Is SOC 2 a certification?

Not quite: it is a report signed by an audit firm, not a certificate. But the market usually calls it a 'SOC 2 certification', and the preparation is the same as for any audit: organise the controls and gather the proof. If your customer asks for 'the SOC 2 certification', they want the report, usually Type II. The name is everyday; what you deliver is the report.

If I hold ISO 27001, can I get SOC 2 faster?

Yes. Since the care is nearly the same, a company already holding ISO 27001 reaches SOC 2 with most of the proof ready. What changes is the form: SOC 2 sorts the controls by the themes you chose and asks for the Type II observation period. It is a reuse over a mature base, not a start from scratch, and it holds the other way round too.

Type I or Type II, which does my customer want?

Almost always Type II. Type I shows the controls were well built on one day; Type II shows they worked over a period, usually 3 to 12 months, and is what the American customer actually values. Type I is often an interim step: it shows progress while the Type II period runs.

Which should I choose if I sell to the US and Europe?

Both, in a combined effort. In the United States, the customer asks for SOC 2 by name; in Europe and Asia, ISO 27001 is the recognised currency, common in tenders and supply chains. Since the care is nearly the same, you organise once and use the proof for the certificate and the report, without keeping two separate projects.

Information security

SOC 2 vs ISO 27001

Both prove the same thing, that your information security is serious and audited, but in different formats and markets. SOC 2 is a report signed by an audit firm, the one most asked for by customers in the United States. ISO/IEC 27001 is an international certification, recognised in Europe, Asia and Brazil. The security care is nearly the same in both, so doing one gets you close to the other.

See SOC 2 readiness Jump to the comparison

In short

ISO 27001 is an international certification (you pass or you don't); SOC 2 is a report with an auditor's opinion.
SOC 2 is what the American customer asks for by name; ISO 27001 is the global currency, strong in Europe and Asia.
The security care is nearly the same, so doing one reuses most of the other's proof.
Many companies do both: ISO 27001 for the organisation and reach, SOC 2 to close deals in the United States.

Side by side

What separates a report from a certification

What to compare	SOC 2	ISO/IEC 27001
What it is	A report on your controls, signed by an audit firm.	An information-security certification.
Where it comes from	The United States (AICPA). It is the most used in the American market.	International (ISO/IEC). It is the most used in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
What you deliver	A detailed report, with the description of the controls and the auditor's opinion, almost always delivered under confidentiality.	A public one-page certificate anyone can check.
What goes in scope	The themes you choose: Security (mandatory) and, if you want, Availability, Integrity, Confidentiality and Privacy.	The scope you define, saying which of the 93 controls apply to your company.
Types	Type I (a snapshot of the controls on one day) or Type II (shows they worked over a period, usually 3 to 12 months).	A single certification, with follow-up visits every year.
Who issues it	An audit firm (CPA).	An accredited certification body.
Where it focuses	Whether the controls tied to the themes you chose truly work.	On a complete organisation of security: risk, owners and continual improvement, beyond the controls.
How long it lasts	Covers one day (Type I) or a period (Type II); usually redone every year.	The certificate lasts 3 years, with follow-up visits every year.

SOC 2 and ISO 27001 share most of their controls (access control, change management, incident response, vendor management), which is why one becomes a shortcut to the other.

The report the US asks for

SOC 2

It is the standard the American customer knows by name, above all for software and service companies. An audit firm looks at your controls and issues a report: Type I describes how the controls stand on one day; Type II, the more valued, shows they worked over a period. It is a dense document, delivered under confidentiality, not a public badge.

The one most asked for by customers in the United States
Type II shows the controls worked over time
The scope is built from the themes you choose
A detailed report, almost always delivered under confidentiality

The global certification

ISO/IEC 27001

It is the international currency of information security: a certificate recognised in Europe, Asia and Brazil, and asked for in many tenders and supply chains. It goes beyond the controls, because it asks for a complete organisation of security, with risk analysis, what applies and what doesn't, an internal audit and a management review. The result is public and easy to show to any interested party.

Certification recognised worldwide
Asks for a complete organisation of security, not just controls
A public certificate anyone can check
Common in tenders and supply-chain requirements

How they fit together

One base of care, two ways to prove it

SOC 2 and ISO 27001 cover nearly the same controls: access control, change management, incident response, vendor management and continuity. The difference is the wrapping. ISO 27001 wraps everything in a certifiable organisation and a public certificate; SOC 2 wraps it in a report, with an auditor's opinion on the themes you chose. That is why holding one gets you close to the other: the proof is nearly the same, only the way of presenting it changes. You can even run the two assessments in a combined effort.

