You just got the email from a major prospect, investor, or partner: “We’ll need to see your SOC 2 or ISO 27001 before we move forward.”
Revenue is on the line, the board is asking questions, and inside your company everyone is looking around for who owns this. Your IT lead is already overloaded. Your head of engineering is shipping product, not writing policies. Yet you know this is really about trust, not just paperwork.
SOC 2 and ISO 27001 are simply structured ways to prove you manage security and risk like a grown-up company. They are the difference between “trust us” and “here is objective proof.”
The real question in your head is, We are getting ready for SOC 2 or ISO 27001. Where do we start and who should lead it? This guide gives you a practical, non-technical roadmap so you do not spin up random projects, overspend on tools, or dump this on the wrong person.
What SOC 2 and ISO 27001 really mean for your business (in plain English)
Photo by qmicertification design
Think of SOC 2 and ISO 27001 as two different ways to answer one question: “Can we trust you with our data and our business?”
They are not just badges for your website. They are structured proof that you have thought about security, written down how you handle it, and can show evidence that people actually follow the rules.
For you as a CEO or founder, the outcomes matter more than the acronyms:
- More trust, faster deals. Security reviews stop killing momentum in late-stage sales.
- Cleaner due diligence. Investors, lenders, and acquirers see a repeatable system, not heroics.
- Fewer surprises. You reduce the odds that a security incident turns into a company-level crisis.
In 2025, SOC 2 has become a basic expectation for many SaaS and services firms, and research shows most companies now run multiple SOC 2 audits each year. At the same time, ISO 27001 remains the global reference for a full information security program, and more mature companies start to pursue both together. You are not early to this party, but you are not late either. You are right on time to make a smart, business-first decision.
SOC 2 vs ISO 27001: what each is and when it matters
SOC 2 is an audit report. An independent CPA firm reviews how you protect customer data based on the Trust Services Criteria, such as security, availability, and confidentiality. The output is a detailed report your customers’ security teams can read and rely on.
ISO 27001 is a management system standard. It defines how you run information security across your whole business: risk assessment, policies, controls, monitoring, and improvement. The output is a certificate that shows you run a formal Information Security Management System.
Concrete examples help:
- A B2B SaaS company selling into US enterprises is often pushed toward SOC 2 first. Buyers expect a SOC 2 Type 2 report as part of vendor onboarding.
- A global firm, or one working in regulated sectors or complex supply chains, may lean toward ISO 27001 because it is recognized worldwide and fits vendor programs everywhere.
They are different paths to a similar goal. Both show that you handle risk and data security in a structured way. For a clear comparison of how the two frameworks line up, resources like this SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 comparison can be helpful background while you decide.
Why customers, investors, and boards care about these certifications
Security has moved from a technical topic to a board and revenue topic.
When you pursue SOC 2 or ISO 27001, you are not doing it to please auditors. You are answering very practical questions from the people who control growth capital and large contracts:
- Vendor security reviews that used to take months can shrink to weeks.
- Private equity firms, banks, and strategic acquirers see fewer “red flags” in diligence.
- After every news story about a breach, your board wants to know how exposed you are.
The real business goal is predictable growth with fewer fires, not just a shiny logo. Companies that treat these standards as part of their growth engine, rather than a checkbox, tend to get more value and avoid compliance fatigue. For a deeper dive into how SOC 2 prep ties into sales and customer trust, guides like this step-by-step SOC 2 preparation overview can give you more context.
Where do we start with SOC 2 or ISO 27001 without wasting time and money?
You do not need a 100-page project plan to start. You need a clear reason, a contained scope, and a few focused steps.
Step 1: Decide why you are doing this and what “good enough” looks like
Before anyone drafts a policy, write down three things:
- Why now? Name the drivers. A top 1 to 3 deals, investor pressure, a board mandate, or a real concern about risk.
- What is in scope? List the products, locations, systems, and key vendors that actually matter for those drivers.
- What is the target? For example, “SOC 2 Type 2 covering our main SaaS platform within 12 to 18 months” or “ISO 27001 certification for our core operations.”
This is your guardrail. Without it, the project will quietly expand to every system, every office, and every “nice to have” control someone has ever heard about.
Clarity on purpose and scope lets you say “not yet” to side requests. It also makes it easier to explain to your team why this matters and how it connects to revenue and risk.
Step 2: Run a short readiness check before you buy tools or hire auditors
The temptation is to buy a tool or book an auditor first. That is often backwards.
Start with a lightweight readiness assessment that you can explain on one page:
- Inventory your key systems and data. Where does customer data live? Who has access?
- List what you already have: policies, procedures, controls, training.
