In modern businesses, data and connectivity reign supreme and are considered the foundation that paves the path to success. Even the tiniest organizations rely heavily on technology, making any disruption a potential nightmare.
To highlight this, according to Datto, a mere hour of downtime can cripple small businesses with a cost of $10,000. For larger companies, those numbers skyrocket, reaching an astonishing $5 million or more. This is where ISO 27001 business continuity comes in.
ISO 27001 business continuity focuses on keeping information security controls and critical ICT systems effective during disruptions. In ISO 27001:2013, this was covered under Annex A.17. In ISO 27001:2022, the relevant areas are A.5.29, which covers information security during disruption, and A.5.30, which covers ICT readiness for business continuity.
What is ISO 27001 Business Continuity Management?
Business continuity management under ISO 27001 helps organizations plan how information security and critical ICT services will continue during disruption. In ISO 27001:2013, this was mainly addressed through Annex A.17. In ISO 27001:2022, the continuity focus is better mapped to A.5.29 for information security during disruption and A.5.30 for ICT readiness for business continuity.
This means the organization should be able to show documented continuity requirements, assigned owners, recovery procedures, tested ICT plans, and evidence that continuity controls are reviewed and improved over time.
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What are the ISO 27001 business continuity requirements?
ISO 27001 requires organizations to plan how information security will continue during disruptive events. In ISO 27001:2013, this was mainly covered under Annex A.17. In ISO 27001:2022, the relevant continuity controls are A.5.29, which covers information security during disruption, and A.5.30, which covers ICT readiness for business continuity.
For certification, this means your ISMS should show more than a written business continuity policy. Auditors will expect to see continuity requirements, assigned responsibilities, recovery procedures, test records, review logs, and evidence that ICT recovery plans are aligned with business continuity objectives.
Download ISO 27001 Information Security Policy
ISO 27001 business continuity requirements focus on maintaining information security during disruption. The organization should be able to show that critical information, systems, access, logging, recovery, and communication controls continue to work when normal operations are interrupted.
A practical ISO 27001 continuity program should define:
- critical processes, systems, and data
- recovery priorities and recovery objectives
- information security controls that must continue during disruption
- roles for incident response, technical recovery, communication, legal review, and evidence capture
- backup, restoration, and failover expectations
- vendor and third-party continuity dependencies
- testing frequency and evidence requirements
- remediation tracking after tests or incidents
The audit question is not only whether the plan exists. It is whether the organization can prove that the plan is maintained, tested, and improved.
Business Continuity Framework for ISO 27001
An ISO 27001 business continuity framework should connect the ISMS to the people, systems, vendors, and processes needed to keep information protected during disruption.
A practical framework includes:
- Business impact analysis: Identify critical processes, systems, data, owners, dependencies, recovery priorities, and maximum tolerable downtime.
- Continuity requirements: Define what confidentiality, integrity, availability, access, logging, backup, and communication controls must continue during disruption.
- Continuity and recovery procedures: Document how teams respond to incidents, restore services, communicate internally and externally, and protect information while operating in degraded conditions.
- Roles and escalation paths: Assign owners for incident command, technical recovery, communications, legal review, customer updates, vendor coordination, and evidence capture.
- Testing and review cadence: Schedule tabletop exercises, backup restore tests, failover tests, and post-test remediation reviews.
This gives auditors a traceable path from business impact to continuity controls, test evidence, and improvement actions.
Business Continuity Testing and Exercises
Business continuity testing should prove that the plan works under realistic conditions. For ISO 27001, evidence should show that information security continuity controls were tested, reviewed, and improved when gaps were found.
Use a mix of exercises based on risk and operational maturity:
- tabletop exercises to test decision-making, escalation, and communication
- backup restoration tests to verify that data can be recovered within agreed recovery objectives
- technical failover tests for critical systems and infrastructure
- access and communication drills to confirm that the right people can reach the right systems during disruption
- post-incident or post-test reviews to document issues, owners, due dates, and closure evidence
Keep records of the test date, scenario, participants, systems covered, results, gaps, and remediation actions. This is the evidence auditors usually need to see that continuity controls are maintained, not just documented.
ISO 27001 vs ISO 22301: How They Work Together
ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 both care about resilience, but they are not the same standard.
ISO 27001 focuses on information security within the ISMS. Its continuity requirements are concerned with keeping information protected and available during disruption.
ISO 22301 is a dedicated business continuity management system standard. It provides a broader structure for planning, establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining, and improving business continuity across the organization.
If your goal is ISO 27001 certification, start by making sure your ISMS includes continuity requirements, tested procedures, and evidence for information security continuity. If customers, regulators, or enterprise buyers expect a broader continuity program, ISO 22301 can provide the more complete business continuity structure.
