SOC 2 or ISO 27001: which should international companies get first?

The Geographic Factor

Your Primary Market	Start With	Why
US buyers	SOC 2	US enterprise standard for vendor security
EU/UK buyers	ISO 27001	European buyers expect ISO certification
Asia-Pacific buyers	ISO 27001	ISO is the recognized standard globally
Both US and EU	SOC 2 first, then ISO	SOC 2 is faster; most controls reuse for ISO
Government (any country)	Country-specific framework	FedRAMP (US), Cyber Essentials (UK), etc.

SOC 2 First: The Faster Path

Advantage	Detail
Faster to complete	3-4 months vs. 6-12 months for ISO
Lower initial cost	$10K-$25K vs. $15K-$40K
Simpler documentation	No ISMS requirement
US market coverage	Immediate value for US enterprise sales
ISO foundation	70-80% of controls transfer to ISO 27001

ISO 27001 First: When It Makes Sense

Situation	Why ISO First
All customers are in EU/UK	They specifically ask for ISO, not SOC 2
Pursuing EU government contracts	ISO often required
Competitors have ISO but not SOC 2	Match market expectations
You want 3-year certification	ISO certifies for 3 years vs. SOC 2's annual reports

Doing Both: The Dual Path

Many international SaaS companies pursue both. The efficient path:

1. Start SOC 2 (faster, builds your control foundation)
2. Begin ISO documentation during the SOC 2 process (ISMS, SoA)
3. Complete SOC 2 (3-4 months)
4. Complete ISO 27001 using SOC 2 controls and evidence (2-4 additional months)

Total timeline for both: 6-8 months instead of 12-16 months if done sequentially.

Cost of Both

Item	Cost
SOC 2 (auditor)	$10K-$25K
ISO 27001 (certification body)	$15K-$30K
Compliance tool (shared)	$299-$15K
Total	$25K-$70K

The shared compliance tool and overlapping controls make pursuing both cheaper than the sum of individual costs.