The short answer
SOC 2 is an examination of controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria, resulting in a report. ISO/IEC 27001 is a certifiable management system standard, resulting in a certificate. SOC 2 is most commonly requested by North American buyers; ISO 27001 is recognised internationally.
Structural differences
- Assessor: CPA firm for SOC 2, accredited certification body for ISO 27001.
- Output: a detailed report describing controls and test results, versus a certificate plus Statement of Applicability.
- Cycle: SOC 2 observation periods repeat annually; ISO 27001 runs a three-year cycle with surveillance audits.
- Emphasis: SOC 2 emphasises control operation; ISO 27001 emphasises the management system, including risk treatment, internal audit and management review.
Where they overlap
Access control, change management, supplier management, logging, incident response, business continuity and HR security appear in both. One well-run access review can satisfy requirements in both frameworks if it is recorded once and mapped to both.
Which to do first
Choose based on who is asking. If enterprise buyers in the United States are blocking deals, SOC 2 usually comes first. If your buyers are European or public-sector, ISO 27001 often carries more weight. Running both later is far less work when controls were mapped to multiple frameworks from the start.
See this in the product
Compliancy holds the controls, evidence and records described above in one platform.