Technology, SaaS and BPO · ISO and GRC consulting
ISO certification for technology, SaaS and BPO that answers the security review, not just the audit.
Enterprise clients, sourcing advisers and your customers' auditors want independent proof before they sign or renew. Sterling's expert and experienced consultants build ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS and privacy programmes with your engineering, operations and delivery teams, around the way you ship software and serve accounts. We ensure successful certification for our clients.
- One scope across products, cloud environments and delivery centres, so one body of evidence answers ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 and client questionnaires
- Effivity included with the engagement, at no additional cost, so access reviews, change records and incident logs build up as your teams work
- The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements. Sterling does not certify; an accredited body audits and decides
- Shorter security reviewsA certificate or report and an organised evidence pack answer questionnaire sections with proof instead of long narrative.
- Tenders you can bid forThe ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 or PCI DSS requirement in an RFP met before the deadline, not promised for later.
- One system, several frameworksControls mapped once across security, privacy and continuity, so the next client request adds evidence rather than a project.
- Client audits without disruptionAgents and engineers keep serving while evidence is kept by site, account and control.
What Technology, SaaS and BPO is asked for
The standards technology, SaaS and BPO buyers write into contracts.
Most enquiries start with a security questionnaire, an RFP clause or a client's vendor-risk review. ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 answer the security question; ISO/IEC 27701 and a GDPR or HIPAA programme answer the privacy one; PCI DSS applies wherever card data passes through your platform or your agents' screens. ISO/IEC 20000-1, ISO 22301 and ISO 9001 cover service delivery, continuity and quality, and ISO/IEC 42001 governs the AI features you build into your product or use in delivery.
Why now
Why technology, SaaS and BPO firms are asked for proof now.
The pressure rarely comes from one direction. These are the six sources clients describe most often on the discovery call.
- Enterprise customersVendor-risk teams send long security questionnaires and ask for an ISO/IEC 27001 certificate or a SOC 2 report before onboarding a supplier, and again at every renewal.
- RFPs and sourcing advisersProcurement teams list certifications as pass-or-fail criteria in outsourcing and software tenders; a bid without them may never reach the scoring stage.
- Data protection lawUnder GDPR Article 28, controllers may use only processors that give sufficient guarantees; under HIPAA, business associates have been directly liable since the 2013 Omnibus Rule. Your clients pass both duties to you in contract.
- Card-handling clientsIf agents take payments by phone or your platform touches card data, clients and acquirers expect PCI DSS v4.0.1, whose formerly future-dated requirements have been mandatory since 31 March 2025.
- Group and client policiesParent companies and regulated clients flow their own security, continuity and privacy policies down to their providers, then audit against them.
- Incidents and outagesAfter a breach, a platform outage or a failed client audit, boards ask for a system that prevents a repeat; ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 22301 give that work a structure an auditor can test.
Scope and evidence
What auditors look for in a technology, SaaS or BPO operation.
The requirement areas are broadly shared by ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2. The evidence is where sector practice shows.
| Requirement area | What it looks like in Technology, SaaS and BPO | Evidence auditors ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and boundaries | Products and environments, delivery centres, remote agents and the client accounts in scope; responsibilities shared with cloud providers | Scope statement or system description, network and data-flow diagrams, list of in-scope services and sites |
| Risk assessment | Multi-tenant platforms, client data on agent desktops, privileged administrator access and third-party tools | Risk method, risk register with owners, Statement of Applicability or control matrix, approved treatment plan |
| Access control | Joiners, movers and leavers in a large, fast-changing workforce; client-provisioned accounts; engineers with production access | Periodic access reviews, onboarding and offboarding records, multi-factor authentication settings, privileged access logs |
| Change and secure development | Frequent releases, code review and infrastructure as code; controlled changes to client-facing processes in delivery teams | Change tickets with approvals, pull-request reviews, test results, release records |
| Operations and monitoring | Logging, vulnerability management and incident handling across shifts and time zones | Log review records, scan results with remediation, incident tickets, post-incident reviews |
| Suppliers and continuity | Cloud hosting, subcontractors and sub-processors; site, connectivity and staffing disruptions | Supplier register and reviews, sub-processor list, business impact analysis, continuity exercise and restore test results |
Controls and evidence follow from your own risk assessment, so this table is typical rather than a checklist. For SOC 2, the service auditor, a CPA firm, tests the controls at a date for a Type 1 report and over a period for a Type 2 report.
