Standards Comparison

    ISO 19600

    Voluntary
    2014

    Guidelines for establishing compliance management systems

    VS

    ISO 22301

    Voluntary
    2019

    International standard for business continuity management systems

    Quick Verdict

    ISO 19600 offers guidelines for compliance management systems across all organizations, while ISO 22301 specifies certifiable requirements for business continuity. Companies adopt 19600 for governance frameworks and 22301 for resilient operations against disruptions.

    Compliance Management

    ISO 19600

    ISO 19600:2014 Compliance management systems — Guidelines

    Cost
    €€€
    Complexity
    Medium
    Implementation Time
    6-12 months

    Key Features

    • Explicit governance principles for compliance independence
    • PDCA cycle and high-level management structure
    • Risk-based identification of broad obligations
    • Scalable guidelines for all organizations
    • Integration with other ISO management systems
    Business Continuity

    ISO 22301

    ISO 22301:2019 Business continuity management systems Requirements

    Cost
    €€€
    Complexity
    Medium
    Implementation Time
    0-6 months

    Key Features

    • PDCA cycle for continual BCMS improvement
    • Business Impact Analysis prioritizing critical functions
    • Risk assessment integrated with operational controls
    • Annex SL alignment for ISO 27001 integration
    • Mandatory testing exercises and internal audits

    Detailed Analysis

    A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

    ISO 19600 Details

    What It Is

    ISO 19600:2014 provides guidelines (not requirements) for establishing, implementing, evaluating, maintaining, and improving compliance management systems (CMS). It uses a risk-based, principles-driven approach applicable to all organizations, emphasizing proportionality to size, structure, and complexity.

    Key Components

    • Core pillars: context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, improvement.
    • Built on PDCA cycle and Annex SL high-level structure.
    • Governance principles: compliance function independence, direct board access, adequate resources.
    • No certification; voluntary alignment and benchmarking.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mitigates compliance risks (legal, contractual, voluntary obligations).
    • Enhances governance, culture, and integration with other systems (e.g., ISO 9001, 14001).
    • Builds regulator defensibility, stakeholder trust, operational efficiency.
    • Strategic enabler for penalties reduction and market access.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: gap analysis, policy design, controls, training, monitoring.
    • Scalable for SMEs (6-12 months) to enterprises (12-36 months).
    • Universal applicability; no audits required, but internal reviews recommended. (178 words)

    ISO 22301 Details

    What It Is

    ISO 22301:2019 is the international standard specifying requirements for a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). It provides a framework to protect against, respond to, and recover from disruptions to critical products and services. Adopting the Annex SL high-level structure and PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle, it uses a risk-based approach aligned with standards like ISO 27001.

    Key Components

    • Clauses 4-10 cover context, leadership, planning (BIA/RA), support, operations (strategies/testing), performance evaluation (audits/reviews), and improvement.
    • No prescriptive controls; focuses on tailored processes, documented information, competence, and exercises.
    • Certifiable via accredited bodies with 3-year cycles and annual surveillance.

    Why Organizations Use It

    Drives resilience against cyberattacks, disasters, and supply failures; reduces downtime/losses, lowers insurance premiums, ensures regulatory compliance (e.g., NIS). Builds stakeholder trust, enhances competitiveness, enables integrated management systems for holistic protection.

    Implementation Overview

    Gap analysis, leadership buy-in, BIA/RA, policy/training, testing, audits. Suited for all sizes/sectors globally; accelerated (e.g., 6 months) via platforms like ISMS.online; two-stage certification audits.

    Key Differences

    Scope

    ISO 19600
    Compliance obligations and risks
    ISO 22301
    Business continuity and disruptions

    Industry

    ISO 19600
    All organizations worldwide
    ISO 22301
    All sectors, high-risk industries

    Nature

    ISO 19600
    Guidelines, non-certifiable
    ISO 22301
    Requirements, certifiable standard

    Testing

    ISO 19600
    Internal audits, management reviews
    ISO 22301
    Exercises, simulations, audits

    Penalties

    ISO 19600
    No formal penalties
    ISO 22301
    Loss of certification

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions about ISO 19600 and ISO 22301

    ISO 19600 FAQ

    ISO 22301 FAQ

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