Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.14
Beyond ISO, NIST, and BSI: which other information security standards and handbooks are worth knowing, especially in the DACH region?
COBIT and ITIL (governance/service management), the ISF Standard of Good Practice, the Swiss WIsB, the Austrian Informationssicherheitshandbuch, and the practice-oriented sihb.ch handbook.
| Standard | What it is |
|---|---|
| COBIT | ISACA's IT-governance framework |
| ITIL | IT service management best practices |
| ISF SoGP | Best-practice guide from 260+ global organizations |
| WIsB | Weisungen über die Informatiksicherheit in der Bundesverwaltung — binding directives for the Swiss federal administration |
| Österreichisches Informationssicherheitshandbuch | Austria's comprehensive government security handbook (sicherheitshandbuch.gv.at), structurally similar to BSI Grundschutz |
| Informationssicherheitshandbuch für die Praxis (sihb.ch) | Swiss hands-on guide for SMEs |
The takeaway: the ecosystem is layered — international standards (ISO, NIST), national adaptations (IKT Minimalstandard, BSI, Austrian handbook), sector/audience-specific guides (WIsB for federal agencies, sihb.ch for SMEs). Choosing one means matching audience, region, and depth — not finding "the best" standard.