Announcing ISO/IEC 27701:2025 The Standalone PIMS Era (and Why It Matters)
Privacy moves to the front row ISO/IEC 27701:2025 has landed and it changes the privacy playbook. First launched in 2019 as an extension to ISO/IEC 27001, 27701 is now a standalone, certifiable Privacy Information Management System (PIMS). Practically, that means organizations can build and certify an auditable privacy program without first standing up a full Information Security Management System (ISMS). For privacy leaders, DPOs, CISOs, and product teams handling PII at scale (SaaS/AI platforms, healthcare, fintech, public sector), this update clarifies governance, reduces audit friction, and accelerates proof of accountability. Quick take: 27701:2025 = independent certification path, cleaner alignment with 27001:2022/27002, a sharper privacy lens (DPIAs, cross-border transfers, AI & cloud governance, vendor oversight) and stronger expectations for leadership, KPIs, and evidence. What’s new in ISO/IEC 27701:2025 1) Standalone certification pathway 27701 is no longer tethered to ISO/IEC 27001. Privacy can be implemented and certified independently ideal for organizations that need a privacy-first signal now (e.g., data platforms, AI products, cloud-native services) and plan to layer an ISMS later. 2) Cleaner Alignment with ISO 27001:2022 / ISO 27002:2022 The 2025 edition syncs with the 2022 security cycle, so your privacy and security controls map cleanly. If you already run 27001:2022, expect less evidence of duplication and a smoother audit flow (Annex A’s streamlined 93 controls help). 3) Explicit Focus on Modern Privacy Challenges Compared with 2019, you’ll see less “general security” and more privacy-specific expectations: privacy risk and DPIAs, cross-border transfers, AI & cloud governance, and more robust processor/sub-processor oversight. 4) Stronger governance and accountability Top management involvement defined roles (e.g., DPO/equivalent); KPIs, internal audits, and Management Review are first-class elements of evidence over promises. This is exactly what partners and regulators want to see. Why ISO/IEC 27701:2025 matters now 27701:2025 ↔ 27001:2022 (how “alignment” saves time) “Alignment” isn’t marketing fluff; it’s operational efficiency: If you already run 27001:2022, 27701:2025 slots in neatly. If you don’t, you can still start with a standalone PIMS and add 27001 later without rework. What “modernized privacy expectations” look like in practice Privacy risk & DPIAs (make them operational). Treat DPIAs as a working mechanism: define triggers (new purposes, new data categories, new model training sources), route actions to owners, and update your risk register. Tie outcomes to controls, metrics, and Management Review. Cross-border transfers (evidence beats assumptions). Describe transfer mechanisms (e.g., SCCs), run transfer risk assessments, document safeguards, and monitor changes in country risk, vendor posture, and new sub-processors. Keep a living record. AI & cloud governance (privacy where the data really is). Third-party & sub-processor oversight (from clauses to controls). Make vendor onboarding, contractual clauses, and ongoing monitoring operational: evidence of due diligence, right-to-audit processes, and periodic checks that match your risk profile. From policy to proof: the PIMS operating model auditors expect A credible PIMS is more than documents, it’s evidence-backed operations: If it isn’t evidenced, it isn’t implemented. Three adoption paths (pick your lane) Path A: Already certified to ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Path B: Have ISO/IEC 27001:2022 but not 27701 Path C: No ISO certifications yet 90-180-day implementation roadmap Phase 1: Scope & stakeholders (Weeks 1–3) Define boundaries, systems, data flows, controller/processor roles, legal obligations; identify high-risk processing (AI, cross-border, special categories). Phase 2: Baseline privacy risk (Weeks 2–6) Stand up/refresh risk methodology; define DPIA triggers and templates; seed the risk register; tie risks to objectives and controls. Phase 3: Clause & control mapping (Weeks 4–8) Map current practices to 27701:2025; highlight gaps in rights operations, RoPA, vendor oversight, transfer governance, AI/cloud guardrails. Phase 4: Remediation & operationalization (Weeks 6–14) Address high-impact gaps first (rights SLAs, incident playbooks, vendor clauses and monitoring, transfer assessments). Train roles; run tabletop exercises; generate audit-ready evidence. Phase 5: Internal audit, Management Review, certification (Weeks 12–18) Validate readiness, escalate decisions in Management Review, then book Stage 1/Stage 2 with your CB; confirm transition rules if coming from 2019. Quick answers Is ISO/IEC 27701:2025 independent from ISO 27001? Yes, 27701 is now a standalone management system standard; certification no longer depends on ISO 27001. Does 27701:2025 align with ISO 27001:2022 and 27002? Yes, terminology and control logic are synchronized, making dual-framework operations more efficient (and cutting duplicate evidence). What does a PIMS certificate actually prove? That your organization runs an auditable privacy management system for governance, risk, operations (rights, vendors, transfers, incidents), metrics, internal audits, and continual improvement aligned to an international standard. What changed from 2019 to 2025? 27701 moved from being a 27001/27002 extension to a standalone MSS, with modernized emphasis on privacy risk, AI/cloud, cross-border transfers, and governance. How many Annex A controls are in 27001:2022 and why should privacy be taken care of? 93 controls in four themes; this streamlining helps PIMS/ISMS mapping and reduces audit friction when you run both systems. How Elevate Consult Helps How does Elevate make this real? AI regulations and privacy standards are accelerating worldwide. Organizations that prepare early reduce business, reputational, and regulatory risk while preserving the ability to innovate. ISO/IEC 27701:2025 gives you a pragmatic, risk-based privacy playbook; Elevate Consult turns that playbook into measurable outcomes for your organization. What we do, end to end: Ready to move? Get a 90-180-day PIMS roadmap tailored to your environment. Click here or contact us to start your assessment. Conclusion: Put your privacy where your evidence is ISO/IEC 27701:2025 elevates privacy from annex to first-class management system. Whether you’re a DPO, CISO, GC, or head of data, it gives you a clear, certifiable path to prove accountability on its own or alongside ISO 27001. If trust is your moat, this edition is your chance to prove it with evidence.
