Why Every Successful SaaS Business Needs ISO Certification

All SaaS businesses are required to comply with certain ISO standards. While you can meet these requirements without getting certification, your business will be more successful with certification. 

If these regulations apply to you, is your organization ISO-certified? If not, you may want to consider getting certified as quickly as possible. Depending on the specific type of business you run and your client agreements, it could be a legal or contractual requirement. 

What Are ISO Standards? 

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) sets standards for quality, security, and efficiency in a variety of industries. The standards are created by teams of experts in their respective fields. If you’re not familiar with these standards, you can get ISO standards from the iTeh website. 

Although there are thousands of individual standards, the ISO doesn’t just arbitrarily come out with new standards; they create standards in response to requests from industries and consumer groups. Requests for standards are made when problems arise that can’t be resolved without standardization. 

Over the years, several key ISO standards have been created for SaaS and e-commerce businesses. These will be discussed in a moment. First, let’s look at what ISO certification involves.

What Is ISO Certification?

ISO-certification is a recognition that your company adheres to the standards you’re obligated to follow. Certifications are not provided directly by the ISO, however, they allow other organizations to provide certifications. Naturally, the ISO developed standards for the certification process. 

The ISO fully supports organizations obtaining ISO certification from reputable sources. However, choosing the right certification body is important. You want a certification body that: 

• Is accredited
• Uses the CASCO standards
• Has a good reputation

How Does The ISO Certification Process Work? 

The certification process will differ slightly with each certification body, but the general process involves an audit to see where you are, feedback regarding what you need to change, and another audit when you’ve made the changes. 

The process sounds simple, but it’s actually quite complex. To learn about what’s involved in the certification process (and to see if you’d pass an audit), review this 27001 audit document to see all of the details. 

What Certifications Are Helpful For E-Commerce/SaaS Businesses? 

ISO 27001 

For SaaS companies, the ISO 27001 certification is essential. According to Forbes, holding this certification “represents control over security processes and reliance with financial information and managing secure data.” This certification creates trust, which helps companies retain customers and increase the potential to generate new customers. Having this certification gives SaaS companies a competitive edge in their market. 

ISO 27017 And ISO 27018

ISO 27018:2014 governs the way personal information is processed. Any organization that collects, stores, or processes personally identifiable information (PII) must be ISO 27018-compliant, and getting certified will tell your customers you take the proper measures to protect their data. 

ISO 27017:2015 is an expansion of the cloud security regulations from ISO 27002. Specific security controls were created just for the cloud. To get a 27017 certification you’ll need to get your 27001 certification first. 

ISO 22301

The ISO 22301 standards are designed to prevent and mitigate costly downtime and loss of service. The ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management certification will show your customers and clients that you have a verifiably strong continuity strategy in place.

The ISO 22301 certification is considered the gold standard for SaaS businesses. 

What Are The Benefits Of Getting ISO Certification?

Getting ISO certification shows your customers that you’re trustworthy and have been verified according to the standards they expect you to meet. Developing customer trust is critical for SaaS companies. A cloud security study from McAfee found that only 23% of companies trust public cloud providers to secure their data, and nearly 30% of companies don’t trust public cloud providers at all. Without certification, you’ll have to work harder to earn your customers’ trust.

Getting certified also benefits businesses in more specific ways. For example, if you work with organizations in the health industry, getting ISO certified will help you become HIPAA-compliant. 

ISO certification can also help you win big contracts. Clients who take cyber security very seriously often give SaaS companies long questionnaires about their security policies and processes. If the SaaS company can’t answer the questions to the client’s satisfaction, they’ll take their business elsewhere.

Getting ISO certification can help you pass these intense verification processes. During the audit portion of the certification process, you’ll be advised to make specific changes to improve your security posture, and those changes are usually the measures big clients want to see.

Display Your ISO Certificate To The World

Once you get certified, you’ll want to let your customers know. However, be sure to properly label your certified products or systems. Rather than simply stating your product or system is “ISO certified,” refer to the specific standards. For example, make the reference “ISO 27001:2013 certified.”

Once you’re certified, your existing customers will feel better and you’ll have an easier time winning trust from new customers.