The two standards can work together. ISO 27001 helps prove that information security remains effective during disruption. ISO 22301 helps prove that the wider business continuity management system is structured, tested, and improved.
How to Write an ISO 27001 Business Continuity Plan
A business continuity plan is only useful if it works under realistic conditions. ISO 27001 auditors will look for evidence that continuity and recovery procedures are tested, reviewed, and improved at planned intervals.
Here are the 10 points you should consider while writing:
- Create your version control and document mark-up
Before you begin, create a version control system for your ISO 27001 documents. This includes tracking the author, changes made, dates, and versions. Also, add document mark-up such as document classification for ease.
- Write the policy purpose
Now, define the purpose of your ISO 27001 business continuity policy. To give you a hint, it’s designed to address threats, risks, and incidents that can potentially disrupt your operations.
- Write the scope of the policy
Consider the scope of your business continuity policy. Ideally, it should apply to all employees and third-party staff associated with your company.
- Write the principle on which the policy is based
Every policy needs a guiding principle; your business continuity policy is no exception. Here’s a powerful principle to consider: prioritize the safety of people above all else. This principle underscores the importance of protecting and supporting your workforce during disruption.
- Define business continuity
Take a moment to clearly and concisely define what business continuity means for your company. You can also define any key terms or concepts used within the context of your business continuity efforts.
- Describe your ISO 27001 business continuity plans
Outline what your plans cover, including the specific areas, processes, and systems they include. Highlight how they are structured for execution during times of crisis.
- Recovery procedures
Assure your stakeholders that you have recovery procedures in place to restore normal operations following a business continuity event. They need to understand that you can bounce back stronger than ever.
- Describe business continuity testing
Communicate whether, when, and how often you conduct ISO 27001 business continuity testing. Highlight the significance of evaluating your plans and fine-tune your response capabilities.
- Describe the link to incident management
In this section, you have to state how incidents are managed and coordinated within the framework of your policy. This will integrate incident response and business continuity efforts.
- Document your disaster recovery plans
Document the existence and importance of your disaster recovery plans. Stress that these plans are specifically designed to avoid the impact of potential disasters on your operations.
Importance of business continuity management under ISO 27001
Business continuity management matters in ISO 27001 because disruptions can affect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. A ransomware attack, cloud outage, office closure, vendor failure, or key system failure can quickly become an information security issue if access, logging, backups, recovery, and communication controls stop working.
For ISO 27001:2022, organizations should be able to show how continuity planning supports A.5.29 and A.5.30. This includes documenting continuity requirements, assigning recovery responsibilities, testing ICT readiness, maintaining recovery evidence, and updating plans when systems, risks, or business priorities change.
These controls should also be reflected in the Statement of Applicability, with clear implementation notes and evidence for the controls that apply.
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ISO 27001 business continuity is easier to manage when policies, owners, controls, tests, and evidence are connected in one place. Sprinto helps teams map ISO 27001 requirements, monitor control health, collect audit evidence, and track remediation without chasing updates across spreadsheets and shared folders.
If you are preparing for ISO 27001 certification, Sprinto can help you build a clearer path from continuity planning to audit readiness. Take the first step towards enhanced protection by scheduling a no-obligation demo call with us today!
FAQs
BCP is the Business Continuity plan in ISO 27001 that outlines the procedure a company should follow in case of a disaster or disruption.
Yes, business continuity is dealt with as a part of ISMS. This is especially important if you would like to achieve ISO 27001 certification soon.
ISO 22301 is the standard for the business community. Its purpose is to ensure that an emergency procedure is initiated in the event of a serious incident to continue business operations.
Business continuity planning defines how critical operations continue during disruptions. In ISO 27001, it connects to maintaining information security and ICT readiness during incidents, outages, or disasters.
ISO 27001 expects organizations to maintain information security during disruptions and ensure ICT systems can support business continuity. This includes planning, testing, recovery objectives, roles, communication, and documented continuity procedures.
Create the plan by identifying critical assets, performing a business impact analysis, defining RTO/RPO, documenting recovery steps, assigning owners, setting communication paths, testing the plan, and reviewing it regularly.
Author
Meeba Gracy
Meeba, an ISC2-certified cybersecurity specialist, passionately decodes and delivers impactful content on compliance and complex digital security matters. Adept at transforming intricate concepts into accessible insights, she’s committed to enlightening readers. Off the clock, she can be found with her nose in the latest thriller novel or exploring new haunts in the city.Go beyond the surface and uncover the governance, risk, and compliance insights that actually matter.
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