National foreword

This Published Document is the UK implementation of ISO/IEC TS 38505‑3:2021.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee IST/60/1, Governance of Information Technology.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a Published Document cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This Published Document was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 January 2022.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents) or the IEC list of patent declarations received (see https://patents.iec.ch).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html. In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.

This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee SC 40, IT Service Management and IT Governance.

A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 38505 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and www.iec.ch/national-committees.

Introduction

This document complements the existing International Standards on IT governance (ISO/IEC 38500) and data governance (ISO/IEC 38505‑1). It is designed to provide practical guidance for organizations including governing bodies and management to allow them to:

maintain an oversight of their data portfolio,
understand the business context, value, sensitivity and risk associated with the data, and
apply mechanisms that are both proportionate and appropriate, ensuring that data is protected, and is only used for intended purposes consistent with the organization’s obligations.

1 Scope

This document provides essential guidance for members of governing bodies of organizations and management on the use of data classification as a means to support the organization’s overall data governance policy and associated systems. It sets out important factors to be considered in developing and deploying a data classification system.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Foundations

4.1 Context

4.2 Data classification

4.3 Purpose of classification:

4.4 Engage and empower staff

4.5 Structure of this document

5 Roles and responsibilities

5.1 General

5.2 Role of governing body

5.3 Role of management

5.4 Changing classifications

5.5 Defining the requirements: key considerations

6 Data classification framework

6.1 Context

6.2 Identification

6.3 Implementation

6.4 Monitor/Improve

7 Guiding principles

7.1 Simplicity

7.2 Default classifications

7.3 Interoperability

7.4 Equivalence

7.5 Use of data classification for processor and controller

7.6 Auditing, controls and compliance

7.7 Customer data

7.8 Assessment and reporting

7.9 Learning, maintaining and improving

7.10 Data protection

Bibliography

PD ISO/IEC TS 38505-3:2021

Information technology. Governance of data - Guidelines for data classification

Current

Published:

31 Oct 2022