Description

This curriculum spans the full lifecycle of an ISO 27001 implementation, equivalent in depth and structure to a multi-phase organisational programme involving governance setup, risk analysis, control design, internal assurance, and certification preparation.

Module 1: Establishing Governance Framework and Leadership Accountability

Define the scope of the ISMS with clear inclusion and exclusion criteria for business units, systems, and geographic locations.
Assign Information Security Roles and Responsibilities (e.g., Information Security Officer, Data Owners, Custodians) across departments.
Secure formal commitment from top management through documented policies and resource allocation decisions.
Determine reporting lines for security incidents and compliance status to the executive board or audit committee.
Integrate ISMS objectives with existing enterprise risk management and corporate governance structures.
Establish a governance steering committee with defined meeting cadence and decision authority.
Align security governance with regulatory mandates such as GDPR, SOX, or industry-specific requirements.
Document decision-making protocols for exceptions to security policies and controls.

Module 2: Risk Assessment and Treatment Methodology Design

Select and document a risk assessment approach (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative, asset-based vs. threat-based).
Define risk criteria including likelihood and impact scales, risk appetite, and risk thresholds.
Conduct asset identification and classification workshops with business stakeholders.
Facilitate threat and vulnerability analysis using internal incident data and external threat intelligence.
Produce a risk register with documented risk owners and mitigation timelines.
Choose risk treatment options (accept, mitigate, transfer, avoid) with justification for each high-risk item.
Validate risk treatment plans with control effectiveness metrics and residual risk evaluations.
Implement a process for periodic risk reassessment and trigger-based updates (e.g., post-incident, new system).

Module 3: Statement of Applicability (SoA) Development and Justification

Map ISO 27001 Annex A controls to identified risks and organizational context.
Document justification for inclusion or exclusion of each Annex A control in the SoA.
Obtain formal sign-off from risk owners and management on the SoA.
Ensure SoA reflects legal, regulatory, and contractual control requirements.
Link each applicable control to responsible roles and implementation timelines.
Integrate SoA with internal audit scope and control testing plans.
Maintain version control and change logs for SoA updates.
Align SoA with other compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST, CIS) to reduce duplication.

Module 4: Security Policy and Documentation Hierarchy

Develop an information security policy signed by executive leadership with measurable objectives.
Create a documentation hierarchy including policies, procedures, work instructions, and records.
Define document ownership, review cycles, and approval workflows for security documentation.
Implement access controls for sensitive security documents based on need-to-know principles.
Standardize templates and naming conventions for consistency across security documentation.
Integrate documentation updates with change management processes.
Ensure multilingual versions of critical policies are available for global operations.
Archive superseded documents with retention periods aligned to legal requirements.

Module 5: Access Control Strategy and Identity Governance

Define user access provisioning and deprovisioning workflows across HR and IT systems.
Implement role-based access control (RBAC) with regular access reviews and recertification.
Establish privileged access management (PAM) for administrative and root accounts.
Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for remote access and critical systems.
Define password policies balancing usability and security (e.g., length vs. complexity).
Implement segregation of duties (SoD) rules to prevent conflict of interest in key processes.
Monitor and log access to sensitive data with alerting on anomalous behavior.
Conduct periodic access audits and remediate excessive or orphaned accounts.

Module 6: Incident Management and Breach Response

Define incident classification criteria and escalation paths based on impact and sensitivity.
Establish a cross-functional incident response team with defined roles and contact lists.
Develop playbooks for common incident types (e.g., phishing, ransomware, data exfiltration).
Implement logging and monitoring capabilities to detect and correlate security events.
Define criteria and procedures for regulatory breach notifications (e.g., 72-hour GDPR reporting).
Conduct tabletop exercises and post-exercise improvement actions.
Document root cause analysis and implement corrective actions for recurring incidents.
Integrate incident data into risk assessment and control improvement processes.

Module 7: Third-Party Risk and Supplier Security Management

Classify suppliers based on data sensitivity and criticality to operations.
Include security requirements in procurement contracts and service level agreements (SLAs).
Conduct due diligence assessments for high-risk vendors prior to engagement.
Define audit rights and evidence collection processes for third-party compliance verification.
Monitor supplier compliance through periodic reviews and questionnaires.
Enforce data protection controls for cloud service providers (e.g., encryption, data residency).
Establish incident notification requirements and response coordination with vendors.
Terminate supplier access and retrieve data upon contract expiration or termination.

Module 8: Internal Audit and Compliance Verification

Develop an annual audit plan covering all ISMS components and high-risk areas.
Select qualified internal auditors with independence from audited functions.
Create audit checklists aligned with ISO 27001:2022 control objectives and SoA.
Conduct audits using sample-based testing and evidence validation techniques.
Document non-conformities with root cause and required corrective actions.
Track closure of audit findings with evidence of implementation and effectiveness.
Report audit results to management with trend analysis and risk insights.
Use audit findings to inform management review and continual improvement.

Module 9: Management Review and Continual Improvement

Schedule regular management review meetings with predefined agenda and inputs.
Present performance metrics such as control effectiveness, incident trends, and audit results.
Evaluate changes in internal and external issues affecting the ISMS (e.g., new regulations, M&A).
Review resource adequacy and approve budget requests for security initiatives.
Assess achievement of information security objectives and update targets as needed.
Document decisions on policy changes, risk treatment updates, and organizational adjustments.
Assign action items with owners and deadlines based on review outcomes.
Integrate feedback from audits, incidents, and stakeholder input into improvement plans.

Module 10: Certification Readiness and External Audit Preparation

Select an accredited certification body and agree on audit scope and timeline.
Conduct a pre-certification gap assessment against ISO 27001:2022 requirements.
Remediate identified gaps with documented evidence of implementation.
Compile audit evidence including policies, records, logs, and meeting minutes.
Conduct a mock external audit with internal or third-party assessors.
Prepare personnel for auditor interviews with role-specific briefing materials.
Coordinate site access, system access, and documentation sharing for audit teams.
Respond to auditor findings during stage 1 and stage 2 assessments with corrective action plans.