How do Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits differ?

Stage 1 reviews ISMS readiness and documentation; Stage 2 tests implementation and effectiveness. After certification, annual surveillance audits occur, with recertification typically every 3 years.

What evidence is commonly required?

Risk assessment and treatment plan, Statement of Applicability, policies and procedures, asset inventory, training records, access control, change and incident records, vendor due diligence, monitoring and internal audit results, and management review.

How does ISO 27001 compare to SOC 2?

ISO 27001 is a certification of an ISMS by an accredited body with Annex A controls; SOC 2 is an attestation report against the Trust Services Criteria, issued by a CPA firm.

Who conducts ISO 27001 certification?

Accredited certification bodies perform certification audits. Consulting or audit firms can support assessments and internal audits, but the certificate is issued by an accredited body.

Where does Audora fit for ISO 27001 work?

Auditors and certification teams use Audora as a system of record for planning, evidence collection, sampling, testing, review notes, and reporting, with one-click exports and integrations to streamline delivery.

Frameworks Explained

ISO / IEC 27001: Information Security Management Systems (ISMS)

ISO 27001 is an internationally recognized standard for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS). Its primary goal is to help organizations protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information by applying a systematic risk management process.

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What is ISO 27001’s Target Audience & Industries?

Organizations selling to global enterprises, public sector, regulated markets, or operating across multiple regions/sites (SaaS, fintech, health tech, services).

Does it apply to my organization?

Handle customer or regulated data and sell B2B globally
Need a market-recognized certification for enterprise/partner access
Want a risk-based security management framework

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What are the Benefits of Obtaining ISO 27001 Certification?

Market access & trust with a recognized certificate
Risk-based security aligned to your business
Avoid lost deals and procurement delays
Global recognition for security governance
Reduces procurement friction and supports market access
Drives consistent risk, policy, and control practices
Integrates well with SOC 2/HITRUST mappings

What are the Core ISO 27001 Requirements?

ISMS scope & context: Define organizational boundaries, interested parties, and requirements (legal/regulatory/contractual).

Risk assessment & treatment: Method, criteria, risk register, and treatment plan with residual risk acceptance.
Statement of Applicability (SoA): Selected Annex A controls with inclusion/exclusion justifications and implementation status.
Policies & documented information: Security policy set, procedures/standards, records control, asset inventories, classification, and acceptable use.
Operational controls: Access control & MFA, secure config & hardening, vulnerability mgmt, logging/monitoring, backup/restore, supplier management, and secure development (where applicable).
Competence & awareness: Role-based training, awareness campaigns, and evidence of competence.
Performance evaluation: Monitoring/measurement, internal audits, nonconformity & corrective actions, and metrics/KRIs.
Management review: Planned, minuted reviews of ISMS performance and decisions/actions.
Certification audit: Stage 1 (documentation/readiness) and Stage 2 (implementation/effectiveness) by an accredited certification body; surveillance audits and 3-year recert cycle.
Continuous improvement: PDCA cycle, risk/SoA updates, corrective actions tracking.

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What are the General Guidelines to Achieve ISO 27001 Compliance?

Define ISMS scope: Org units, locations, assets, systems, and interfaces; document context, stakeholders, and requirements.
Risk assessment & treatment: Choose a method, score likelihood/impact, define risk acceptance criteria, select treatments.
Statement of Applicability (SoA): Map selected Annex A controls with inclusion/exclusion justifications.
Policy & governance: Publish policy set (security, access, crypto, supplier, DR/BCP, acceptable use), assign roles, set metrics.
Control implementation: Identity/MFA, secure configuration, vulnerability mgmt, logging/monitoring, backup/DR, supplier management, secure dev where applicable.
Competence & awareness: Role-based training, onboarding, periodic refreshers; maintain training records.
Documented information: Procedures, records, asset inventories, risk register, treatment plans, vendor reviews, test results.
Monitoring & measurement: KPIs/KRIs, control checks, internal scans/tests; track corrective actions.
Internal audit & management review: Plan, execute, document findings; hold formal management review; log decisions/actions.
Certification: Engage an accredited CB (Stage 1/2), address nonconformities; schedule surveillance audits and 3-year recert cycle.

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What are the Estimated Timelines to Complete an ISO 27001 Audit?

Startups: 3–5 months (gap 2–4 wks; implement 6–10 wks; Stage 1/2 2–3 wks)
Small: 3–6 months (readiness 4–10 weeks; Stage 1/2 audit 2–6 weeks)
Medium: 6–9 months
Large: 9–15 months

What are the typical costs?

Costs vary by size, scope, and readiness by organizations + cert body:

Startups: 1 - 25 employees, single product, 1 prod environment, 1 region, few to no vendors - $25k–$70k
Small Companies: <100, 1–2 products, 1–2 environments, low vendor count - $40k–$105k
Medium Companies: 100 - 1,000 employees, multi-product, multi-region, moderate vendor count - $80k–$200k
Large Companies: >1,000 employees, complex/regulatory environment, high vendor count - $200k–$500k+
Scope size, Annex A control depth, SoA justifications, and global site count move both time and cost.
(Ranges include typical readiness + audit/assessment (and operating period where applicable). Costs are USD and combine internal enablement/consulting + external auditor/assessor/cert body where relevant).

Where to Learn More

Official ISO 27001 Page: https://www.iso.org/isoiec-27001-information-security.html
Accredited Certification Bodies: https://www.ukas.com (UK) | https://anab.ansi.org (US)
NIST Cybersecurity Framework Alignment: https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework