Continuous Risk Monitoring: New threats and vulnerabilities emerge over time. Regularly assessing risks and updating the risk register is key to maintaining an effective ISMS.

Risk Re-Evaluation: Conduct regular risk assessments, particularly when significant changes occur (e.g., new technologies, business processes, or regulatory requirements).

Adjusting Controls: Based on new risks or changing business environments, update or implement new controls to ensure risks are effectively mitigated.

Periodic Audits: Conduct regular internal audits to ensure that the ISMS is functioning as intended, and that policies, procedures, and controls are being followed.

Corrective and Preventive Actions: Identify any non-conformities or areas for improvement and develop corrective and preventive action plans.

Audit Reports: Document findings and ensure that audit results are communicated to management and other stakeholders to maintain awareness of the ISMS status.

Incident Response: Maintain an incident management process to handle and report security incidents effectively. This involves logging, investigating, and mitigating security breaches.

Incident Review and Improvements: After resolving incidents, conduct a root cause analysis to prevent recurrence and refine the ISMS to mitigate similar risks in the future.

Learning from Incidents: Use incidents as learning opportunities to improve your controls and ISMS processes.

Periodic Reviews: Top management should regularly review the performance of the ISMS to ensure its alignment with business goals and compliance with ISO 27001.

Reviewing Objectives and KPIs: Evaluate whether information security objectives are being met and whether Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the ISMS need to be adjusted.

Decision-Making: Management should use these reviews to make decisions on updates, improvements, resource allocation, and changes in security strategy.

Performance Metrics: Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of the ISMS. For example, track incidents, audit findings, control effectiveness, and compliance rates.

Continuous Monitoring Tools: Use automated tools and systems to monitor information security activities, detect anomalies, and track performance.

Analysis and Action: Analyze monitoring results to identify areas for improvement, and take corrective action when necessary.

Update Documentation: Regularly update ISMS documentation (e.g., policies, procedures, risk registers, incident reports) to reflect changes in the organization, technology, or regulations.

Version Control: Ensure documents are version-controlled, and outdated versions are archived to maintain a clear audit trail.

Policy Reviews: Review security policies and procedures at least annually to ensure they remain relevant and effective.

Ongoing Security Training: Continuously train employees on information security best practices, incident reporting, and their specific roles within the ISMS.

Awareness Programs: Regularly update and conduct security awareness programs to keep employees informed of new threats, policy changes, and security protocols.

Testing and Simulations: Periodically test staff knowledge through security drills, phishing simulations, and tabletop exercises to evaluate awareness and readiness.

Review Supplier Agreements: Periodically review contracts and agreements with third-party suppliers to ensure they comply with your ISMS and maintain adequate security measures.

Supplier Audits: Conduct regular audits of suppliers and partners to assess their compliance with your security requirements and ISO 27001 standards.

Third-Party Risk Assessments: Evaluate and monitor the security risks associated with third-party access to your systems and data.

Regulatory Changes: Stay informed of changes in relevant laws and regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and update the ISMS to ensure ongoing compliance.

Contractual Obligations: Ensure the ISMS aligns with any new contractual requirements imposed by clients or partners regarding information security.

Certification Maintenance: Ensure that your organization continues to meet the ISO 27001 requirements for certification during surveillance audits or recertification cycles.

Review Control Effectiveness: Regularly assess the effectiveness of existing security controls. This may involve reviewing incident reports, risk assessments, or audit findings to determine if controls are still appropriate.

Technological Updates: Keep the ISMS aligned with the latest technology and security tools (e.g., updates to encryption protocols, firewalls, and threat detection systems).

Continuous Improvement (PDCA Cycle): Follow the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle to continuously improve the ISMS. This involves planning improvements, implementing them, monitoring results, and taking further action as needed.

Updating Security Goals: Review and adjust security objectives based on business needs, regulatory changes, and lessons learned from audits or incidents.

Alignment with Business Strategy: Ensure that security objectives remain aligned with broader business goals and risk appetite.

Surveillance Audits: After the initial certification, regular surveillance audits (usually annually) are required to ensure that the ISMS continues to meet ISO 27001 standards.

Recertification Audits: Every three years, a full recertification audit is required to renew the ISO 27001 certification. Maintenance activities ensure that the organization is always prepared for these audits.