suitable.

How can I get the Azure ISO/IEC 27701 audit documentation?
For links to audit documentation, see Audit reports and certificates.

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