If you sell software to other businesses, sooner or later a prospect's security team will ask whether you have ISO 27001, SOC 2, or both. The two are often mentioned in the same breath, but they are different instruments with different origins, audiences and outputs.
What each one is
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO 27001 is an international standard for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). Certification is awarded by an accredited body after an audit, and it results in a certificate that is widely recognised globally. The emphasis is on having a risk-driven management system that you operate and improve over time.
SOC 2
SOC 2 is an attestation report produced by a licensed auditor against the Trust Services Criteria (security, and optionally availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy). It is especially common in North America. A Type I report assesses design at a point in time; a Type II report assesses operating effectiveness over a period, typically 3–12 months.
The key differences
| ISO 27001 | SOC 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | International certification of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) | Auditor attestation report against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria |
| Output | Certificate from an accredited body | Detailed attestation report (Type I or Type II) |
| Who asks for it | Global buyers; strong in Europe, Asia and regulated markets | Predominantly North American enterprise buyers |
| Structure | Management system + risk treatment + Annex A controls | Security criterion plus optional availability, integrity, confidentiality, privacy |
| Time dimension | Point-in-time certification with surveillance audits | Type II covers an observation window, typically 3–12 months |
| Renewal cycle | Three-year cycle with annual surveillance | Repeated annually |
Which should you pursue first?
Let your market decide. If most of your pipeline is North American enterprise, SOC 2 (often Type II) is usually the faster route to unblocking deals. If you sell internationally or into Europe and Asia, ISO 27001's global recognition tends to carry more weight. Many companies eventually pursue both.
Don't do the work twice
The costly mistake is running ISO 27001 and SOC 2 as two separate projects with two separate evidence trails. Because their control sets overlap, the efficient approach is to map controls once and reuse the same evidence across both frameworks. That is precisely the model Pelta uses: shared control mappings and one connected Evidence Engine, so a single artefact can satisfy the equivalent control in every framework you run.
SOC 2
- Controls mapped
- Evidence collected
- Policies & procedures in place
Adding ISO 27001
~65% carried overAuto-completed from your existing program
Overlap shown is illustrative — the actual carry-over depends on the maturity of your existing program.
Already have SOC 2? Pelta maps your existing controls, policies and evidence onto ISO 27001 — auto-completing the overlap so your team only works on what ISO adds, such as the formal ISMS, Statement of Applicability and risk-treatment plan.
A pragmatic sequence
- 1Pick the framework your buyers ask for most and scope it tightly.
- 2Stand up the ISMS or control set with policies mapped to controls.
- 3Collect evidence once, in a structure you can reuse.
- 4Add the second framework by mapping its controls onto the evidence you already have.
Done this way, the second credential is a fraction of the effort of the first — and both stay continuously audit-ready rather than decaying between audits.
Frequently asked questions
Is ISO 27001 or SOC 2 better?+
Neither is universally better — they serve different markets. ISO 27001 is a globally recognised certification; SOC 2 is an attestation most requested by US buyers. Choose based on where your customers are and what they ask for.
Can I reuse work between ISO 27001 and SOC 2?+
Yes. The two frameworks overlap substantially. If you map controls once and keep a connected evidence trail, most of the evidence for one framework applies to the other, dramatically reducing the effort for the second.
How long does SOC 2 Type II take?+
A SOC 2 Type II report covers an observation period, commonly 3 to 12 months, during which the auditor evaluates whether controls operated effectively.