What is the primary objective of **ISO 37301**?

**ISO 37301 specifies requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving an effective Compliance Management System (CMS).** Published on 13 April 2021 as the first certifiable standard replacing guidance-only ISO 19600, it uses the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and High-Level Structure (HLS) to identify compliance obligations, assess risks, embed integrity culture, and drive continual improvement through leadership commitment and performance evaluation.

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with **ISO 37301**?

**No organizations are legally required to comply with ISO 37301, as it is a voluntary certifiable standard applicable to all sizes and sectors.** It is professionally adopted by entities seeking third-party assurance for systematic compliance risk management, including large corporates like Kingspan with multi-site certifications, to meet stakeholder demands for governance, ESG reporting, and reputational resilience.

Does **ISO 37301** require an external audit or third-party certification?

**ISO 37301 enables but does not require external audits or third-party certification.** Certification is optional via accredited bodies like those under ANAB/ANSI, involving initial conformity assessment and surveillance audits in a typical three-year cycle, providing verifiable evidence of CMS effectiveness to stakeholders.

How often should an assessment for **ISO 37301** be performed?

**ISO 37301 requires continual performance evaluation, including internal audits at planned intervals based on risk, and management reviews at planned intervals.** Monitoring, measurement, and analysis occur ongoing, with internal audits risk-based (e.g., frequent for high-risk areas) and supported by ISO 37302 for maturity models and KPIs.

What are the consequences of non-compliance with **ISO 37301**?

**Non-conformance with ISO 37301 results in loss of certification, if pursued, but no direct legal penalties as it is voluntary.** Internal consequences include ineffective CMS leading to regulatory breaches, fines, litigation, reputational damage, and missed opportunities for stakeholder trust; certification bodies issue nonconformities requiring corrective actions.

An **ISO 37301** be mapped to other international frameworks?

**Yes, ISO 37301 follows the High-Level Structure (HLS) for seamless integration with other ISO management system standards.** Its PDCA framework and clauses on context, leadership, planning, support, operation, evaluation, and improvement align with companion standards like ISO 37302 (effectiveness), ISO 37303 (competence), and ISO 37002 (whistleblowing).

What is the first step to begin implementing **ISO 37301**?

**The first step is to determine the context of the organization, identifying internal/external issues and interested parties' expectations.** This informs CMS scope, compliance obligations inventory, and centralized compliance register, securing top management buy-in per Clause 4.

What is the primary objective of **SOC 2**?

**The primary objective of SOC 2 is to provide independent assurance that a service organization's controls meet the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.** Developed by the AICPA, SOC 2 evaluates systems handling customer data, with Security (CC1-CC9) as the mandatory common criteria. Type 2 reports assess design and operating effectiveness over 3-12 months, delivering stakeholder trust for SaaS and cloud providers.

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with **SOC 2**?

**No organization is legally required to comply with SOC 2, as it is a voluntary AICPA framework, but service organizations processing customer data face professional mandates from enterprise clients.** Targeted at SaaS, cloud, fintech, and data processors of any size, it is demanded in RFPs, MSAs, and vendor risk assessments by Fortune 500 buyers, where 70-80% of deals hinge on Type 2 reports.

Does **SOC 2** require an external audit or third-party certification?

**Yes, SOC 2 requires an external audit by an independent AICPA-accredited CPA firm to issue Type 1 or Type 2 attestation reports.** Type 1 validates control design at a point in time; Type 2 tests operating effectiveness over a period via sampling, walkthroughs, and evidence review, resulting in an auditor's opinion (unqualified preferred).

How often should an assessment for **SOC 2** be performed?

**SOC 2 Type 2 assessments should be performed annually to capture full control cycles, with bridge letters extending validity up to 3 months.** Monitoring periods last 3-12 months minimum, followed by audit fieldwork; annual recertification with bridged periods (prior 9 months + new 3) ensures continuous assurance.

What are the consequences of non-compliance with **SOC 2**?

**Non-compliance with client-mandated SOC 2 results in deal disqualification, extended sales cycles by 3-6 months, and heightened breach liability exceeding $1M per incident.** No AICPA fines apply, but enterprises reject vendors lacking Type 2 reports, inflating CAC by 20-50% and risking reputational harm or lost funding.

An **SOC 2** be mapped to other international frameworks?

**Yes, SOC 2 maps effectively to frameworks like ISO 27001 (80% control overlap), NIST CSF, and others via AICPA spreadsheets.** Common Criteria (CC1-CC9) align with ISO Annex A controls, enabling reuse for multi-compliance without dual audits, particularly for Security, Availability, and Confidentiality.

What is the first step to begin implementing **SOC 2**?

**The first step to implement SOC 2 is a scoping exercise and gap analysis against the Trust Services Criteria, engaging a CPA for readiness assessment.** Define in-scope systems, data flows, and TSC (Security mandatory), inventory assets, and map 50-100 controls, prioritizing quick wins like policies and IAM.

ISO 37301 vs SOC 2

Standards Comparison

ISO 37301

Voluntary

2021

International certifiable standard for compliance management systems

SOC 2

Voluntary

2010

AICPA framework for service organization security controls

Quick Verdict

ISO 37301 establishes certifiable compliance management systems for all organizations globally, embedding risk-based culture and obligations. SOC 2 provides CPA-attested controls for service providers' data security. Companies adopt ISO 37301 for broad governance assurance; SOC 2 accelerates tech sales via trust.

