What is ISO 27001 Annex A 5.24 in ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 Annex A 5.24 requires a documented incident management plan. It focuses on preparation and planning before events occur. Organisations must integrate these procedures into daily tools like SharePoint and Jira. This control ensures responsibilities are clear. It establishes the foundation for effective response and recovery.
Auditor’s Eye: The Shortcut Trap
Many firms rely on SaaS compliance portals for incident management. These platforms often provide generic templates that staff never read. Auditors view this as a lack of management ownership. We want to see your playbooks in your native SharePoint. Jira tickets must show internal workflow logic. A “green tick” in an external app is not preparation. Effective planning requires deep integration with your business-as-usual systems. Without this: your team will fail during a real crisis.
Transition Table (2013 vs 2022)
| ISO 27001:2013 Reference | ISO 27001:2022 Reference | Nature of Change |
|---|---|---|
| A.16.1.1 (Management responsibilities) | 5.24 (Incident Management Planning) | Renumbered. Focus increased on detailed preparation and playbook development. |
How to Implement ISO 27001 Annex A 5.24 (Step-by-Step)
Successful implementation requires documenting procedures within your organisational tools. Start by defining your response team and their specific duties. Use your internal wiki or SharePoint to host these documents. This approach ensures all staff can access playbooks during an incident.
- Identify Stakeholders: List all internal and external contacts in a central SharePoint file.
- Draft Playbooks: Create step-by-step guides in Confluence for common scenarios like phishing.
- Configure Reporting: Set up a Jira Service Management project for incident logging.
- Assign Authority: Clearly define who can declare a security incident in your policy.
- Train Personnel: Use internal training records to prove staff understand the reporting process.
ISO 27001 Annex A 5.24 Audit Evidence Checklist
Auditors look for manual records and internal document versions. These prove human oversight and organisational intent. Avoid using dashboard summaries from third-party compliance platforms.
- Dated meeting minutes from incident response team planning sessions.
- SharePoint version history showing regular updates to response playbooks.
- Jira configuration logs for the security incident reporting portal.
- Records of table-top exercises documented in internal systems.
- Internal contact lists for legal: forensic: and regulatory bodies.
Relational Mapping
Annex A 5.24 is the foundation for the incident management lifecycle. It links directly to Clause 5.25 (Assessment of Events). It supports Clause 5.26 (Response to Incidents). Proper planning also enables the learning requirements in Clause 5.28. These controls form a unified Document-Based Management System within your organisation.
Auditor Interview
Auditor: Where do you keep your incident response procedures?
User: We host all playbooks on our secure SharePoint Document Management System.
Auditor: How do you ensure staff know how to report an incident?
User: We use a Jira workflow integrated with our company portal for reporting.
Auditor: Who reviewed these playbooks last?
User: The Head of IT reviewed them in October. SharePoint logs show the update.
Common Non-Conformities
| Failure Mode | Description of Failure |
|---|---|
| Automated Complacency | Relying on a SaaS platform without having internal playbooks or workflows. |
| Stale Procedures | Playbooks in SharePoint have not been updated for over two years. |
| Missing Authority | Policy fails to define who authorises the incident response actions. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary requirement of ISO 27001 Annex A 5.24?
Bottom Line Up Front: The primary requirement is planning and preparation for incident management. Organisations must document procedures and responsibilities. These processes must reside in internal tools like SharePoint or Confluence. This ensures the team can respond effectively to security events. Proper planning reduces recovery time and business impact.
How often should incident response playbooks be reviewed?
Bottom Line Up Front: Review your playbooks annually or following significant organisational changes. Document these reviews using SharePoint version history. Testing through table-top exercises also identifies necessary updates. Regular maintenance ensures procedures remain relevant to current threats. This practice demonstrates active management oversight to auditors.
Where should incident management records be stored?
Bottom Line Up Front: Store all incident management records within your internal organisational tools. Auditors prefer seeing logs in Jira or documents in SharePoint. These systems provide reliable audit trails and prove management ownership. Centralised internal storage prevents data silos and maintains security controls over sensitive data.