SOC 2 & ISO 27001: The Advantages of Both Under a Single Assessor

As they’re now two of the most popular compliance initiatives in the world, many organizations often choose to pursue either SOC 2 or ISO 27001, and others are tackling both. In fact, there are strategic benefits to be gained in undergoing both a SOC 2 examination and achieving ISO 27001 certification, especially as you can do both at the same time.

And while pursuing two different compliance projects simultaneously may seem like an entirely avoidable headache—you truly can gain efficiencies by having them both completed by a single assessor. As a leading provider of SOC reports and an accredited ISO Certification Body, we’d know—we’ve proven it before—and now we’re going to explain what we mean.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss why you should consider both SOC 2 and ISO 27001, why it makes sense to do so even at the same time, and how using one assessor for both can lead to a more streamlined experience while yielding all the same benefits.

4 Reasons to Pursue Both SOC 2 & ISO 27001

Whether you’ve already got one or the other and are considering the other, or if you’ve not yet pursued either and are considering moving forward, here are a few reasons why obtaining both SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance/certification would benefit your organization:

1. To Satisfy Diverse Client Expectations

While your customers may request one or the other based on industry standards or their internal particulars, it’s important to note that while SOC 2 can be particularly important for clients in the United States, ISO 27001 is recognized globally and is often required by clients in Europe, Asia, and other international markets.

Achieving SOC 2 compliance and ISO 27001 certification will position your organization to meet the varied preferences of a broader range of clients and their diverse regulatory and contractual requirements.

2. To Obtain Competitive Differentiation

Achieving both will also help with further business opportunities, as being able to market your organization as SOC 2 compliant and ISO 27001 certified will demonstrate a higher level of commitment to security and compliance than just one or the other.

Such can be a significant selling point for potential clients, as in an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape, various stakeholders are prioritizing giving their business to partners and providers that are willing to meet the highest standards across multiple frameworks.

3. To Achieve Comprehensive Security Coverage and Assurance

In terms of approach, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 are different in that the former is more focused on specific trust service criteria regarding the security, availability, and confidentiality, processing integrity and, privacy of provided services, whereas the latter requires a comprehensive and risk-based approach to managing information security across the entire organization through an Information Security Management System (ISMS).

Given these different methodologies—SOC 2’s client-focused standard vs. ISO 27001’s organizationally holistic & risk-based one—obtaining and maintaining both SOC 2 and ISO 27001 can lead to even stronger internal security practices, better risk management, and a more resilient organization.

4. To Set Up Future Scalability

Not only will achieving SOC 2 compliance and ISO 27001 certification set your organization up well for the present but should you have more global ambitions or goals to diversify further into new markets, having both can make that easier—and it may even save you the effort of having to undergo additional compliance efforts.

The Benefits of Performing a SOC 2 Examination and ISO 27001 Certification Simultaneously

Together, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 demonstrate your organization's ability to comprehensively manage information security risks and build trust with stakeholders across different markets and industries. Altogether, there are plenty of reasons to dive right in with both—and while you may already have one and just need the other to reap the full benefits, if you still need SOC 2 compliance and ISO 27001 certification, you should know that there are some merits to doing both at the same time:

• Efficiency in Implementation: As SOC 2 and ISO 27001 share many similar controls, installing both simultaneously would help you avoid any duplication of effort in design and implementation later—that includes the required documentation, as you’d be able to align your policies and procedures to meet the requirements of both frameworks from the start, save timing and resources while also making it easier to maintain compliance over time.

• Cost Savings: Implementing both frameworks together might allow you to leverage the same teams, tools, and consultants, which can result in significantly reduced compliance costs.

• Aligned Organizational Focus: Working towards compliance with both SOC 2 and ISO 27001 at the same time will ensure that your entire organization is aligned with a unified set of security and compliance objectives, which will help foster a stronger security culture and reduce the risk of gaps or inconsistencies.

3 Benefits of Using a Single Assessor for SOC 2 and ISO 27001

That being said, pursuing SOC 2 and ISO 27001 simultaneously would also potentially raise some unique challenges:

• It would be more resource-intensive from a time and money standpoint.
• The breadth of requirements is (obviously) more extensive.
• The degree of audit readiness within your organization would need to be higher.

But it is possible to navigate these complexities to utmost success—even more so if you can find a single assessor to perform both assessments. You’d need to ensure your choice of partner has the skills and accreditation to do so first, but using the same firm for both SOC 2 and ISO 27001 can offer several strategic advantages.

1. A More Streamlined Audit Process + Better Coordination, Communication, and Insight

First and foremost, choosing to use a single assessor for your SOC 2 examination and ISO 27001 audits can bring consistency to your audit experience. With one firm you wouldn’t have to juggle varying approaches from different organizations, which would help avoid any accidental mishaps as you and your single auditor can work together to align everything with your organization’s specific context and operations.

Not only that, but a single firm in charge of both assessments would be able to more efficiently manage the overlapping controls and evidence between SOC 2 and ISO 27001, sparing your team from the added burden of having to provide the same information multiple times.

In the same vein, because working with one assessor will mean a single point of contact for both audits, communication between you and your auditors is simplified, which will not only help ensure that any issues or questions are addressed promptly but will also reduce the potential for confusion.

Plus, given that a single assessor will be handling such a breadth of requirements packaged amidst the different nuances of SOC 2 and ISO 27001, they’ll gain a more comprehensive understanding of your organization’s security environment, culture, and processes, allowing them to provide more insightful feedback that will add value to your organizations.

2. Potential Cost and Administrative Efficiencies

While a streamlined, easier audit experience is a paramount consideration, using a single assessor also simplifies your procurement process. As our trusted partner Lumen can attest, one assessor means only one contract process and only one stream of invoices to send out.

And while you may have an opportunity to save money by bundling services under one firm—as many often offer discounts for multiple audits—you might also even be able to save further when it comes to related expenses such as travel, accommodation, and administrative fees that are associated with coordinating multiple assessments. Plus, there’s the additional savings in time for your teams internally. While the cost savings can sometimes be difficult to quantify in dollars, they are very real, as will be the reduction in audit fatigue for your teams.

3. Enhanced Setup for the Future

To recap, we’ve discussed how using a single assessor for both your SOC 2 examination and ISO 27001 certification can optimize your pre-audit and audit processes—now, we want to say that it can also help optimize your cybersecurity future.

That’s because, when the same assessor handles these audits, they can provide integrated findings and recommendations that address both SOC 2 and ISO 27001 requirements, leading to more effective and actionable improvement plans that strengthen your overall security posture.

Getting Started with a Single Assessor for SOC 2 and ISO 27001

As security frameworks, implementation of either SOC 2 or ISO 27001 can greatly benefit organizations everywhere, but pursuing both can make for an even more powerful boon to both your information security and market prospects. Doing so would, of course, mean a larger preparatory lift than undergoing just one assessment, but using the same assessor for both could alleviate some of the challenges in that you could simplify your audit processes, potentially reduce expenses, and maximize the benefits of each standard.

If you’re now interested in consolidating these two audits under one assessor, your next move would be to find the right firm. Schellman does have decades of experience in providing SOC 2 examinations and ISO 27001 certifications, and you can learn more about us and firms like us—including helpful vetting tips—from our other content:

• Schellman vs Other Single-Provider Cybersecurity Firms
• 3 Questions to Ask Your Single-Provider Cybersecurity Firm
• Schellman’s Single-Provider Project Management Methodology

But if you’d like to hear more about us—and our SOC 2 and ISO 27001 experience—directly from us, contact our team today.