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.

This international standard was created to help organisations evaluate the information security performance and the effectiveness of an information security management system. The results of monitoring and measurement of an information security management system (ISMS) can be supportive of decisions relating to ISMS governance, management, operational effectiveness and continual improvement. It also helps to establish

1. the monitoring and measurement of information security performance

2. the monitoring and measurement of the effectiveness of an information security management system (ISMS) including its processes and controls

3. the analysis and evaluation of the results of monitoring and measurement.