What is the primary objective of **ISO 37301**?

**ISO 37301 specifies requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving an effective Compliance Management System (CMS).** Published on 13 April 2021, it replaces the guidance-only ISO 19600 by introducing certifiable 'shall' requirements, following the High-Level Structure (HLS) and Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle to systematically identify compliance obligations, assess risks, and foster a culture of integrity.

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with **ISO 37301**?

**No organization is legally required to comply with ISO 37301, as it is a voluntary certifiable standard applicable to all sizes and sectors.** It is professionally adopted by organizations seeking third-party assurance for managing compliance obligations, risks, and opportunities, with top management accountable for CMS effectiveness across private, public, and non-profit entities.

Oes **ISO 37301** require an external audit or third-party certification?

**ISO 37301 enables but does not require external audit or third-party certification.** Certification is optional via accredited bodies (e.g., ANAB-accredited), involving initial conformity assessment and surveillance audits in a typical three-year cycle, providing verifiable evidence of CMS conformity.

How often should an assessment for **ISO 37301** be performed?

**ISO 37301 requires internal audits and management reviews at planned intervals based on risk and performance needs.** Monitoring, measurement, and evaluations occur continually, with internal audits risk-based (frequent for high-risk areas), feeding into periodic management reviews for continual improvement.

What are the consequences of non-compliance with **ISO 37301**?

**Non-conformance with ISO 37301 results in internal corrective actions, not legal penalties, as it is voluntary.** Certification loss or suspension may occur via accredited bodies for sustained nonconformities; uncertified organizations face no direct sanctions but risk stakeholder distrust, regulatory exposure, or reputational harm.

An **ISO 37301** be mapped to other international frameworks?

**Yes, ISO 37301 aligns seamlessly with other frameworks via its High-Level Structure (HLS).** It supports integration into Integrated Management Systems (IMS), facilitating shared PDCA cycles, audits, and risk processes while enabling modular use with companion standards like ISO 37302 for effectiveness evaluation.

What is the first step to begin implementing **ISO 37301**?

**The first step is securing top management commitment and determining the organization's context.** This involves analyzing internal/external issues, identifying interested parties and their expectations, scoping the CMS, and inventorying compliance obligations to prioritize material risks in a centralized register.

What is the primary objective of **ISO 27017**?

**ISO 27017 provides cloud-specific implementation guidance for 37 **ISO/IEC 27002** controls and introduces **7 additional cloud-specific controls (CLD.6.3.1, CLD.8.1.5, CLD.9.5.1, CLD.9.5.2, CLD.12.1.5, CLD.12.4.5, CLD.13.1.4)** to address shared responsibilities, multi-tenancy, virtual machine hardening, administrative operations, customer monitoring, and asset lifecycle management in cloud environments.** Published in 2015, it extends **ISO 27001** ISMS for **CSPs** and **CSCs** across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS models.

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with **ISO 27017**?

**No organizations are legally required to comply with **ISO 27017**, as it is a voluntary code of practice, not a regulation.** Professionally, **CSPs** and **CSCs** with significant cloud footprints adopt it to demonstrate due diligence, meet procurement demands, and align with regulatory expectations like GDPR via enhanced **ISMS** controls.

Oes **ISO 27017** require an external audit or third-party certification?

**No, **ISO 27017** does not support standalone certification or require external audits; it is assessed as an extension within **ISO 27001** audits.** Certification bodies evaluate its **37 extended controls** and **7 CLD controls** during **ISO 27001** Stage 1/2 audits, often issuing combined certificates.

How often should an assessment for **ISO 27017** be performed?

**Assessments for **ISO 27017** controls occur annually via **ISO 27001** surveillance audits and every three years during re-certification.** Continuous monitoring of cloud configurations, risks, and changes ensures ongoing conformity within the **ISMS**.

What are the consequences of non-compliance with **ISO 27017**?

**Non-compliance with **ISO 27017** carries no direct legal penalties, as it is voluntary, but exposes organizations to heightened cloud risks like data breaches from poor segregation or misconfigurations.** Indirect impacts include failed procurements, regulatory scrutiny, and loss of **ISO 27001** certification if cloud controls fail audit.

An **ISO 27017** be mapped to other international frameworks?

**Yes, **ISO 27017** maps seamlessly to **ISO 27001**/**27002** and supports alignment with frameworks like NIST SP 800-53 via control matrices.** Its **CLD controls** integrate into existing **ISMS** risk treatment plans, enabling unified compliance reporting.

What is the first step to begin implementing **ISO 27017**?

**The first step is to conduct a cloud-specific risk assessment within your **ISO 27001** **ISMS** to identify multi-tenancy and shared responsibility gaps.** Update the **Statement of Applicability** to include relevant **37** **ISO 27002** controls and **7 CLD controls**, defining **CSP**/**CSC** roles.

ISO 37301 vs ISO 27017

Standards Comparison

ISO 37301

Voluntary

2021

International standard for compliance management systems

ISO 27017

Voluntary

2015

International standard for cloud-specific information security controls

Quick Verdict

ISO 37301 establishes certifiable compliance management systems for all obligations and risks organization-wide, while ISO 27017 provides cloud-specific security guidance within ISO 27001 ISMS. Companies adopt 37301 for broad governance assurance and 27017 to address cloud shared responsibilities.

