ISO 27001 vs SOC 2: Which compliance standard aligns better with a Google Cloud setup?

[strongboxit]

Hi all,

We're a growing startup building our infrastructure on Google Cloud (GCP) and are starting to explore formal compliance frameworks to meet client expectations — particularly around data security and privacy.

We're currently evaluating ISO 27001 vs SOC 2, but it's unclear which one would be more practical and aligned with a GCP-based environment.

Specifically:

Does Google Cloud make it easier to align with either ISO 27001 or SOC 2 controls?

Are there native GCP tools or configurations (e.g., Cloud Audit Logs, Identity & Access Management, VPC Service Controls) that help fulfill either framework’s requirements?

For a startup without a dedicated compliance team, which of the two is easier to implement and maintain?

Has anyone here used GCP’s built-in tools for a security gap assessment or partnered with external providers for an audit?

I also came across this helpful article on SOC 2 and <URL Removed by Staff> — would love to hear how others approached this, especially on Google Cloud.

Thanks in advance!

[diannemcm]

Hi @strongboxit,

Welcome to Google Cloud Community!

As part of your migration to the cloud, you may need to validate our compliance documentation, certifications, and controls. Google Cloud creates and shares mappings of our industry-leading security, privacy, and compliance controls to standards from around the world. We also regularly undergo independent verification—achieving certifications, attestations, and audit reports to help demonstrate compliance. See Compliance resource center

ISO/IEC 27001 - Your organization will have to seek out and obtain its own certification, but you can leverage the Google Cloud certificate to understand how we have implemented the requirements for our products. After your organization understands which ISO/IEC 27001 controls are already covered under the Google Cloud services, you can work to complete your own implementation and certification.

SOC2 - may have a slight edge for startups due to its narrower scope and GCP’s detailed SOC 2 reports, which may be requested via the Compliance Reports Manager.

More information about this and the services that fall under the scope of this compliance can be found in below documentations:

• SOC 2 Services in Scope
• Google Cloud services that are in scope for ISO/IEC 27001

Google Cloud supports both ISO 27001 and SOC 2 compliance effectively. Sharing with you these blogs that you may find helpful: 

• How to Achieve SOC 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001 Compliance in Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Leveraging the Google Cloud SOC 2: How to Build a SOC 2 Compliant SaaS

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