ISO 27001 A.6.7: remote work, explained for startups

A.6.7 Remote working

Staff follow written rules for working securely away from the office. What proves it: written remote work rules and the device settings that enforce them.

A certification auditor samples remote work rules and device management settings. A file that usually does the job: the remote work section of the acceptable use policy plus device management settings for encryption and screen lock.

How to put it in place

Each step leaves a record, and the record is what the auditor samples rather than the step itself. Inside Polara, the control card for A.6.7 walks you through it in this order.

1. Add a remote work section to the acceptable use policy: company devices only, screen lock and trusted networks.
2. Enforce what you can through device management.
3. Have staff acknowledge the rules.

The free ISO 27001 readiness assessment asks one question that evidences it:

• Do you have remote work security rules?

Policies, connectors and the SOC 2 overlap

In the ISO 27001 policy pack, the People and Human Resources Security Policy covers A.6.7. An auditor reads the policy for the rule, then samples the records to see the rule was followed.

The same evidence counts toward SOC 2. The Trust Services criteria that cover this ground: CC6.1, logical access and CC6.7, data in transit.

People controls

A.6.7 is one of the 8 people controls in Annex A. What happens before, during and after someone works for you: screening, terms, training, discipline, remote work and reporting. Small teams meet these with a handful of signed records.

Nearby controls in the same theme:

• A.6.4, disciplinary process
• A.6.5, duties after leaving
• A.6.6, confidentiality agreements
• A.6.8, reporting security events

Before it: A.6.6, confidentiality agreements. After it: A.6.8, reporting security events. Every control, by theme, is on the Annex A controls page.