Strip away the framework-specific jargon and SOC 2, ISO 27001, and most enterprise security requirements converge on a similar baseline set of controls. Here's what actually matters, independent of which specific framework you're targeting.
Identity and access management
- MFA enforced for all users, especially admin and privileged accounts
- Documented onboarding/offboarding process with access removed within 24 hours of termination
- Quarterly access reviews for all systems handling customer data
- Least-privilege role design — no shared admin credentials
Data protection
- Encryption at rest and in transit for all customer data
- Data classification policy distinguishing sensitive from non-sensitive data
- Documented data retention and secure deletion procedures
Change management
- Code review requirements before production deployment
- Separate development, staging, and production environments
- Documented rollback procedures
Vulnerability and risk management
- Regular vulnerability scanning of production infrastructure
- Annual (at minimum) third-party penetration testing
- Documented process for tracking and remediating identified vulnerabilities by severity
Incident response
- Written incident response plan with defined roles and escalation paths
- Customer breach notification procedure with specific timelines
- At least annual tabletop exercise testing the plan
Business continuity
- Regular automated backups with tested restoration procedures
- Documented disaster recovery plan with defined recovery time objectives
The gap that trips up most companies: having a control exist on paper versus having evidence it's actually operating. Auditors don't just want a policy document — they want logs, tickets, and records proving the control ran consistently over the audit period.
Vendor and third-party risk
- Documented subprocessor list, kept current
- Security review process before onboarding new vendors with data access
- Contractual data protection terms (DPAs) with all subprocessors
Bottom line
This baseline maps to roughly 80% of both SOC 2 Common Criteria and ISO 27001 Annex A requirements. Get these in place and operating consistently, and pursuing either certification becomes a documentation exercise rather than a from-scratch security buildout.