SOC2 vs. ISO for Startups: Key Differences Explained | Cybersecurity Essentials
Ayman explains that SOC 2 focuses on data security with five criteria, including availability, integrity, privacy, confidentiality, and security, and is primarily aimed at service providers, especially in the U.S. He notes that ISO is more policy-oriented, recognized internationally, and involves a longer three-year journey, but may be more suitable for companies with international customers. Ayman advises startups to choose based on their customers' requirements, highlighting that there is significant overlap between the two standards but they differ in scope and approach.
Transcript
A lot of companies are trying to decide between doing SOC 2 or ISO. What's the difference exactly? In a nutshell, SOC 2 is geared around data security. There's five different criteria. There's availability, integrity, privacy, confidentiality, and of course, data security. Data security is the minimum required from a SOC 2 perspective. ISO is recognized by international companies. And ISO is very policy-oriented. It's a three-year journey, actually. SOC 2 is geared for service providers. It's recognized by the U.S. or a lot of U.S. companies. 0:32 But when you're trying to decide whether to do SOC 2 or ISO, really it should come down to what your customer is asking for. There's a lot of overlap. There's maybe 60 to 80% overlap, but they're a different type of work. ISO, I believe, is a little harder to do because there's a lot of policy and governance and whatnot, but it can be straightforward for the right company. If you have international customers, ISO is going to be much more recognized. Having both is really good. It's not going to hurt you to do both.