Clause 4.3 ISO 27001 Implementation Guideline

Clause 4.3 Determining the scope of the information security management system

Required Activity

Clause 4.3 ISO 27001 Implementation Guideline The organization determines the boundaries and applicability of the ISMS(information security management system) to determine its scope.

Explanation

The scope of the information security defines where and for what precisely the ISMS is applicable and where and for what it’s not. Establishing the scope is therefore a key activity that determines the required foundation for all other activities within the implementation of the ISMS. as an example , risk assessment and risk treatment, including the determination of controls, won’t produce valid results without having a particular understanding of where precisely the ISMS is applicable. Precise knowledge of the boundaries and applicability of the ISMS and therefore the interfaces and dependencies between the organization and other organizations is critical as well. Any later modifications of the scope may result in considerable additional effort and costs.

The following factors can affect the determination of the scope:

a) The external and internal issues described in Understanding the organization and its context;
b) The interested parties and their requirements that are determined consistent with ISO/IEC 27001:2013¸4.2;
c) The readiness of the business activities to be included as a part of ISMS coverage;
d) All support functions, i.e. functions that are necessary to support these business activities (e.g. Human resources management; IT services and software applications; facility management of Buildings, physical zones, essential services and utilities);
e) All functions that is outsourced either to other parts within the organization or to independent suppliers.

The scope of an ISMS are often very different from one implementation to a different . as an example , the scope can include:

— One or more specific processes;

— One or more specific functions;

— One or more specific services;

— One or more specific sections or locations;

— A whole legal entity;

— A whole administrative entity and one or more of its suppliers.

To establish the scope of ISMS, multi-step approaches are often followed:

a) Determine the preliminary scope: this activity should be conducted by a little , but representative group of management representatives;

b) Determine the refined scope: the functional units within and out of doors the preliminary scope should be reviewed, possibly followed by inclusion or exclusion of a number of these functional units to scale back the amount of interfaces along the boundaries. When refining the preliminary scope, all support functions should be considered that are necessary to support the business activities included in the scope;

c) Determine the ultimate scope: the refined scope should be evaluated by all management within the refined scope. If necessary, it should be adjusted then precisely described; and

d) Approval of the scope: the documented information describing the scope should be formally approved by top management.

The organization should also consider activities with impact on the ISMS or activities that are outsourced, either to other parts within the organization or to independent suppliers. For such activities, interfaces (physical, technical and organizational) and their influence on the scope should be identified.

Documented information describing the scope should include:

a) The organizational scope, boundaries and interfaces;
b) The information and communication technology scope, boundaries and interfaces;
c) The physical scope, boundaries and interfaces.

Questions related to this topic

1. Explain Clause 4.3 ISO 27001 Implementation Guideline?
2. What is Determining the scope of the information security management system in Clause 4.3 ISO 27001 Implementation Guideline?

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