Which compliance framework should I start with?

Which compliance framework should I start with? A practical guide for SaaS and tech teams

Deciding where to start with compliance is one of those questions that looks simple on the surface, but quickly becomes complicated once you realise how many frameworks exist — and how different the advice can be depending on who you ask.

The good news is that for most SaaS and tech companies, the right starting point comes down to three practical questions: Where are your customers? What data do you handle? What do enterprise buyers currently ask for?

Answer those honestly and the decision becomes much clearer.

Why the first framework you choose matters more than you think

Compliance isn't just about ticking boxes. The framework you pursue first shapes the controls you build, the policies you document, and the audit evidence you collect. Getting it right early means that future certifications — and you will want more than one eventually — build on work you've already done rather than starting from scratch.

ISO 27001 and SOC 2, for example, share roughly 70% of their underlying security controls. Start with one, and you've already laid the groundwork for the other. That overlap is worth planning around from day one.

The four frameworks most SaaS and tech teams encounter first

ISO 27001 — the global standard for information security

ISO 27001 is the internationally recognised standard for building and maintaining an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It's not region-specific, which makes it the preferred choice for companies selling into Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, or any regulated sector where international credibility matters.

For European tech companies and SaaS providers, ISO 27001 is often the natural starting point. Certification typically takes between 3 and 9 months depending on company size, and first-year costs range from roughly €15,000 to €50,000+ when you include consultant support, tooling, and the certification audit itself (according to figures from Public Cloud Group and grcsolutions.io).

The real value of ISO 27001 isn't just the certificate. It's the structured, risk-based management approach it forces you to build — one that makes your organisation genuinely harder to breach, not just compliant on paper. ISO 27001 certification benefits for your organisation extend well beyond audit day.

SOC 2 — the benchmark for US enterprise sales

If your target market includes US-based enterprise customers, SOC 2 is effectively the price of entry. It's a service organisation attestation — not a certification — built around five Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.

SOC 2 comes in two types. Type I assesses whether your controls are well designed at a point in time. Type II — which most enterprise procurement teams actually want — assesses whether those controls operated effectively over a period of months. For a deeper look at how these SOC 2 compliance requirements serve SaaS success, it's worth understanding what auditors actually look for.

SOC 2 is less prescriptive than ISO 27001 in terms of what controls you must have, but that flexibility can be a double-edged sword. You need experienced guidance to scope it correctly.

GDPR — mandatory, not optional, for EU-facing companies

GDPR is not a framework you choose — it applies automatically to any organisation processing the personal data of EU residents. If you're a SaaS company operating in Europe or serving European customers, GDPR compliance is a baseline legal obligation, not a strategic investment.

In May 2025, the European Commission adopted new procedural regulations designed to streamline cross-border GDPR enforcement, making non-compliance riskier than ever. Maximum fines remain at €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher. Understanding what GDPR/AVG means for your organisation is the right place to start.

A simple decision framework

Here's a practical way to think through your starting point:

Your situation: Selling primarily to US enterprise customers

Start here: SOC 2 Type II

Your situation: Selling to European or global enterprise customers

Start here: ISO 27001

Your situation: Operating in both markets

Start here: ISO 27001 (covers more ground internationally; SOC 2 follows naturally)

Your situation: Processing EU personal data

Start here: GDPR (mandatory regardless of other choices)

For most European SaaS companies, the realistic starting stack is: GDPR compliance as the baseline, followed by ISO 27001 as the primary security framework, with SOC 2 added when US enterprise deals start requiring it.

What about NIS2 and other emerging regulations?

The NIS2 Directive expanded its scope significantly in 2024, pulling many tech and SaaS companies into mandatory cybersecurity obligations they weren't previously subject to. If your organisation qualifies as an essential or important entity under NIS2 — or if you supply critical sectors like finance, energy, or healthcare — you'll need to address this alongside your chosen framework. The NIS2 Directive scope and compliance requirements for 2026 are worth reviewing early.

The good news: the technical controls NIS2 demands overlap substantially with ISO 27001, so pursuing the ISO standard first is a sensible approach. A structured cybersecurity risk assessment aligned with ISO 27001 and NIS2 can address both at once.

Planning for multiple frameworks from the start

Few growing tech companies stop at one framework. The smartest approach is to treat your first compliance project as the foundation for everything that follows — mapping controls so they serve multiple standards simultaneously, collecting evidence once, and not rebuilding from scratch for every new audit.

This is the logic behind Securance's Single Audit, Multiple Standards approach: rather than running separate, siloed compliance projects for ISO 27001, SOC 2, and ISAE 3402, a single coordinated audit exercise covers the overlapping controls across all three. For companies working through the ISO 27001, SOC 2, ISAE 3000, and NIS2 compliance comparison, understanding where standards converge makes the whole programme significantly more efficient.

Securance works with SaaS and tech teams across Europe to build exactly this kind of integrated compliance programme — one that satisfies multiple stakeholder demands without unnecessary duplication. Their compliance advisory services bring together regulatory knowledge, IT governance expertise, and independent audit capability under one roof.

The honest answer

There's no single correct answer that fits every company. But for most European SaaS and tech teams, the pragmatic starting point is ISO 27001 — it's internationally respected, builds strong security fundamentals, overlaps heavily with other frameworks, and signals genuine security maturity to enterprise buyers everywhere.

If your primary market is the US and you need to close enterprise deals in the next six months, SOC 2 Type II is your faster route to trust.

Either way, the worst choice is to wait. Every month without a framework is a month your competitors are using their certification to win deals you're not even shortlisted for.