ISO 27001 Training Program [How to get started]

Like it or not, your employees are your first line of defence in the event of cyber attacks, data breaches, and hacks. You must, therefore, never shy away from investing in establishing a robust organization-wide security culture. Whether you are implementing ISO 27001 or are already certified, investing in building a security-savvy workforce will generate returns many times over.

In this article, we have answered some of the oft-asked questions related to ISO 27001 training requirements and lined up some must-have features for the training program you eventually implement.

What is ISO 27001 training?

ISO 27001 training is a structured certification program that helps individuals and organizations understand the requirements of the ISO 27001 standard while educating them on how to establish, implement, audit, and monitor an Information Security Management System (ISMS).

What are the ISO 27001 training requirements?

Three clauses in ISO 27001 talk about the ISO 27001 training requirements for employees handling information security. Let’s dive deep into the requirements below:

Clause 7.2 Competence

ISO 27001 Clause 7.2 (Competence) ensures your organization has skilled individuals to manage information security. It emphasizes the importance of relevant education, experience, and certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM) when hiring.

Key requirements:

• Assess if team members are competent to perform ISMS-related tasks.
• Provide security training where needed and track its effectiveness.
• Keep records of these assessments and training efforts.
• Ensure IT staff are qualified through education, training, or experience.

Clause 7.3 Awareness

ISO 27001 Clause 7.3 (Awareness) ensures all employees understand their role in protecting information and supporting the ISMS.

Key requirements:

• Ensure staff are aware of the company’s information security policy.
• Train employees on handling sensitive data, reporting incidents, and maintaining confidentiality.
• Reinforce that everyone plays a role in ISMS effectiveness.
• Emphasize that non-compliance with ISMS requirements can lead to security risks like breaches or data leaks.

Annex A 6.3 Information security awareness, education, and training

ISO 27002:2022 Control 6.3 emphasizes the need to provide employees with relevant information security training tailored to their roles. This helps ensure they understand how to protect data and follow company policies.

Ways to deliver effective training:

• Host in-person sessions with internal or external security experts.
• Offer webinars or self-paced online courses for flexible learning.
• Run awareness campaigns using emails, posters, or internal communications.
• Use simulations such as mock breaches to practice incident response.
• Integrate security guidance into daily tasks with on-the-job training.

Types of ISO 27001 training

To support ISO 27001 compliance, organizations can choose from several types of training tailored to different roles and responsibilities. These programs are offered by accredited certification bodies like PECB, BSI, and TÜV, and can range from short 1–2 hour awareness sessions to intensive 5-day lead auditor courses.
Training is delivered in various formats such as self-paced online modules, virtual classrooms, or in-person workshops, depending on the depth of coverage and certification goals.

Awareness Training

This foundational training ensures that all employees understand the importance of information security and their role in maintaining it. It’s essential for creating a security-first culture and reducing human error, which is often the weakest link in any ISMS. Usually short and simple, it’s designed to boost organizational readiness without technical complexity.

What’s Covered:

• Overview of ISO 27001 and ISMS
• Importance of data security
• Individual responsibilities and policies
• Recognizing and reporting security incidents

Internal Auditor Training

This training course is designed for those tasked with evaluating internal ISMS effectiveness, enabling them to build audit competency within the organization. It allows employees to proactively identify risks, gaps, and non-conformities, reducing last-minute surprises during external audits and fostering a mindset of continuous improvement.

Implementation Training

This course targets compliance leads and security managers responsible for setting up the ISMS. It delivers a roadmap for scoping, designing, and implementing ISO 27001 controls aligned with business risks and ensures a smooth path from planning to certification.

What’s Covered:

• Scoping and organizational context
• Risk assessment and treatment planning
• Selecting and applying Annex A controls
• Creating policies and gathering evidence

Lead Auditor Training

This course is usually designed for senior professionals to certify them to perform third-party ISO 27001 audits. It emphasizes a deep understanding of audit processes, professional conduct, and stakeholder communication,  qualifying graduates to work with certification bodies or consult externally.

