The Trust Badge
Selling SaaS to US enterprises? If you don’t have a security certification, the sales door is closed. The two big standards are **SOC 2** and **ISO 27001**, but they serve different purposes.
SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2)
- Focus: A report on how *your specific organization* manages customer data based on 5 Trust Principles (Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, Privacy).
- Market: The dominant requirement for the US market. Almost every US enterprise vendor risk assessment asks for a SOC 2 Type II report.
ISO 27001
- Focus: A formal specification for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It’s more rigid and process-heavy.
- Market: The international standard. Essential if you are selling to Europe or global multinationals.
Which One First?
For a US-focused SaaS, start with **SOC 2**. It directly addresses the concerns of US CTOs. ISO 27001 can follow as you expand globally.
