For security leaders, ISO/IEC 27001 certification remains one of the most recognized benchmarks for information security management. The 2022 revision places an even greater emphasis on proactive threat monitoring and cybersecurity readiness. It requires not only documented policies but also demonstrable evidence that security controls are functioning effectively against modern threats.
CISOs often face the challenge of maintaining visibility across complex infrastructures while ensuring every incident is logged, analyzed, and resolved according to policy. Even with advanced tools, producing defensible audit evidence is demanding without consistent oversight.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) addresses these challenges by combining continuous monitoring, human-led investigation, and structured response. MDR provides the operational discipline that supports the control requirements and performance expectations outlined in ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
This article explains how MDR capabilities align with the updated ISO/IEC 27001:2022 controls, how they contribute to certification readiness, and what best practices CISOs should follow when integrating MDR within their information security management system (ISMS).
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 defines the requirements for an ISMS. The Annex A controls have been restructured into four themes: Organizational, People, Physical, and Technological. Several of these controls focus on the continuous management of information security incidents and monitoring activities:
Maintaining these controls requires persistent visibility, timely detection, and a repeatable response process. MDR services directly address these needs by providing 24/7 monitoring, skilled threat analysis, and incident response coordination. This operational foundation supports compliance by ensuring that monitoring is continuous, incident management is measurable, and evidence is readily available for auditors.
|
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Control |
MDR Capability |
Compliance Contribution |
|
Organizational 5.7 (Threat Intelligence) |
Continuous threat detection and analytics |
Refines risk assessments with real-world threat data |
|
Organizational 5.26 (Incident Management) |
Triage, containment, and resolution workflows |
Provides evidence of structured response and documentation |
|
Technological 8.16 (Monitoring Activities) |
Log correlation and anomaly detection |
Satisfies the requirement for active monitoring and event analysis |
|
Technological 8.23 (Content and URL Filtering) |
Malicious traffic and command-and-control detection |
Demonstrates proactive defense against web-based threats |
|
Clause 9 (Performance Evaluation) |
Metrics and incident trend analysis |
Supports internal audit and management review activities |
|
Clause 10 (Improvement) |
Root-cause analysis and remediation plans |
Contributes to continuous improvement within the ISMS cycle |
A leading API platform developer needed to meet the rigorous security and compliance demands of enterprise clients in the financial and healthcare sectors. Their small internal team lacked the resources for the 24/7 monitoring and response required to satisfy auditors and win new business. This created a significant business roadblock.
By integrating SecureOps Co-Owned MDR into their cloud environment, they gained a mature, 24/7 security operations function in under four months. When we detected anomalous activity, such as an unusual data access pattern, the SecureOps team immediately investigated, validated the event, and provided a detailed incident report within 24 hours.
This process provided direct, auditable evidence for key ISO/IEC 27001:2022 controls like 8.16 (Monitoring activities) and 5.26 (Incident management).
Before MDR: The company struggled to provide the security assurance needed to land enterprise contracts. Audit preparations were a manual, time-consuming drain on their small development team.
After MDR: The developer could confidently prove their security posture to auditors and clients, turning compliance into a business enabler. Centralized, audit-ready reporting from the MDR platform drastically reduced the internal workload and helped them pursue new markets and revenue.
Integrating MDR into an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 program requires careful coordination between technical operations and governance teams. The following best practices help CISOs establish that alignment.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 requires organizations to prove that security controls are defined, consistently executed, and reviewed. MDR bridges the gap between policy and practice by delivering continuous monitoring, structured incident response, and verifiable reporting.
Mapping MDR functions to the updated ISO/IEC 27001:2022 controls allows CISOs to demonstrate effectiveness across detection, response, and improvement, turning compliance into a measurable component of organizational resilience.
SecureOps' Co-Owned MDR services provide the 24/7 monitoring, expert analysis, and audit-ready evidence needed to achieve and maintain ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance with confidence.
Find the right MDR provider for you with The Buyer's Guide to Co-Managed MDR Services.