Get ISO/IEC 27701 Compliant
ISO/IEC 27701 (Privacy Information Management) is as much an evidence problem as it is a policy problem. Teams fail when controls exist, but proof is scattered, outdated, or inconsistent.
Neutral Partners helps you scope what matters, implement practical controls, and build an evidence package reviewers, customers, and internal stakeholders can trust.
At a Glance
- Best for: Organizations needing a certifiable privacy management system (PIMS)
- Works with: ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS; supports GDPR and global privacy requirements
- Outcome: ISO/IEC 27701-ready PIMS with mapped controls and evidence
- Focus: Role clarity, lifecycle controls, supplier governance, and audit cadence
- Common failure point: Bolting privacy onto security without mapping roles, processing, and evidence
If you want a plan you can execute, start with a short working session.
Book a Discovery SessionWhat Is ISO/IEC 27701 (Privacy Information Management)
ISO/IEC 27701 (Privacy Information Management) defines expectations for how organizations manage privacy and related controls. Compliance becomes durable when you treat it as an operating model: defined responsibilities, repeatable workflows, and evidence that stays current.
Neutral Partners focuses on making the requirements actionable, so the program works in production, not just on paper.
How 27701 extends ISO 27001
Clarity on the variant and scope prevents rework and helps you build the right evidence the first time.
- PIMS extension: 27701 adds privacy requirements and guidance on top of an ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS foundation.
- Roles matter: Controls differ depending on whether you act as a PII controller, processor, or both.
Who Needs ISO/IEC 27701
ISO/IEC 27701 typically matters when you collect, use, share, or host personal data in a way that customers, regulators, or partners will scrutinize.
- SaaS vendors selling globally: Need a certifiable privacy management system to satisfy procurement.
- Processors and cloud providers: Want standardized privacy controls aligned to customer DPAs.
- Regulated and data-heavy orgs: Demonstrating privacy governance with measurable controls and evidence.
What ISO/IEC 27701 Covers
Most efforts fail when organizations try to “document” their way into compliance without aligning systems, vendors, and day-to-day operations. A practical program ties requirements to the workflows that generate proof.
- Privacy governance: Roles, responsibilities, training, and privacy policy management.
- PII lifecycle controls: Collection, use, retention, disposal, and minimization requirements.
- Third-party controls: Supplier privacy requirements, due diligence, and contract mappings.
- Monitoring & improvement: Internal audits, metrics, corrective actions, and management review.
Evidence Auditors Expect
Audits and customer reviews move faster when evidence is organized, traceable, and repeatable. Common evidence categories include:
- Governance: policies, roles, training, and management review records
- Operational: request workflows, tickets, reviews, and decision logs
- Technical: configurations, logs, encryption settings, and monitoring outputs
- Third-party: vendor assessments, contracts, and oversight evidence
Rule of thumb: if you can’t prove it with current evidence, you can’t rely on it.
ISO/IEC 27701 Roadmap
Move faster by running the work like a program: clear scope, owned controls, and a living evidence library.
Define scope and data flows
Map personal data, systems, vendors, and cross-border transfers. Confirm roles (controller/processor) and applicability.
Run a focused gap assessment
Compare current policies, controls, and workflows to the framework requirements. Prioritize the changes that unlock compliance.
Implement controls and workflows
Deploy operational controls (requests, consent/opt-outs, vendor governance) and harden security safeguards where needed.
Build an evidence library
Create repeatable evidence: logs, tickets, screenshots, reports, and narratives that tie to requirements and can be refreshed on a cadence.
Validate readiness
Do a pre-assessment style review, remediate findings, and package materials so reviewers and customers can follow the story quickly.
Make ISO/IEC 27701 a Growth Lever
Compliance becomes a revenue enabler when customers can trust your controls—and you can prove them quickly.
Schedule a Discovery SessionCommon ISO/IEC 27701 Gaps
- Controller/processor roles are unclear: Teams can’t consistently classify processing activities and obligations.
- ISMS and privacy are disconnected: Security controls exist but aren’t mapped to privacy outcomes.
- Retention isn’t enforced: Policies exist, but deletion and disposition controls aren’t measured.
- Audit evidence is thin: Internal audit and corrective action records don’t cover privacy controls.
How Neutral Partners Helps
We help you scope the work, implement what matters, and build evidence that holds up to review—without derailing product velocity.
What We Deliver
- Scope & data mapping: Clear inventories, flows, and role mapping so requirements match reality.
- Policies & notices: Practical disclosures and policy language aligned to product behavior and vendors.
- Workflow buildout: DSARs, opt-outs/consent, incident triage, and evidence capture built into operations.
- Vendor governance: DPAs/BAAs, subprocessor oversight, and shared responsibility mapping with proof.
- Sustainment: A cadence for refresh: evidence routines, metrics, and readiness check-ins.
Proof matters. Since 2017, we have maintained a 100% audit success rate across more than 700 successful audits and assessments.
ISO/IEC 27701 FAQs
Do we need ISO 27001 first?
27701 is designed as an extension of an ISO 27001 ISMS. Many organizations implement in parallel with a shared evidence library.
Is 27701 the same as GDPR compliance?
No, but it provides a management system approach that supports GDPR and other privacy obligations with consistent controls.
What’s the typical timeline?
Most teams plan 12–20 weeks for implementation and evidence stabilization, depending on ISMS maturity.
What makes audits go smoothly?
Clear role mapping, a tidy control narrative, and evidence that is current, repeatable, and traceable.