ISO/IEC 27031:2011 is the international standard that provides a framework for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Readiness for Business Continuity (IRBC) . It ensures that an organization’s IT infrastructure and services can support business operations during unexpected disruptions. Purpose and Scope The standard bridges the gap between general Business Continuity Management (BCM) and specific IT Disaster Recovery . It focuses on: Developing strategies to ensure ICT services are resilient and recoverable. Aligning IT recovery objectives (RTO and RPO) with overall business requirements. Providing a consistent methodology for planning, implementing, and monitoring ICT readiness. Core Principles of ISO 27031 The standard follows the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle to build a sustainable readiness program: : Establish the IRBC policy, objectives, and processes relevant to managing risk and improving ICT readiness. : Implement and operate the IRBC policy, controls, processes, and procedures. : Assess and measure process performance against IRBC policy and objectives, reporting results to management. : Take corrective and preventive actions, based on the results of the internal audit and management review, to achieve continual improvement. Key Components for Implementation To comply with ISO 27031, an organization must address six main categories: Skills and Knowledge : Ensuring personnel have the training to handle emergency ICT responses. Facilities : Securing data centers and backup sites against physical threats. Technology : Implementing redundant systems, data replication, and failover mechanisms. : Protecting the integrity and availability of critical information. : Establishing clear failover and failback procedures. : Managing third-party dependencies and ensuring vendors meet the same readiness standards. ISO 27031 vs. ISO 22301 While both deal with continuity, they have different focuses: is the high-level standard for the entire Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) is a technical "child" standard that specifically details how supports that broader business continuity. Accessing the Standard As ISO standards are copyrighted, the full PDF is not legally available for free. You can preview or purchase the official document through these authorized channels: ISO Official Store ANSI Webstore of the specific documentation required for an ISO 27031 audit?
ISO/IEC 27031 — Practical Guide (PDF-ready document) Overview ISO/IEC 27031:2011 (Guidelines for information and communication technology readiness for business continuity) provides guidance on preparing ICT services to support business continuity. It focuses on identifying ICT-related dependencies, defining ICT continuity requirements, and selecting and implementing controls to ensure ICT availability during disruptive incidents.
1. Purpose and scope
Purpose: Ensure ICT services can support business continuity objectives and recovery time objectives (RTOs) for business processes. Scope: ICT preparedness planning, roles/responsibilities, detection, response, recovery strategies, testing, and continual improvement. Applicable across sectors and sizes. iso 27031 standard pdf
2. Key concepts and terms
Business continuity (BC): Ability of an organization to continue delivery of products/services at acceptable predefined levels following a disruption. ICT continuity: Capability of ICT services to maintain or restore operations to support business continuity. RTO (Recovery Time Objective): Maximum acceptable outage duration for a given service/process. RPO (Recovery Point Objective): Maximum acceptable data loss measured in time. ICT Service: Any hardware, software, network, data, or human resource that supports business processes.
Example:
RTO for customer billing system = 4 hours; RPO = 1 hour.
3. ISO 27031 structure (practical breakdown)
Context and objectives ICT readiness framework: It focuses on: Developing strategies to ensure ICT
Leadership and governance Business impact analysis (BIA) for ICT Risk assessment for ICT services Implementation of ICT continuity measures ICT continuity plan (ICTCP) Testing, exercises, and maintenance Awareness, training, and communication Supplier and third-party considerations
4. Practical steps to implement ISO 27031 Step 1 — Obtain management buy-in