Cloud computing has invariably made processing massive amounts of public and private data easier for most enterprises. However, certain difficulties must be overcome when it comes to guaranteeing the security and preservation of confidential information. Data breaches are becoming increasingly common, and every organization risks losing customers’ trust if its security infrastructure is compromised.

Because of this, it is necessary to reimagine data protection rules and regulations continually. The ISO/IEC 27018 security standard is one of the more recent additions to the compliance requirements businesses must follow to guarantee data security. It is a recent development under the ISO 27001 regulatory framework, unveiled in 2014. It offers evidence of how any firm manages the safety of personally identifiable information (PII) in public clouds.

 

What is ISO/IEC 27018 regulatory framework?

The global standard ISO 27018 recommends safeguarding PII (personally identifiable information) publicly, in a cloud computing environment.

By offering instructions on choosing and putting into place suitable security controls, this regulatory framework is meant to assist organizations in ensuring the confidentiality of the data belonging to their customers. It is also intended to assist organizations in evaluating the risks of using free public cloud computing services.

Here are the two main objectives that ISO/IEC 27018 aims to achieve:

• Give more helpful implementation guidance for the controls outlined in ISO/IEC 27001 (adding to ISO 27002); and,
• Provide more guidance on the requirements for PII protection in the public cloud.

Since ISO/IEC 27002 does not meet these additional constraints, the ISO/IEC 27018 modification to the ISO 27001 security standard is.

Now that you know what ISO/IEC 27018 is, you may be debating whether to pursue certification for this specific compliance standard. You must be overwhelmed with a lot of queries, which is why you should read this blog! We have specially compiled this blog, your neighborhood compliance specialists at Akitra, to address the most pressing and frequently-asked questions regarding the ISO/IEC 27018 regulatory standard. This post will help you better understand this challenging compliance framework by providing you with accurate information.

Let’s get going!

Four Most Frequently-Asked Questions About ISO 27018

1. What is the history of the ISO/IEC 27018 compliance standard?

The environment for managing information security is changing quickly. PII is not covered by the technical Standard ISO/IEC 27001. Thus, ISO developed ISO 27018 in 2014 as a new complementary standard. The new standard addresses concerns about businesses processing personal data in cloud service providers.The third revision of the 2014 document is known as ISO/IEC 27018:2020. 

ISO has removed ISO/IEC 27018:2014 since the introduction of the 2019 version 2.0 of ISO 27018. The second version came with minor changes like:

• a new section about the history in general; and,
• a re-definition of the standard as a text rather than a global norm.

It is technically more accurate to define ISO 27018 as a document rather than a standard because ISO 27001 is the accepted norm for an Information Security Management System (ISMS).

The most recent ISO 27018 version is ISO/IEC 27018:2020. In essence, there are only technical variations between ISO 27018:2019 and ISO 27018:2020. For all intents and purposes, ISO 27018 versions 2019 and 2020 are interchangeable.

2. How does ISO 27018 relate to GDPR?

If your company conducts business in the European Union, you must abide by and be familiar with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). The collection and use of personal data is regulated by EU law (and, following Brexit, UK law). The GDPR is not limited to EU nations. Every organization to offer products or services to the EU is likewise subject to the GDPR compliance guidelines.

The roles of GDPR and ISO 27018 are marginally different. Regulations for data protection and privacy are outlined in GDPR. You can handle data protection and information security threats with the help of ISO 27018. Putting ISO 27001 into practice in addition to 27018 provides you with a strong foundation for GDPR compliance.

3. Who can implement ISO 27018?

This guideline applies to you if your firm processes PII data using cloud computing. Whether it is in the private, public, or not-for-profit sectors, or whether it is large, medium, or small—ISO 27018 is for you.

Due diligence will reveal whether a corporation complies with ISO/IEC 27018 if you contract out PII. Any service provider using PII or the cloud should take ISO 27018 into account. The majority of well-known cloud service companies are creating or already have created security mechanisms to protect PII. 

The following significant business players already have ISO/IEC 27018-compliant policies:

• Amazon Web Services
• Dropbox
• Lenovo Softlayer
• Windows Azure
• Google Apps for Business

4. What do you require for implementing the ISO/IEC 27018:2020?

The implementation guideline for security controls in ISO/IEC 27002 is expanded in ISO/IEC 27018. These measures categorize the duties involved in data protection as follows:

• your obligations as a cloud service user and data controller (even if you outsource data storage); and,
• the obligations of your cloud service provider as the data processor

The additional security measures comprise:

• PII encryption standards for transmission and storage;
• A schedule for safely deleting any no longer needed data PII;
• A cloud service contract that explains the purpose of PII processing; and,
• A robust vendor of cloud services information governance assurances.

You’ll also require an additional set of security measures. These are consistent with the privacy guidelines outlined in the ISO/IEC 29100 standard. The ISO/IEC 27018 standard enables cloud service providers to substantiate their understanding of PII protection.

ISO 27018 Compliance with Akitra!

Establishing trust is a crucial competitive differentiator when selling your services to new SaaS businesses in today’s era of data breaches and compromised privacy. Customers and partners want assurances that the organizations they work with are doing everything possible to prevent disclosing sensitive data and putting them at risk. Compliance certification fills that need.

Akitra offers an industry-leading, AI-powered Compliance Automation platform for SaaS companies. Using automated evidence collection and continuous monitoring, together with a full suite of customizable policies and controls as a compliance foundation, our service helps customers become certified for ISO 27018 along with other frameworks like SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, NIST CSF, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, FedRAMP, CCPA, CMMC, and more such as CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark, etc. In addition, companies can use Akitra’s Risk Management product for overall risk management for your company, Trust Center, and AI-based Automated Questionnaire Response product to streamline and expedite security questionnaire response processes, delivering huge cost savings. Our compliance and security experts will provide customized guidance to navigate the end-to-end compliance process confidently.

The benefits of our solution include enormous savings in time, human resources, and money—including discounted audit fees with our audit firm partners. Customers achieve compliance certification fast and cost-effectively, stay continuously compliant as they grow, and can become certified under additional frameworks using a single compliance automation platform.

Build customer trust. Choose Akitra TODAY!‍

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