Compliance Management

ISO 37301

ISO 37301:2021 Compliance management systems – Requirements

Cost

€€€€

Complexity

High

Implementation Time

12-18 months

Key Features

Certifiable requirements standard replacing guidance-only ISO 19600
High-Level Structure enables IMS integration with ISO 9001/27001
Risk-based compliance obligations identification and assessment
Leadership commitment and compliance culture emphasis
Robust whistleblowing channels with anti-retaliation protections

Cloud Security

ISO 27017

ISO/IEC 27017:2015 Code of practice for cloud security controls

Cost

€€€

Complexity

Medium

Implementation Time

6-12 months

Key Features

Clarifies shared responsibilities between CSPs and CSCs
Adds 7 cloud-specific CLD controls for multi-tenancy
Provides guidance for 37 ISO 27002 controls in clouds
Addresses VM hardening and segregation in virtual environments
Integrates into ISO 27001 audits without standalone certification

Detailed Analysis

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

ISO 37301 Details

What It Is

ISO 37301:2021, titled Compliance management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, is a certifiable international standard for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving effective compliance management systems (CMS). It applies universally across organization sizes and sectors, using a risk-based, PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) approach aligned with the ISO High-Level Structure (HLS).

Key Components

Core clauses: context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, improvement.
Emphasizes leadership commitment, risk assessment, whistleblowing protections, internal audits, and continual improvement.
Built on HLS for integration; companion standards like ISO 37302 (effectiveness) and ISO 37303 (competence).
Certification via accredited bodies like ANAB.

Why Organizations Use It

Drives regulatory compliance, reduces risks/fines, builds integrity culture, enhances stakeholder trust, supports ESG/SDGs, and provides competitive certification edge amid rising enforcement.

Implementation Overview

Phased: gap analysis, obligation register, controls/training, audits. Scalable for SMEs/enterprises; 3-year certification cycles. Involves resources, cultural change, tech platforms.

ISO 27017 Details

What It Is

ISO/IEC 27017:2015 is a code of practice extending ISO/IEC 27002 with cloud-specific guidance for information security controls. It adopts a control-based approach within an ISO 27001 ISMS, focusing on public, private, and hybrid clouds across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS models. Its primary purpose is to address cloud-unique risks like shared responsibilities and multi-tenancy.

Key Components

Guidance for 37 ISO 27002 controls adapted to cloud contexts.
7 additional CLD controls for shared roles, VM segregation, hardening, admin ops, monitoring, and asset removal.
Built on ISO 27001 risk management; not standalone certification but integrated into ISO 27001 audits.

Why Organizations Use It

Meets procurement demands and regulatory overlaps (e.g., GDPR).
Clarifies CSP-CSC responsibilities, reducing risk gaps.
Enhances trust, differentiates CSPs, supports multi-framework mapping.

Implementation Overview

Extend existing ISO 27001 ISMS via risk assessment and control mapping.
Key activities: document shared responsibilities, configure logging/segregation, audit integration.
Suited for CSPs, cloud users; global applicability; joint audits in 9-12 months.

Key Differences

Aspect	ISO 37301	ISO 27017
Scope	Compliance obligations, risks, culture across all operations	Cloud-specific information security controls
Industry	All sectors, sizes, global applicability	Cloud providers/customers, IT-heavy sectors, global
Nature	Certifiable CMS requirements standard, voluntary	Guidance code for 27001, not independently certifiable
Testing	ISO 27001-style audits, 3-year certification cycle	Assessed within ISO 27001 audits, no standalone
Penalties	Loss of certification, no legal penalties	No certification penalties, implementation gaps

Scope

ISO 37301

Compliance obligations, risks, culture across all operations

ISO 27017

Cloud-specific information security controls

Industry

ISO 37301

All sectors, sizes, global applicability

ISO 27017

Cloud providers/customers, IT-heavy sectors, global

Nature

ISO 37301

Certifiable CMS requirements standard, voluntary

ISO 27017

Guidance code for 27001, not independently certifiable

Testing

ISO 37301

ISO 27001-style audits, 3-year certification cycle

ISO 27017

Assessed within ISO 27001 audits, no standalone

Penalties

ISO 37301

Loss of certification, no legal penalties

ISO 27017

No certification penalties, implementation gaps

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about ISO 37301 and ISO 27017

ISO 37301 FAQ

ISO 27017 FAQ

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ISO 37301

ISO 27017

Quick Verdict

ISO 37301

Key Features

ISO 27017

Key Features

Detailed Analysis

ISO 37301 Details

What It Is

Key Components

Why Organizations Use It

Implementation Overview

ISO 27017 Details

What It Is

Key Components

Why Organizations Use It

Implementation Overview

Key Differences

Scope

Industry

Nature

Testing

Penalties

Frequently Asked Questions

ISO 37301 FAQ

What is the primary objective of ISO 37301?

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with ISO 37301?

Oes ISO 37301 require an external audit or third-party certification?

How often should an assessment for ISO 37301 be performed?

What are the consequences of non-compliance with ISO 37301?

An ISO 37301 be mapped to other international frameworks?

What is the first step to begin implementing ISO 37301?

ISO 27017 FAQ

What is the primary objective of ISO 27017?

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with ISO 27017?

Oes ISO 27017 require an external audit or third-party certification?

How often should an assessment for ISO 27017 be performed?

What are the consequences of non-compliance with ISO 27017?

An ISO 27017 be mapped to other international frameworks?

What is the first step to begin implementing ISO 27017?

You Might also be Interested in These Articles...

SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria in Plain English: Side-by-Side Decoder for Security, Availability, and Beyond

The 'Black Box' Risk: Why Human-in-the-Loop is the Ultimate Fail-Safe for 2026 Security Operations

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5.1 Private Sector Tailoring Blueprint: First 5 Steps to Overlay-Driven Compliance with Infographic

Run Maturity Assessments with GRADUM

Check out these other Gradum.io Standards Comparison Pages

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PRINCE2 vs MAS TRM

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