What’s covered:

• ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 17021 standards
• Full audit lifecycle and reporting
• Managing audit teams and ethical considerations
• Communication with auditees and certification decisions

What should your ISO 27001 Awareness Training Program include?

An effective ISO 27001 security awareness training program should educate employees on the basics of ISO 27001 and clarify the employee’s roles and responsibilities in maintaining information security. It should cover key topics such as organization’s information security policy, recognizing and reporting incidents, common threats such as phishing and malware, secure work practices like password security and consequences of non-compliance.

You can refer to the ISO 27001 checklist for a detailed overview of the steps involved. 

A well-trained workforce is key to the success of any ISMS. Here are some of the must-haves in your security program: 

• A basic security training program that helps your employees identify and assess the key risks to some of your most valuable information assets
• Periodic awareness programs for employees on your organization’s various security policies and processes. This includes responding to some of the common risks your organization faces
• Role- and responsibility-based training programs. For instance, staff that are involved in the implementation of security may need to be trained on the specifics of the framework
• Regularly review your training content to ensure it is updated and relevant for your organization
• Incorporation of metrics to show engagement and understanding of the content such that it allows for retraining or suitable tweaks to the training content
• Simulate data breaches to test your employees’ incident response and processes to be followed after that

Sprinto has pre-built security awareness training on different frameworks. All you need to do is customize it according to your requirements, and you’re ready to go.

Here’s how to set up Sprinto as your security training provider:

• Log in to Sprinto as an administrator.
• Go to the “Security Hub” and click on “Training,” then select the “Overview” tab.
• Click on the “+ Add training provider” button.
• Choose Sprinto from the options provided.
• Select the training programs you want to assign to all employees on the setup page. You can also choose whether to include a test by checking the box.
• Review your selections and click “Save changes.”

Once Sprinto is set up as your security training provider, you’ll see a new tab for Sprinto. That’s it!

How do I get started with training ISO 27001?

If you want to get started with training in ISO 27001, make sure to first create a plan for what you are going to include in the training. We have already spoken enough about why ISO 27001 and the importance of security training, let’s look at how you can start the process. 

1. Talk to your staff and understand what they know and don’t

Before creating a security training program, you must establish where your employees are regarding knowledge and awareness of security practices. 

You can use a security awareness questionnaire to assess the risks. Doing this will help you roll out a program they really need to act as the security moat of your organization.

2. Create a Security Training Requirements Docket

Use your risk assessment and risk treatment plan to list down high-risk areas for your organization. Juxtapose it against staff awareness level and create a security training requirements docket.

3. Schedule it ahead of time

When you eventually roll out the security training program, consider the different employee roles and responsibilities and accordingly schedule it ahead of time. You should also schedule these programs regularly so new employees and contractors can attend them.

You have a couple of options for designing the security program.

• Do-it-yourself – You could set up an internal team to spearhead the program and ensure its execution and updation. While it will not cost you at all, there will be an opportunity cost in terms of loss of productivity of the team you put on the job. Remember, this would be on top of their regular work responsibilities. Alternatively, you could also put your internal auditors on the job. That said, employing a security professional of any kind could make it expensive.
• Contract External Training Consultant/Agency – Many organizations leverage ISO 27001 consultancy services. While this isn’t remarkably inexpensive, at least it doesn’t come in the way of your key employees’ work. The fee is broad-ranged here. While some may charge you about $25 per employee per session, some charge $15000 as a one-time charge. You also have online self-paced employee security awareness and training modules customizable per your ISO 27001 requirements checklist. Popular e-learning platforms also offer ISO 27001 lead auditor training, risk management training, foundation training courses, and internal auditor courses, among other things.
• Use built-in security training programs baked in compliance automation tools like Sprinto – Sprinto is built with basic security training and framework-specific security training modules at no added cost. Sprinto ensures the content is updated and relevant. Moreover, Sprinto gives you detailed visibility of which employee(s) haven’t undertaken their security training yet. It collects evidence of compliance automatically in exchange for you doing absolutely bupkis. 

