According to ISO/IEC 27001:2013, clause 9.1, an organization must monitor, measure, analyze and evaluate its information security performance and effectiveness. This includes determining what needs to be monitored and measured, the methods for doing so, when and by whom the monitoring and measurement shall be performed, when the results shall be analyzed and evaluated, and who shall be responsible for ensuring that the actions arising from the analysis and evaluation are taken 1.

SunDee failed to comply with this requirement and did not monitor or measure the performance and effectiveness of its ISMS for the past two years. As a result, the company did not have any objective evidence or indicators to demonstrate the achievement of its information security objectives, the effectiveness of its controls, the satisfaction of its interested parties, or the identification and treatment of its risks. This also meant that the company did not conduct regular management reviews of its ISMS, as required by clause 9.3, which would provide an opportunity for the top management to ensure the continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the ISMS, and to decide on any changes or improvements needed 1.

Just before the recertification audit, the company decided to conduct an internal audit, as required by clause 9.2, which is a systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled 1. However, the company did not have a well-defined audit program, scope, criteria, or methodology, and relied on the written reports of its staff for the past two years. This caused a disruption in the workforce, as most of the staff had to compile their reports for their departments, leaving the Production Department with less than the optimum workforce, which decreased the company’s stock. Moreover, the internal audit process was very inconsistent, as the reports were written by different employees with different styles, formats, and levels of detail. The internal audit process also lacked any qualitative measures, such as performance indicators, metrics, or benchmarks, to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the ISMS.

Therefore, the cause of SunDee’s workforce disruption was the negligence of performance evaluation and monitoring and measurement procedures, which led to a lack of objective evidence, a poorly planned and executed internal audit, and a decrease in the company’s productivity and stock value.