FedRAMP Authorization Act Signed by President Biden
On Wednesday January 11th, FedRAMP was excited to announce that the FedRAMP Authorization Act has been signed by President Biden as a part of the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). According to FedRAMP. This will allow the agency to: Quick review – what is FedRAMP? The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program was established in 2011 to provide a cost-effective, risk-based approach for the adoption and use of cloud services by the federal government. The mission has always been to empower agencies to use modern cloud technologies with an emphasis on security and protection of federal information. The reuse of FedRAMP authorized cloud products has grown exponentially since FY22, boasting a community that now includes 204 participating agencies, over 280 cloud service providers, and 40 recognized third party assessment organizations. Operating under the umbrella of the General Services Administration, the passing of this Act positions the FedRAMP program to be considered an authoritative standardization. Page 1056 (sec. 3608) of the NDAA (FY23 National Defense Authorization Act) states: ‘‘There is established within the General Services Administration the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program. The Administrator, subject to section 3614, shall establish a Government-wide program that provides a standardized, reusable approach to security assessment and authorization for cloud computing products and services that process unclassified information used by agencies.” A Federal Secure Cloud Advisory Committee will also be formed per the new amendement. Their primary role will be “to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of agency adoption, use, authorization, monitoring, acquisition, and security of cloud computing products and services to enable agency mission and administrative priorities.” (Pg. 1062, sec. 3616) The agency enables the federal government to accelerate the adoption of cloud computing by creating transparent standards and processes for security authorizations, while also allowing agencies to leverage security authorizations on a government-wide scale. For more information on the benefits and goals of the FedRAMP program, please visit www.fedramp.gov. For compliance inquiries, visit our FedRAMP service page or contact us today!
Cybersecurity Could Emerge as the Biggest Challenge in 2023
Security risks for businesses have risen dramatically as companies go agile and expand hybrid working, prompting remodeling of their data security systems Over the next few years, advancements in technology will cause a substantial increase in IT investments within businesses across all sectors. It is estimated that by 2022, spending on digital transformation technologies will amount to a gargantuan $1.8 trillion. If the rapid growth is opening up new opportunities, it also has an added element of risk of doing business in the connected world. Cyber criminals are taking advantage of new and advanced methods to cause considerable damage to organisations’ reputation, which could potentially cause huge financial losses. For businesses, taking the right preventive steps and investing in security measures is just another part of doing business. India has been one of the most vulnerable countries to cyberattacks since the pandemic, as a staggering 68 percent of companies […] Click here to view original article: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Is your cybersecurity wrapped up for the holidays?