The engagement
What happens between the first call and the certificate.
The six steps below are written for ISO/IEC 27001. For SOC 2 the same work leads to a readiness assessment and the examination; for PCI DSS, to validation by a QSA or by self-assessment where your acquirer allows it.
- 01Define what the certificate needs to cover.Confirm activities, sites, headcount, customer expectations and the intended certification scope.
- 02Gap analysis: review the current system against the requirements.The gap analysis identifies what is missing, preserves effective practice and agrees actions, owners, dates and resources.
- 03Implement and collect meaningful evidence.Put controls into use, train the relevant people and keep the records that show how the system operates.
- 04Audit, review and address the findings.Internal audit and management review evaluate implementation; findings are raised by us first and closed with evidence.
- 05Complete the independent assessment.The certification body's Stage 1 readiness review, then the Stage 2 audit; respond to any findings and await its decision.
- 06Maintain the system after certification.Monitoring, internal audits, reviews and improvement continue, alongside the body's surveillance audits and three-yearly recertification.
What you receive
Everything a working, certifiable system needs. Nothing to purchase separately.
- Scope and gap analysis reportThe scope of the certificate and every shortfall against the standard, with an owner and a date.
- Implementation planMilestones, responsibilities, the weekly session calendar and the target audit window.
- The documented management systemPolicies, processes, procedures, forms and records on Sterling's template sets, tailored to your operation.
- Effivity workspace, configuredDocuments, registers, audits, actions, training records and management review in one place, included at no additional cost.
- Trained peopleAwareness e-learning for everyone, practitioner courses for the people who run the system, internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard, with Certificates of Completion.
- Internal audit and management reviewProgramme, checklists, report, corrective actions closed with evidence, and a management review record with decisions.
- Certification readinessCertification bodies compared and their accreditation checked, Stage 1 and Stage 2 preparation, and support until the certificate is issued.
- The Sustain™ calendarThe year after certification planned: surveillance dates, internal audits, refreshers, new-hire training and any transition to a revised edition.
Effivity · included with the engagement
Your system runs in software from the first workshop.
Effivity is the ISO and GRC automation platform built by the Sterling group and used in 50+ countries. Your consultant configures it within the agreed scope, so evidence accumulates as people do their work and the certification auditor reviews a live system rather than a binder. Sterling consulting clients get their subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost.
ISO & GRC softwareSterling Academy · included with the engagement
Your people learn the standard, not just the forms.
E-learning with practice checkpoints, a final exam and a numbered Certificate of Completion for each learner, verifiable online, with progress by department for the certification audit. Sterling consulting clients get preferential course access and special pricing, including complimentary awareness training for their people as part of the engagement.
Contact us about Academy accessStandards
Standards for Technology, SaaS and BPO
- ISO/IEC 27001ISO/IEC 27001 certification consulting: an ISMS built with your people, evidence prepared, and support through Stage 1, Stage 2 and surveillance audits.
- SOC 2SOC 2 Readiness and compliance consulting: controls mapped to the Trust Services Criteria and evidence prepared for the CPA firm's SOC 2 attestation report.
- PCI DSSPCI DSS compliance consulting for merchants and service providers: scope, the twelve requirements and evidence prepared for your annual validation by a QSA.
- ISO/IEC 42001ISO/IEC 42001 certification consulting for AI governance: risks and impacts assessed, treated and evidenced, then supported through the certification audit.
- ISO/IEC 20000-1ISO/IEC 20000-1 certification consulting for IT services delivered to agreed requirements: incident, change, capacity and supplier control, audit-ready.
- ISO 22301ISO 22301 certification consulting to keep delivering through disruption: impact analysis, continuity plans and exercises, prepared for an accredited audit.
- ISO 9001ISO 9001 certification consulting: a quality management system built with your people, evidence prepared and support until an accredited body certifies you.
- GDPRGDPR compliance consulting: lawful processing, data subject rights and breach response, with evidence for regulators and your customers' auditors.
