ISO 27001
International standard for information security management systems
ISO 37001
International standard for anti-bribery management systems
Quick Verdict
ISO 27001 certifies information security management for all industries, protecting data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. ISO 37001 establishes anti-bribery systems to prevent, detect, and respond to corruption risks. Organizations adopt both for compliance, risk reduction, and market trust.
ISO 27001
ISO/IEC 27001:2022
Key Features
- Risk-based Information Security Management System
- 93 Annex A controls in four themes
- Plan-Do-Check-Act continual improvement cycle
- Internationally recognized certification standard
- Technology-agnostic across all industries
ISO 37001
ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management Systems
Key Features
- Risk-based bribery risk assessment
- Third-party due diligence requirements
- Leadership commitment and policy
- Financial and non-financial controls
- PDCA continual improvement cycle
Detailed Analysis
A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.
ISO 27001 Details
What It Is
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is an international certification standard for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It uses a risk-based approach to manage information assets' confidentiality, integrity, and availability across all industries.
Key Components
- **Clauses 4-10Mandatory requirements for context, leadership, planning, support, operation, evaluation, and improvement.
- **Annex A93 controls in four themes (Organizational: 37, People: 8, Physical: 14, Technological: 34).
- Built on PDCA cycle for continual improvement.
- **Certification modelTwo-stage audits, annual surveillance, triennial recertification.
Why Organizations Use It
- Enhances cyber resilience and reduces breach costs (avg. $4.45M).
- Meets regulatory/contractual needs (GDPR, NIS2); voluntary but indispensable.
- Provides competitive edge via trust signaling and bid wins.
- Builds stakeholder confidence through audited processes.
Implementation Overview
- Phased: Initiation, risk assessment, control deployment, audits (6-18 months).
- Scalable for SMEs to enterprises; cross-industry.
- Requires gap analysis, Statement of Applicability, internal audits.
ISO 37001 Details
What It Is
ISO 37001 is the international certifiable standard for Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ABMS). It provides requirements and guidance to prevent, detect, and respond to bribery risks. Applicable to all organization types and sizes, it follows a risk-based approach aligned with the ISO Harmonized Structure and PDCA cycle across clauses 4-10.
Key Components
- Core pillars: context/risk assessment, leadership/policy, planning, support/training, operations/controls, performance evaluation, improvement.
- Focus on third-party due diligence, financial/non-financial controls, reporting/investigations.
- Built on proportionality; certifiable via accredited third-party audits (3-year cycle with surveillance).
Why Organizations Use It
- Mitigates legal risks (e.g., FCPA, UK Bribery Act) via evidentiary "reasonable steps".
- Builds reputational trust, operational efficiencies (up to 15% compliance cost reduction), ESG alignment.
- Enables market access, stakeholder confidence in high-risk sectors.
Implementation Overview
- Phased: gap analysis, risk assessment, control design, training, audits.
- Scalable for SMEs to multinationals; global applicability; optional certification by Feb 2027 transition deadline. (178 words)
Key Differences
| Aspect | ISO 27001 | ISO 37001 |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Information security management (CIA triad) | Anti-bribery management (prevention, detection) |
| Industry | All industries, global applicability | All sectors, high-risk corruption areas |
| Nature | Voluntary certification standard | Voluntary certification standard |
| Testing | Internal audits, Stage 1/2 certification | Internal audits, Stage 1/2 certification |
| Penalties | Loss of certification, no legal fines | Loss of certification, no legal fines |
Scope
Industry
Nature
Testing
Penalties
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about ISO 27001 and ISO 37001
ISO 27001 FAQ
ISO 37001 FAQ
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