New research published in November revealed that the severity of inbound cyberthreats increased during holiday months. The findings , from our Barracuda XDR team’ Global Security Operations Center, suggest that cyberattackers may take advantage of IT security professionals being away from the workplace to launch more complex, higher risk attacks — possibly in the hope that understaffed security departments are less likely to be monitoring the network for threats or equipped to deal with any crisis. As the annual festive season gets underway, what can IT security teams put in place to maximise their defences until they return? A clean desk policy applied to devices too It may help to provide employees with a pre-holiday security checklist, one that include cyber-hygiene essentials like logging out of corporate applications, backing up their work, and ensuring their patches and antivirus software are up to date. Support your staff The holiday period can […] Click here to view original article: betanews.com
Technology, cybersecurity, and its effects on global supply chains
Regular Price supply chain There is a need to ensure that global supply chains are secure. This is particularly significant given that disruptions to the global supply chain can adversely affect food supply, mineral resources, and access to raw materials and finished products, to mention a few. Despite this, supply chains remain vulnerable to attacks and cyber security breaches, with severe consequences. Beyond traditional security threats to the global supply chain, like armed conflict owing to the activities of terrorists and insurgents, as well as climate change resulting in extreme weather conditions, the threat posed by cybersecurity remains one of the most significant threats to the global supply chain. Click here to view original article: businessday.ng
18 cybersecurity predictions for 2023
Cybersecurity Security Enterprise Services Security Leadership and Management Logical Security Cybersecurity News Information security leaders share their forecast for 2023 and offer cyber risk management best practices. Image via Getty Images As you build your cybersecurity resilience planning, priorities and roadmap for the year ahead, security and risk experts offer the following cybersecurity predictions for 2023. 1. Demand for cyber insurance is going to increase, but it’s going to become harder to get, by Jon France, CISO at (ISC)² “Cybersecurity awareness has its benefits and drawbacks…one of those drawbacks is higher premiums for cyber insurance. In Q1 2022 alone, premiums for cyber insurance rose nearly 28% compared with Q4 2021. This is largely due to heightened awareness of the financial and reputational risks of cyber incidents such as ransomware attacks, data breaches, vulnerability exploitation and more. At the same time, underwriters are also making requirements for obtaining cyber […] Click here to view original article: www.securitymagazine.com
The Crucial Role Of MSPs In Offering Data Protection And Cybersecurity For SMEs
SMEs today, more than ever, have a shot at sustained success against the big players Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Earlier this year, records from the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) pegged the number of businesses in this category at over 7.9 million . Given the sheer size of the SME segment, it is evident that small businesses play a crucial role in India’s race to become a $5-trillion economy. Nearly 8 million SMEs dot India’s landscape today. Their resilience and entrepreneurial spirit drive India’s growth story and are vital catalysts in our nation’s rising prominence. That said, they have their fair share of hurdles to tackle, with cybersecurity (or the lack of it) being one of the most threatening. CyberPeace Foundation—the world’s first non-profit think tank on cybersecurity—outlined some rather startling numbers in its recent report . Around 43 per cent of cyberattacks in […] Click here to view original article: www.entrepreneur.com
Cybercrime (and Security) Predictions for 2023
Threat actors continue to adapt to the latest technologies, practices, and even data privacy laws—and it’s up to organizations to stay one step ahead by implementing strong cybersecurity measures and programs. Here’s a look at how cybercrime will evolve in 2023 and what you can do to secure and protect your organization in the year ahead. Increase in digital supply chain attacks With the rapid modernization and digitization of supply chains come new security risks. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 45% of organizations worldwide will have experienced attacks on their software supply chains—this is a three-fold increase from 2021. Previously, these types of attacks weren’t even likely to happen because supply chains weren’t connected to the internet. But now that they are, supply chains need to be secured properly. The introduction of new technology around software supply chains means there are likely security holes that have yet to be identified, […] Click here to view original article: thehackernews.com
Top cyber security vendors in Q3: Canalys
Palo Alto Networks (8.4 percent share), Cisco (6.9 percent) and Fortinet (6.7 percent) are the top three cyber security vendors during the third quarter of 2022. The other leading cybersecurity vendors include Check Point (3.8 percent), CrowdStrike (3.2 percent), Okta (3.1 percent), Trellix (3.1 percent), Symantec (2.9 percent), Microsoft (2.9 percent), Trend Micro (2.4 percent), IBM (2.3 percent) and Zscaler (2.1 percent). Cyber security solutions providers such as Check Point, Trellix, Symantec, Trend Micro, and IBM have lost share in Q3 2022. The cybersecurity market grew 15.9 percent in Q3 2022 to $17.8 billion, though vendors saw a tightening in the SMB sector. Palo Alto Networks was the number one cybersecurity vendor, growing 24.9 percent and increasing its market share to 8.4 percent, up from 7.8 percent in Q3 2021.Cisco was the second-largest cybersecurity vendor, with growth of 16.7 percent and a flat market share of 6.9 percent.Fortinet placed third in the […] Click here to view original article: infotechlead.com
Improve Cyber Security Posture with 2023 Predictions
Digitalization has made enterprise cybersecurity more complex than ever before. Taking that context into account, Future/Tense: Trend Micro Security Predictions for 2023 looks at some of the key trends organizations will need to address to strengthen their security posture for the year ahead. This blog focuses on four priority threat predictions—cloud misconfigurations, hidden vulnerabilities, the vanishing network perimeter, and evolving ransomware business models—as well as a growing trend that will redefine enterprise cybersecurity going forward: the shift from point security solutions to a unified platform approach. 2023 prediction: Cloud misconfigurations will continue to undermine cybersecurity What’s the risk with cloud misconfigurations? Misconfiguration has been the most significant cloud risk for a couple of years now, accounting for up to 70% of all cloud security challenges. That shows no sign of changing in 2023 given the ongoing pace of cloud migrations, especially as network environments become more distributed and the hybrid workforce […] Click here to view original article: www.trendmicro.com