The base of security care serves both proofs
ISO 27001 adds the complete organisation (risk, scope, internal audit)
SOC 2 adds the auditor's opinion on the period assessed

Which is your case

Where to start

Your target customers are in the United States

Start with SOC 2

It is what the American customer asks for by name, often already at purchase time. Aim for Type II, which closes deals; Type I serves as an interim step.

You sell to Europe, Asia or the public sector

Go with ISO 27001

It is the certification that tenders and large companies recognise worldwide. And it becomes the base that shortens SOC 2 when an American customer asks.

You sell to both worlds

Both, in a combined effort

The most efficient path. You organise security once and use the same proof for the ISO certificate and the SOC 2 report, with no repeated work.

Numbers that matter

SOC 2 themes (Security is mandatory)

3 to 12 months

period a SOC 2 Type II usually covers

93 controls

in the 2022 version of ISO/IEC 27001

How DM11 helps

SOC 2 readiness and ISO 27001 certification, with DM11

We organise security once and use it on both fronts: the ISO 27001 certification, for the international market, and the SOC 2 Type II report, for the American customer, with a single proof effort.

The same base serves the American and the European customer, with no double work
You enter the audit prepared, with controls and evidence in place
We handle the paperwork and routine; your team stays on the product
You close more deals: the security proof stops blocking the sale

Explore SOC 2 readiness

Frequently asked

What people ask before deciding

Answers anchored in the SOC 2 criteria (AICPA) and ISO/IEC 27001:2022.

No, but they look a lot alike. Both prove that your security is audited, and share most of the care. The difference is the format: ISO 27001 is a certification (you pass or you don't) with a public certificate; SOC 2 is a report, with an auditor's opinion on the controls, almost always delivered under confidentiality. One is a badge; the other, a detailed document.

Find out which proof your customer asks for, and the shortest path to it

A short conversation shows whether your market wants SOC 2, ISO 27001 or both, and how much of the path you have already covered. No commitment.

Talk to a specialist Explore SOC 2 readiness

SOC 2 vs ISO 27001

What to compare

SOC 2

ISO/IEC 27001

What it is

A report on your controls, signed by an audit firm.

An information-security certification.

Where it comes from

The United States (AICPA). It is the most used in the American market.

International (ISO/IEC). It is the most used in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

What you deliver

A detailed report, with the description of the controls and the auditor's opinion, almost always delivered under confidentiality.

A public one-page certificate anyone can check.

What goes in scope

The themes you choose: Security (mandatory) and, if you want, Availability, Integrity, Confidentiality and Privacy.

The scope you define, saying which of the 93 controls apply to your company.

Types

Type I (a snapshot of the controls on one day) or Type II (shows they worked over a period, usually 3 to 12 months).

A single certification, with follow-up visits every year.

Who issues it

An audit firm (CPA).

An accredited certification body.

Where it focuses

Whether the controls tied to the themes you chose truly work.

On a complete organisation of security: risk, owners and continual improvement, beyond the controls.

How long it lasts

Covers one day (Type I) or a period (Type II); usually redone every year.

The certificate lasts 3 years, with follow-up visits every year.

SOC 2

The one most asked for by customers in the United States

Type II shows the controls worked over time

The scope is built from the themes you choose

A detailed report, almost always delivered under confidentiality

ISO/IEC 27001

Certification recognised worldwide

Asks for a complete organisation of security, not just controls

A public certificate anyone can check

Common in tenders and supply-chain requirements

One base of care, two ways to prove it

The base of security care serves both proofs

ISO 27001 adds the complete organisation (risk, scope, internal audit)

SOC 2 adds the auditor's opinion on the period assessed

SOC 2 readiness and ISO 27001 certification, with DM11

We organise security once and use it on both fronts: the ISO 27001 certification, for the international market, and the SOC 2 Type II report, for the American customer, with a single proof effort.

The same base serves the American and the European customer, with no double work

You enter the audit prepared, with controls and evidence in place

We handle the paperwork and routine; your team stays on the product

You close more deals: the security proof stops blocking the sale