Efficient Data Classification and Labeling according to ISO/IEC 27001:2022

Many companies that implement an ISMS according to ISO/IEC 27001 encounter the same hurdle when it comes to controls 5.12 “Classification of information” and 5.13 “Labeling of information”:

• Data volumes are growing rapidly and are distributed across file servers, cloud storage, and collaboration platforms.
• Information is created and used by different departments, often without clear guidelines or consistent standards.
• Manual classification is extremely time-consuming, prone to errors, and hardly scalable in practice.

The result: Companies often do not know exactly what sensitive or business-critical data they have, where it is located, and whether it is correctly labeled. Without this transparency, the ISMS remains incomplete in a crucial area.

This is exactly where our Data Governance platform comes in. With our automated data classification and labeling, we solve both of these central problems and go one step further:

1. Automatic classification (Annex A 5.12)
   Our solution systematically scans unstructured data sources. Based on predefined criteria – such as confidentiality, criticality, or regulatory requirements – data is automatically assigned to a suitable category. This creates a consistent classification scheme throughout the entire company.
2. Automatic labeling (Annex A 5.13)
   In the next step, the data is tagged with metadata labels or tags. This makes the classification visible to all employees and usable for technical systems – for example, to control access rights, comply with deletion deadlines, or specifically monitor sensitive information.
3. Efficient reclassification by data owners
   In addition, we provide a workflow developed by us that enables data owners to reclassify their data sets, including historical data, in a targeted manner within just 15–30 minutes. This keeps responsibility within the specialist departments while ensuring that the classifications are up to date and of high quality.

Our solution turns a manual task into a scalable, automated process. Companies benefit from:

• Time and cost savings, as classification no longer has to be done manually.
• Consistency and traceability, because all data is evaluated and labeled according to the same criteria.
• Security and compliance benefits, as sensitive information can be identified immediately and handled correctly.
• ISO 27001 compliance, because the requirements of 5.12 and 5.13 are implemented reliably and verifiably.
• Flexibility, as the solution scans both classic on-premises environments (Windows, NetApp) and modern cloud platforms such as M365 (SharePoint, Exchange, Teams).

The implementation of controls 5.12 and 5.13 is considered challenging because it deeply affects daily data management. However, with our automated classification and labeling solution—supplemented by an efficient workflow for data owners and support for on-premises (Windows, NetApp) and M365 (SharePoint, Exchange, Teams)—this challenge becomes a clearly structured, efficient process. This is a crucial step on the path to successful ISO/IEC 27001 certification.