- Ask, “What would an auditor expect to see?” across a few basics:
- Access control (who gets in, and who approves it)
- Change management for production systems
- Incident response (what you do when something breaks or is breached)
- Vendor risk (how you vet and review third parties)
- Security hygiene (MFA, backups, patching)
For SOC 2, compare your current state to the Trust Services Criteria. For ISO 27001, look at your gaps against Annex A controls and the standard’s risk management process. External references like this ISO 27001 vs SOC 2 guide can help your team translate the jargon.
Summarize the output as a simple heatmap: red, yellow, green across key areas. Executives understand that in seconds.
Step 3: Focus on a handful of high-impact controls first
Most mid-market companies already have pieces in place. You probably have MFA, backups, a ticketing system, and some basic logging. The gap is usually consistency and proof.
Start with a short “no regrets” list that supports both SOC 2 and ISO 27001:
- Access management and offboarding. Clear joiner-mover-leaver process, with logs and approvals.
- Change management for production. Every material change tied to a ticket, peer review, and rollback plan.
- Incident response plan and drills. A written playbook, with at least one tabletop exercise per year.
- Vendor review process. Simple onboarding checklist and periodic review for key vendors.
- Security awareness training. Short, regular training and phishing simulations, with tracked completion.
It is better to fully implement and evidence 10 controls than to half-implement 40. Automated monitoring and compliance tools can help later, but you get more value when the underlying processes are clear and owned.
Who should lead SOC 2 or ISO 27001, and how do we set them up to win?
Now we come to the second part of your question: who actually owns this?
Why this cannot be “an IT project” and what executive ownership looks like
SOC 2 and ISO 27001 touch people, process, vendors, contracts, and culture. Not just servers and firewalls.
If you treat this as a pure IT initiative, it will stall the first time a policy conflicts with sales targets or product deadlines. The project needs an executive sponsor, usually the CEO, COO, or CFO in a mid-market company.
The sponsor’s job is to:
- Set the priority and connect it to revenue and risk.
- Approve realistic budget and time.
- Remove roadblocks when teams clash or vendors resist.
That is different from the day-to-day lead, who runs the project. Without visible executive backing, people treat policies as paperwork and audits become painful exercises in chasing screenshots at midnight.
As security questions show up more in board packs, many leaders are pairing this work with a broader technology and risk review, similar to how some firms approach a structured SOC 2 audit program as part of their vendor and spend strategy.
Choosing the right day-to-day lead: internal champion vs fractional expert
You have two main options for the person who runs the work:
- Internal champion. Often a head of engineering, IT director, or operations leader who understands how the business actually runs. They know the systems, the shortcuts people take, and where the bodies are buried.
- Internal champion plus fractional expert. Pair that person with a fractional CTO, CISO, or compliance advisor who brings:
- A proven playbook.
- Standard templates and policies.
- A clear sense of what auditors actually care about.
Very few mid-market firms need a full-time CISO at this stage. Borrowing seasoned experience is often smarter than hiring too fast or letting vendors act as your only “advisors.”
The ideal lead is organized, trusted across teams, and comfortable saying “no” when scope creeps. They translate between auditors, engineers, and executives without drama.
Setting up the SOC 2 or ISO 27001 leader for success
Once you pick a leader, give them the structure to win, not to burn out.
- Clear goals and timeline. Example: draft policies in 3 months, implement key controls in 6 to 9 months, ready for audit in 12 to 18 months.
- Lightweight steering group. Involve leaders from technology, HR, legal, and operations. Short, focused meetings that unblock decisions.
- Simple project rhythm. Biweekly working sessions, monthly check-ins with the executive sponsor, and a short written update.
Track progress with a one-page dashboard:
- Percent of controls designed.
- Percent operating with evidence.
- Top 3 risks or gaps.
- Current blockers and owners.
A neutral advisor, such as a fractional CTO or CISO, can make sure this work lines up with your broader technology roadmap, not just a compliance checklist. The goal is a company that is stronger and clearer, not just more documented.
Conclusion: a clear starting point and the right leader
“We are getting ready for SOC 2 or ISO 27001. Where do we start and who should lead it?” The answer is simpler than it first appears.
Start by getting sharp on why you are doing this and what “good enough” looks like for your deals, investors, and board. Run a focused readiness check, then shore up a small set of high-impact controls before you spend on tools or audits. Assign both an executive sponsor and a capable day-to-day lead, often supported by a seasoned fractional expert, so this effort ties into growth, not just compliance.
Handled this way, SOC 2 or ISO 27001 becomes a business project, not a security chore. If you want help turning that into a concrete roadmap, visit CTO Input and explore more practical guidance on the CTO Input blog.