Bonus Resource:

List of ISO 27001 courses to consider

Here is a list of ISO 27001 courses you can consider to boost your knowledge about security and awareness. These courses cover everything from basics to advanced techniques, and they are:

Courses	Price
ISO 27001 Foundations Course	$349
ISO/IEC 27001:2022. Information Security Management System	$7
ISO 27001 Lead Auditor Course	$1797
ISO 27001:2022 Transition Course	$249
Security Awareness Training	Free

Is investing in information security management training worth It?

The answer is both a yes and a no. Yes, you should invest. And no, you shouldn’t invest any amount of money. There’s a lot to be said. Let’s tackle the reasons one after the other.  

Employees Aware, Cyberattackers Beware

As cheeky as that sounds, it’s what it is. You can decisively add to your security strength by conducting periodic infosec training for your employees. The result? Your employees can ward off many attacks simply by being security aware.

Build Internal SMEs

If you are a small business, you could start by having a select employee(s) undergo ISO 27001 Lead Auditor training. Instead of taking a professional certification course, you could consider self-paced online training courses that offer free training without a certification. 

While there is no rule in terms of how much you should invest in training, a good practice here would be to base the decision on the budget you have put aside as ISO 27001 certification cost. 

There are many cost heads in the process, and security training is one of them. Based on your total budget, the growth stage of your organization, the industry in which you operate, and the prevalent cybersecurity risk, base the decision on your total budget.

Benefits of ISO 27001 Information Security Management 

ISO 27001 Information Security Management is the foundation of a secure information system, and it can help your business achieve:

• Increases Credibility. When you are an ISO 27001-certified organization, your customers and prospects will know you are serious about security. It helps establish trust and retain customers.
• Adds to your Cyber Resilience. Implementation of the ISO 27001 standard ensures that you have a globally accepted level of security effectiveness in terms of the processes, policies, and controls to protect your organization against data threats. 
• Adds Global Appeal. ISO 27001 is known and accepted internationally. Besides, the framework has much in common with other frameworks, such as SOC 2 and GDPR, which makes it easier for you to add to your compliance kitty at a later date.
• Increases the Likelihood of adding Customers. The ISO 27001 certification can add to your competitive edge, attract new clients, and turn them into loyal customers. Why not? Everyone wants to work with trustworthy people!
• Approaches Information Security Systematically. Improved documentation toolkit, well-defined processes and policies, and response management to imminent threats help your organization not lose sight of its security posture even as you grow.
• Improves Compliance with Commercial, Contractual, and Legal requirements. The last domain in the ISO 27001 controls (A.18) ensures that your organization identifies the applicable laws and regulations such as IPR, protection of PII, and privacy and abides by them. It also ensures you have a risk mitigation plan in place (risks from non-compliance and penalties).
• Promotes Continual Improvement. ISO 27001 is designed to improve and keep pace with the latest technological changes continually. Compliance with the standard ensures you are too. 
• Builds a Sustainable Security Culture. ISO 27001 mainstreams the organization-wide security culture and educates and empowers your people as the frontline defence in any cyber attack, breach, or hack.

One-stop Solution to ISO 27001 Training

Sprinto has solved the problem of plenty for you by integrating the ISO 27001 security training module with its platform. 

When you sign up for Sprinto as your compliance platform, you get access to updated security programs that you can use to educate and train your workforce. You also get an intelligently automated solution that will make getting compliance a breeze. 

Book a demo with us today to learn more about everything Sprinto can do for you!

FAQs

Does ISO 27001 require security awareness training?

Yes, ISO 27001 certification requires security awareness training. This will be your employees’ first line of defense against cyber threats.

What is the ISO 27001 training plan?

Your ISO 27001 training plan should start with some basics of information security that help your employees identify and assess the key risks that could potentially affect the company’s assets. 

What is ISMS awareness training?

ISMS awareness training is a program designed to educate individuals within an organization about the principles and practices of ISMS. This training aims to clarify the roles of employees and how their actions impact the organization’s overall security posture.

Is ISO 27001 free?

No, ISO 27001 is not free. Currently, it costs approximately $125 for your to download the document of the standard. Also, you’ll need a document of the ISO 27002 standard, which costs $225. ISO 27002 provides guidance on implementing controls related to information security management.