Compliance Management

ISO 37301

ISO 37301:2021 Compliance management systems – Requirements

Cost

€€€€

Complexity

High

Implementation Time

12-18 months

Key Features

First certifiable standard replacing guidance-only ISO 19600
High-Level Structure aligns with ISO 9001, 14001, 27001
Risk-based planning using PDCA cycle
Mandates leadership commitment and compliance culture
Requires whistleblowing protections and continual improvement

Cybersecurity / Trust

SOC 2

System and Organization Controls 2

Cost

€€€€

Complexity

High

Implementation Time

6-12 months

Key Features

Trust Services Criteria with mandatory Security
Type 2 audits prove operating effectiveness
Independent CPA firm attestation reports
Flexible scoping for service offerings
Overlaps with ISO 27001 and NIST

Detailed Analysis

A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

ISO 37301 Details

What It Is

ISO 37301:2021 is a certifiable international standard specifying requirements and guidance for Compliance Management Systems (CMS). It replaces guidance-only ISO 19600, applicable to all organization sizes and sectors. Primary purpose: systematic identification of compliance obligations, risk assessment, and embedding integrity culture via risk-based PDCA cycle.

Key Components

Core pillars: leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, improvement.
Follows ISO High-Level Structure (HLS) for integration.
Emphasizes whistleblowing, competence (ISO 37303), effectiveness measurement (ISO 37302).
Certifiable via accredited bodies like ANAB; 40 pages with 2024 climate amendment.

Why Organizations Use It

Reduces regulatory risks, fines, reputational harm.
Builds stakeholder trust, supports ESG/SDGs.
Enables certification for competitive edge, investor confidence.
Drives continual improvement, cultural change.

Implementation Overview

Phased: initiation, design, implement, measure, sustain.
Key activities: compliance register, risk assessment, training, audits.
Universal applicability; scalable for SMEs/enterprises.
Certification involves initial audits, 3-year surveillance cycles.

SOC 2 Details

What It Is

SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a voluntary framework developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). It evaluates service organizations' commitments to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data. Grounded in Trust Services Criteria (TSC), it employs a control-based, risk-focused approach emphasizing design and operational effectiveness.

Key Components

Five TSCSecurity** (mandatory, CC1-CC9), Availability (A1), Confidentiality (C1), Processing Integrity (PI1), Privacy (P1-P11)
50-100 controls per scope, mapped to criteria
Built on COSO principles with points of focus
Type 1 (point-in-time design) or Type 2 (effectiveness over 3-12 months) CPA-attested reports

Why Organizations Use It

SOC 2 accelerates enterprise sales by streamlining due diligence, reduces breach liabilities under laws like CCPA, and builds stakeholder trust. It provides competitive differentiation for SaaS/cloud providers, signaling maturity to investors and unlocking markets like hyperscalers.

Implementation Overview

Phased approach: scoping, gap analysis, control deployment, 3-month monitoring, CPA audit. Targets service organizations (SaaS, fintech) of all sizes, especially scaling startups to enterprises. Automation tools like Vanta aid evidence collection; typical 6-12 months, $20-100K.

Key Differences

Aspect	ISO 37301	SOC 2
Scope	Compliance obligations, risks, culture across operations	Security, availability, confidentiality of customer data
Industry	All sectors, sizes, global applicability	Service organizations, tech/SaaS, primarily North America
Nature	Voluntary certifiable management system standard	Voluntary CPA attestation report on controls
Testing	Accredited certification audits, 3-year cycle	Type 1/2 audits by CPA, annual Type 2 preferred
Penalties	Loss of certification, no legal fines	No legal penalties, market/business exclusion

Scope

ISO 37301

Compliance obligations, risks, culture across operations

SOC 2

Security, availability, confidentiality of customer data

Industry

ISO 37301

All sectors, sizes, global applicability

SOC 2

Service organizations, tech/SaaS, primarily North America

Nature

ISO 37301

Voluntary certifiable management system standard

SOC 2

Voluntary CPA attestation report on controls

Testing

ISO 37301

Accredited certification audits, 3-year cycle

SOC 2

Type 1/2 audits by CPA, annual Type 2 preferred

Penalties

ISO 37301

Loss of certification, no legal fines

SOC 2

No legal penalties, market/business exclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about ISO 37301 and SOC 2

ISO 37301 FAQ

SOC 2 FAQ

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ISO 37301

SOC 2

Quick Verdict

ISO 37301

Key Features

SOC 2

Key Features

Detailed Analysis

ISO 37301 Details

What It Is

Key Components

Why Organizations Use It

Implementation Overview

SOC 2 Details

What It Is

Key Components

Why Organizations Use It

Implementation Overview

Key Differences

Scope

Industry

Nature

Testing

Penalties

Frequently Asked Questions

ISO 37301 FAQ

What is the primary objective of ISO 37301?

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with ISO 37301?

Does ISO 37301 require an external audit or third-party certification?

How often should an assessment for ISO 37301 be performed?

What are the consequences of non-compliance with ISO 37301?

An ISO 37301 be mapped to other international frameworks?

What is the first step to begin implementing ISO 37301?

SOC 2 FAQ

What is the primary objective of SOC 2?

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with SOC 2?

Does SOC 2 require an external audit or third-party certification?

How often should an assessment for SOC 2 be performed?

What are the consequences of non-compliance with SOC 2?

An SOC 2 be mapped to other international frameworks?

What is the first step to begin implementing SOC 2?

You Might also be Interested in These Articles...

Real-World ISO 27701 Success: Synthesized Case Studies, Metrics, and Lessons for Privacy Resilience

DORA Third-Party Risk Management: A Consultant’s Guide to Mapping Critical ICT Service Providers in 2026

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide to ISO 27701: Building a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) on Your ISO 27001 Foundation

Run Maturity Assessments with GRADUM

Check out these other Gradum.io Standards Comparison Pages

ISO 26000 vs ISO 28000

FISMA vs ISO 27017

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