ISO (the International Organisation for Standardisation) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) form the specialised system for worldwide standardisation. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established by the respective organisation to deal with particular fields of technical activity. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.

The implementation of an information security management system is a strategic decision for an organisation that is influenced by the organisation’s needs and objectives, security requirements, the organisational processes and thus the International Standard has been setup to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve an information security management system.

The information security management system preserves the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information by applying a risk management process and gives confidence to interested parties that risks are adequately managed.

This International Standard specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system within the context of the organisation. This also includes requirements for the assessment and treatment of information security risks tailored to the needs of the organisation and is applicable to all organisations, irrespective of size and structure.