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Compliance with SOC 2 or ISO 27001 is challenging enough, but it’s likely that neither will be the only framework your business needs to comply with. Without strategic forethought and the right technologies, multi-framework compliance can require you to “rip and replace” earlier controls and policies. This is a task that can take hundreds of hours. Here is a brief summary of what you’ll need to do and information about how Trustero can help you save time, money and effort and avoid “rip and replace” entirely.

The Multi-Framework Compliance Challenge

The controls for SOC 2 and ISO 27001 overlap but are different in granularity, specificity and terminology. You can’t just implement the controls for one and “copy and paste” your way to compliance with the other.

The approach you took to get compliant with your first framework will directly affect how much work and rework you’ll need to do to add your next framework. In the worst case, you will need to “rip and replace” most of your earlier work to achieve and sustain compliance with each additional framework you need to support. Depending on the specifics of your business, you may need to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), FedRamp, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI/DSS or some combination of these or other frameworks and regulations.

For example, SOC 2 accepts a multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirement, while ISO 27001 requires a broader control that includes MFA. So if you’re trying to add ISO 270001 certification to your SOC 2 compliance, you might need to rip out your original SOC 2 control. 

What You’ll Need to Do

To add ISO 27001 compliance to your SOC 2 compliance, you’ll first need to compare your chosen SOC 2 controls carefully with the ISO 27001 requirements and available controls. This will likely require the assistance of a paid consultant, as neither set of controls is written in clear, plain business language. Whether you choose an independent consultant or one provided or recommended by your chosen SOC 2 compliance or ISO 27001 certification auditor, you must vet them carefully. You need someone who understands both framework requirements and your business.

Once you’ve identified the ISO 27001 controls with which you need to comply, you’ll have to re-examine all of your SOC 2 controls. You and your consultant must determine whether you can keep any SOC 2 controls as they are and how best to modify or replace those that don’t meet your ISO 27001 requirements. 

You’ll then have to modify or replace each SOC 2 control that can’t be used as is to comply with ISO 27001. Then you can identify and implement the integrations you’ll need to supply the best available evidence for your new control set. And you’ll have to repeat and expand this entire process as you pursue compliance with additional frameworks or regulations. 

How Trustero Can Help

Trustero has a better way.

The proprietary Trustero Golden Control Set is included with every subscription to Trustero Compliance as a Service (CaaS). Trustero CaaS is an innovative AI-powered compliance automation platform designed to empower companies to go from “ground zero” to stamp of approval.

Unlike other offerings, Trustero CaaS and the Golden Control Set:

  • Translate framework controls and policies into clear, actionable language and guidance, for you and your chosen auditor/certification body. 
  • Describe controls, policies and evidence in clear, concise language any businessperson can understand.
  • Uniquely enable you to cover multiple frameworks within a single audit period, making multi-framework compliance faster, easier, less costly and less stressful.
  • Deliver consistently clear, actionable information about what you need to do and the evidence you need to get you to full compliance and certification, whether for SOC 2, ISO 27001, both, or future frameworks.

The Trustero CaaS platform will save you time, money and headaches as you pursue multi-framework compliance. And Trustero can also provide you with access to the expertise and support you need to get your controls and evidence right the first time, and experienced auditors familiar with Trustero CaaS. You get faster, easier multi-framework compliance with consolidated, continuous framework management, both of which will help reduce business risk and help you expand business opportunities.

To learn more about Trustero and its innovative Compliance as a Service platform, visit https://www.trustero.com. To learn more about Trustero support for ISO 27001, visit https://trustero.com/iso-27001/. And for more information or to schedule a demo, visit https://go.trustero.com/demo-meeting-link or send an email to sales@trustero.com.