ISO 27018ISO 27018 establishes controls for protecting personally identifiable information in public cloud environments. This checklist walks you through implementing PII protection controls and achieving certification as an extension to your ISO 27001 ISMS.
ISO/IEC 27018 is an international standard that establishes commonly accepted control objectives, controls, and guidelines for protecting personally identifiable information (PII) in public cloud computing environments.
It builds on ISO/IEC 27002, providing additional guidance for cloud service providers acting as PII processors, and helps organizations demonstrate their commitment to privacy and data protection.
The standard addresses cloud-specific privacy risks, including data subject rights, consent, data transfer, and breach notification, and is widely recognized as a best practice for cloud privacy compliance.
PII Controls
ISO 27001
Focus
Click each step to expand the details. Work through them in order — each step builds on the previous one.
Ensure the prerequisite management system is in place
ISO 27018 builds upon the ISO 27001 ISMS framework and cannot be certified independently. Your ISMS must be established and ideally certified before you can implement ISO 27018 controls for PII protection in cloud services.
Map all personally identifiable information in your cloud services
Identify all PII processed within your cloud services, including data types, processing purposes, and data flows. Understanding what PII you handle and how it moves through your systems is fundamental to implementing appropriate protection controls.
Identify the PII protection controls that apply
ISO 27018 provides 25 PII-specific controls and extends several ISO 27001 Annex A controls with PII processing guidance. Map these controls to your current implementation to identify gaps and determine the additional work required.
Deploy the technical and organizational controls for PII
Implement controls that protect PII throughout its lifecycle in your cloud services. These controls cover consent management, purpose limitation, data minimization, transparency, access controls, and secure deletion.
Enable PII principals to exercise their rights
ISO 27018 requires cloud service providers to support their customers in fulfilling data subject access requests and other privacy rights. Establish processes that enable timely and accurate responses to these requests.
Extend documentation to cover cloud PII protection
Update your ISMS documentation to incorporate ISO 27018 PII protection policies, procedures, and guidelines. This includes updating your privacy policy, data processing agreements, and customer-facing documentation.
Verify PII protection controls before certification
Extend your internal audit program to cover ISO 27018 PII protection controls. The audit should verify that all applicable controls are implemented, effective, and that PII is being handled in accordance with your documented policies and customer agreements.
Obtain ISO 27018 certification as an ISO 27001 extension
Work with your certification body to add ISO 27018 to your ISO 27001 certification scope. The audit evaluates your PII protection controls and can be combined with an ISO 27001 surveillance or recertification audit for efficiency.
Feeling overwhelmed? You don't have to do this alone.
Transparent cost ranges so you can plan and budget. Costs vary based on organization size, current security posture, and environment complexity.
Including preparation, tooling, and assessment fees
Depending on current maturity and scope
Independent verification of your compliance
Compliance management and evidence collection tools
SIEM, EDR, vulnerability scanning, encryption tools
Hundreds of hours across IT, security, and leadership
Annual reviews, continuous monitoring, recertification
The cost of non-compliance far exceeds the investment in getting certified. Consider what's at stake:
The question isn't whether you can afford compliance — it's whether you can afford not to have it.
Illumen specializes in helping organizations achieve ISO 27018 compliance — from initial assessment through certification. We meet you wherever you are in the journey.
Know exactly where you stand against requirements
Close gaps with expert guidance and support
Policies, procedures, and evidence packages
Common questions about ISO 27018 compliance and certification.
