Information Security Management
ISO 27001 Physical Controls Explored
Physical controls protect your buildings, equipment, and working environments from unauthorised access, damage, or interference.
They complement the Organisational, People, and Technological controls by securing the physical layer of your information assets.
Select a control family to explore it in more detail
What Are Organisational Controls in ISO 27001?
Physical controls are the safeguards that prevent physical threats — such as theft, fire, unauthorised entry, or equipment damage — from compromising your information.
They ensure that information stored on paper, devices, or local servers remains protected from accidental or deliberate harm.
How ISO 27001 Organisational Controls Fit into Annex A
ISO 27001:2022 defines 14 Physical Controls (A.7.1 to A.7.14).
These complement:
- Organisational controls (A.5) – governance and process management
- People controls (A.6) – staff behaviour and awareness
- Technological controls (A.8) – digital and infrastructure protections
Together, these ensure that information is secure in all forms — whether stored on servers, laptops, or in physical files.
The specific controls you apply — and how — are documented in your Statement of Applicability.
Control List (7.1 – 7.14)
Below is a complete list of the Organisational controls, each linking to its own detailed explanation and examples.
I’ve grouped them into themes to help organise them, but these are not ISO 27001 formal groupings.
Defines and protects secure areas to prevent unauthorised entry or tampering.
Maintains ongoing physical protection and monitoring of offices, rooms, and facilities.
Reduces risk from environmental or physical hazards.
Ensures physical devices and media remain protected across their lifecycle.
Keeps systems running reliably through resilient infrastructure.
Ensures secure maintenance and end-of-life asset management.
ISO 27001 Full Document Toolkit
Every document your auditor
expects to see.
130 Word & Excel templates, ready to edit. Policies, risk register, Statement of Applicability, audit pack, staff communications — all updated for ISO 27001:2022.
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Written by practising consultant
ISO 27001:2022
The Importance of Physical Controls in 27001
So, why have this group of controls? Well, the benefits include;
- They protect your information where it physically exists.
- They demonstrate diligence to auditors and customers.
- They support compliance with data protection and business continuity requirements.
- They prevent small incidents (like unattended laptops) from becoming data breaches.
The physical controls ask people to consider how they deal with ‘real-world’ security; Offices, desks, and computers. How we protect these from environmental and malicious intentions.
Increasingly, however, organisations are often 100% remote and work as a virtual team, so many of the controls may not be directly applicable in such circumstances.
Next Steps and Related Topics
Check out some of the other control families here;
FAQ: Physical Controls
Are physical inspections part of the audit?
Yes – auditors often tour your premises or request photographic evidence of controls in place.
Do these apply if we’re fully cloud-based?
Yes – you still need to manage access to any location where data is processed (e.g. home offices, laptops, backup drives).
What’s a clear desk policy?
A rule ensuring sensitive papers or devices aren’t left unattended when staff leave their desks.
How do physical controls tie into business continuity?
They protect physical infrastructure and utilities, which underpin your continuity and disaster recovery plans.
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