The standard helps organizations to:

ISO 27031 offers guidelines for – the ability of an organization’s ICT infrastructure, systems, and people to support business continuity processes during and after a disruption.

The official title is ISO/IEC 27031:2011 . As of 2025, it remains the current version, though organizations should check the ISO website for any updates or revisions.

Implementing ISO 27031 requires a structured approach, including:

Organizations often fail even after reading the standard because of these three mistakes:

This is the central theme – ensuring ICT can support business processes at acceptable levels following an incident.

The standard introduces the concept of Information and Communication Technology Readiness for Business Continuity (IRBC). This approach requires more than just a backup server; it demands a proactive culture. 1. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Model Like other ISO standards, ISO 27031 follows the PDCA cycle: Establish IRBC policy and objectives. Do: Implement and operate the IRBC policy. Check: Monitor and review performance against objectives. Act: Maintain and improve IRBC through corrective actions. 2. Six Key Elements of Resilience

If you are looking to align your business with ISO 27031, follow these steps:

If you eventually obtain the official ISO 27031 standard PDF, you will find it structured around these mandatory guidelines:

| Feature | ISO 27001 | ISO 27031 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Prevent data breaches & ensure confidentiality, integrity, availability (CIA) | Restore ICT services after a failure or disaster | | Focus | Security controls (encryption, access control, auditing) | Recovery procedures & technical resilience | | Key Output | Statement of Applicability (SoA) & Risk Treatment Plan | ICT Continuity Plan & Recovery runbooks | | Trigger | Security threat (hacker, malware, insider) | Any disruption (power outage, flood, cyberattack, human error) |