Technology, SaaS and BPO client experience
On the record: what Technology, SaaS and BPO clients say about working with Sterling.
The head of information security reports that the consultants helped organise evidence across several delivery centres and close control gaps without disrupting client operations, and that the weekly guidance kept the project moving.
The president and CEO writes that the certification is helping the company win business, and that Sterling's training of the team on the standard made a large difference to the development and improvement of its operations.
The risk and compliance director reports that the assessment strengthened client-data handling, retention and third-party privacy controls, and that the recommendations suited a professional-services environment and were easy to prioritise.
The IT risk manager writes that the engagement clarified the company's responsibilities across payment processes, technology environments and internal controls, and that the structured approach, evidence review and readiness activities helped it organise its compliance effort and strengthen security practice.
Each account is drawn from a signed letter or e-mail on file and reported in our words, with the signatory's role and organisation attached; the original letters are available on request. Ask for references in your sector before you decide.
- 60+countries where Sterling has delivered certification
- 21countries with a Sterling office, eight regions, one coordinated team
- 2003the year the group began implementing ISO management systems; the same method, refined, since
- 8,100+client engagements across the group, from single-site SMEs to multinationals
FAQs
Questions Technology, SaaS and BPO clients ask before they engage us.
The specific answers for your organisation come from the discovery call. These are the general ones.
Should a SaaS company get ISO/IEC 27001 or SOC 2 first?
Start with the one your customers name in their contracts and questionnaires. Both test a security programme built on risk assessment and controls, so the work overlaps heavily. An ISO/IEC 27001 certificate is issued by an accredited certification body; a SOC 2 report is an attestation by a CPA firm against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. Many firms build one set of controls and evidence for both, then time each audit to their renewal and tender dates.
How long do ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 take for a technology or BPO company?
ISO/IEC 27001 typically takes 4 to 8 months to certification. SOC 2 typically takes 3 to 6 months to a Type 1 report and 9 to 15 months to a first Type 2 report, because a Type 2 report covers controls operating over a period. The range depends on current maturity, scope, locations and headcount: a single-product SaaS team usually moves faster than a multi-site delivery operation serving many client accounts.
Do we need PCI DSS if our agents only take card payments over the phone?
Yes, if your people or systems store, process or transmit card data, or can affect its security. PCI DSS v4.0.1 applies to service providers and BPOs as well as merchants. Scope can often be reduced by keeping card numbers away from agent desktops, call recordings and your network, and your acquirer and card brands decide whether you validate with a QSA's Report on Compliance or a self-assessment questionnaire.
Can ISO/IEC 27701 be certified without ISO/IEC 27001?
Yes, under the current edition. ISO/IEC 27701:2025, published on 14 October 2025, is a standalone management system standard that can be certified on its own; the 2019 edition was certifiable only as an extension to an ISO/IEC 27001 certificate. If you already hold ISO/IEC 27001, the privacy system is designed to align with it and reuses much of the evidence. Certificates to the 2019 edition transition on the timetable your certification body confirms.
We are based outside the EU and the US. Do GDPR and HIPAA still apply to us?
They can. The GDPR applies to organisations outside the EU that offer goods or services to people in the EU or monitor their behaviour, and EU clients must bind their processors to Article 28 terms. HIPAA applies to business associates handling US protected health information wherever they are located. Neither has a certification of its own: compliance is shown through a documented programme, which ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27701 or SOC 2 can help evidence.
Our clients audit us every year. Will certification reduce that?
It can, though each client decides. A current certificate or SOC 2 report, with evidence organised by control, gives a client's vendor-risk team a basis to accept it in place of a full on-site audit or to limit the audit to their own contract clauses. The audits that remain move faster, because the records they ask for already sit in your Effivity workspace, organised by site, account and control.
Does Sterling issue the certificate or the SOC 2 report?
No. Sterling does not certify, attest or validate. An independent certification body accredited for the standard audits and decides on ISO certificates, a licensed CPA firm issues the SOC 2 report, and a PCI SSC-qualified QSA assesses PCI DSS. Sterling's expert and experienced consultants build your system and evidence with your teams and support you through each assessment until the decision is made.
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