Answer
What does ISO 20996 mean for cloud customers?
It means the continuity evidence you already keep will be read in a cloud-specific way: which services carry critical activities, which regions, what the contract promises, and what you have tested yourself.
The short answer, in context
It means the continuity evidence you already keep will be read in a cloud-specific way: which services carry critical activities, which regions, what the contract promises, and what you have tested yourself. ISO/IEC DIS 20996 is at stage 40.60 (Close of voting), dated 2026-09-24, and the planning date used here is 2027-09-13, an estimate and not an ISO commitment. The draft is 45 pages and is sold by ISO; its text is not public and is not reproduced on this site.
What are the first things to fix?
A scope that names services and regions, one restore you have run, and the three continuity terms in each critical contract.
Does it change my ISO 22301 certification?
No. It is guidance, not an amendment. Your continuity system remains the thing you are assessed against.
What will an auditor ask for?
The evidence list per clause: the scope, the impact analysis, the strategies, the plans, the exercise records and the management review.
Can I prepare before the text is public?
Yes. The work is in your estate and your contracts, not in the draft's wording.
What to do next
Run the free check, then read the register for the clauses behind each answer. The timeline carries every recorded stage and the ones still to come.
Source: ISO/IEC DIS 20996 record, read 2026-10-20. Last updated: 2026-10-20.