ISO 27018
ISO/IEC 27018 — Protection of PII in Public Clouds
Privacy controls for cloud service providers handling personal data
What is ISO 27018?
ISO/IEC 27018 establishes commonly accepted control objectives, controls, and guidelines for protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in public cloud computing environments. It is specifically designed for cloud service providers acting as PII processors.
The standard builds on ISO 27002 controls and adds cloud-specific privacy requirements covering consent, data minimization, transparency, and data subject rights in cloud environments.
ISO 27018 complements ISO 27017 (cloud security) and ISO 27701 (privacy management), providing a comprehensive framework for securing personal data in the cloud.
Key Highlights
- Specifically designed for public cloud PII processors
- Extends ISO 27002 with cloud privacy controls
- Addresses consent, transparency, and data subject rights in cloud
- Covers data breach notification requirements for cloud environments
- Restricts use of PII for marketing without explicit consent
- Requires disclosure of sub-processors and data locations
Why is ISO 27018 Important?
Cloud service providers handling personal data on behalf of their customers face unique privacy challenges. ISO 27018 provides clear guidelines for protecting PII in cloud environments, building trust with customers who entrust their personal data to cloud services.
Cloud Privacy Assurance
Demonstrate to customers that their personal data is protected according to international standards in your cloud environment.
Regulatory Support
Support compliance with GDPR, DPDPA, and other privacy regulations that require appropriate safeguards for cloud processing.
Transparency
Establish clear policies on PII handling, sub-processing, data location, and government access requests.
Market Differentiation
Stand out among cloud providers by demonstrating certified privacy protection capabilities.
Customer Confidence
Help your customers meet their own compliance obligations by providing auditable privacy controls.
How ISO 27018 Works
ISO 27018 implementation adds privacy-specific cloud controls to your ISMS, typically requiring 2-4 months on top of existing ISO 27001 implementation.
PII Processing Inventory
Identify all PII processed in cloud environments, including data types, processing purposes, and data flows.
Privacy Risk Assessment
Assess privacy risks specific to cloud PII processing including unauthorized access, data leakage, and cross-border transfers.
Implement Privacy Controls
Implement ISO 27018 controls for consent management, purpose limitation, data minimization, and transparency in cloud operations.
Sub-processor Management
Establish processes for managing sub-processors, including due diligence, contractual requirements, and ongoing monitoring.
Breach Notification Procedures
Develop cloud-specific data breach detection, assessment, and notification procedures.
Audit and Certification
Extend ISO 27001 certification to include ISO 27018 cloud privacy controls through an accredited body.
How Srida IT Helps You Achieve ISO 27018
Our end-to-end consulting process takes your organization from initial assessment to successful certification and ongoing compliance.
Gap Assessment
We evaluate your cloud PII processing practices against ISO 27018 requirements, identifying gaps in privacy controls for cloud environments.
Understanding the Business
We map all PII processing in your cloud services, including customer data types, processing purposes, sub-processors, and data residency.
Risk Assessment
We conduct privacy risk assessments for cloud PII processing, covering unauthorized access, data leakage, and compliance risks.
Policies Writing & Alignment
We develop cloud privacy policies, PII handling procedures, sub-processor agreements, and data breach notification processes.
Controls Implementation
We implement ISO 27018 privacy controls including consent management, purpose limitation, data return/deletion, and transparency mechanisms.
Controls Validation
We validate cloud privacy controls through testing of PII handling procedures, access controls, and breach notification processes.
Mock Audit
We conduct a pre-certification review of all ISO 27018 controls and cloud privacy documentation.
Certification Audit Support
We support the combined ISO 27001 + ISO 27018 certification audit by accredited certification bodies.
Annual Internal Audits
We perform annual cloud privacy audits to ensure ongoing compliance with ISO 27018 requirements.
Documentation Support
We maintain cloud privacy documentation including PII processing records, sub-processor registers, and breach response procedures.
Industries That Benefit from ISO 27018
Related Frameworks
ISO 27001
The global gold standard for information security management
ISO 27017
Security controls for cloud service providers and customers
ISO 27701
Extension to ISO 27001 for privacy information management
GDPR
The European Union's comprehensive data protection regulation
Ready to Achieve ISO 27018 Compliance?
Get a free gap assessment and discover how Srida IT can guide your organization through ISO 27018 implementation and certification.