Blog

How much does ISO 27001 certification cost?

Depending on company size, the ISO 27001 process can take multiple years and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Here's the breakdown.

September 21, 2022

Cybersecurity and regulatory compliance are the two biggest concerns of today’s corporate boards, according to Gartner. A growing number of companies are choosing to adopt a trusted security framework, and ISO 27001, as a globally recognized certification, is the framework of choice for many. In fact, ISO 27001 saw a 24.7% increase in worldwide certifications in 2020 alone.

Clearly, ISO 27001 is valuable. But it’s not cheap. In some cases, the hard costs of the full, three-year certification cycle can add up to $75,000—and that doesn’t include the cost of the time your employees will need to spend on the process.

Let’s take a look at how to calculate the costs involved in becoming certified and share some tried and true ways of minimizing those costs.

Breaking Down the Cost of ISO 27001

ISO 27001 is a multi-stage process, and each stage includes a different set of costs. We’ll break down each stage and look at the costs involved. Because certification costs depend heavily on company size, we’ll simplify things by taking a small start-up with 50 employees as our example.

ISO 27001 Cost: Readiness Stage, $10K—$39K

During the readiness stage of the certification process, your company will need to do some of the heaviest lifting. This is the stage during which you need to define the scope of your information security management system (ISMS), identify where sensitive information is stored, conduct a risk assessment, and then implement the policies and controls that mitigate those risks.

You’ll prepare a Statement of Applicability (SoA), which summarizes the controls you implemented and provides a justification for those you chose not to implement, and a risk treatment plan, which outlines how your organization will respond to all risks that were identified in your risk assessment.

And finally, you’ll train your team to support the new ISMS and conduct an internal audit to make sure you’re ready for the external auditor to review your documentation.

The costs involved in this stage vary widely, from $10,000 to nearly $40,000, depending on the option you choose.

Option 1: DIY

The most expensive way to complete the readiness stage can sometimes seem like the least expensive at first glance. After all, isn’t the DIY route usually the best way to save money?

But when you factor in the cost of your internal team’s time, the real cost of getting through the initial stage of ISO 27001 without any help becomes devastatingly clear. Let’s take the average salary of a senior analyst—the role with the skills to lead this stage of the process. At $118K per year, every day of this person’s time costs about $491. With the readiness stage requiring between two and four months to complete, the cost of having an employee complete the work unaided will be $24,583 to $39,333, making this the most expensive option.

Option 2: The consultant

While hiring a consultant may seem like an expensive way to get through the readiness stage, it’s likely to cost your organization less overall. Consultancy fees average $30,000, so they’re not negligible, but in return, you can leave most of the heavy lifting, including time-intensive documentation and the internal audit, in the hands of your consultant. In this scenario, your high-dollar engineering lead can go back to focusing on supporting product development and operations.

Option 3: The platform

Investing in a compliance can further reduce costs. Compliance software delivers a clear value proposition, whether used in conjunction with a consultant or as part of a DIY approach. By automating evidence collection, streamlining workflows, and providing prebuilt templates for best-practice policies and procedures, a platform reduces workload significantly.

In fact, if your head of engineering is leading the readiness stage, it will cut the amount of time required by 88%. In other words, instead of spending four months at a cost of $39,333, your engineer can spend just four weeks at a cost of $4,720. Even factoring in the cost of the platform at $3,000, it’s still the least expensive option.

ISO 27001 cost: Stage 1 and 2 audits, $14K—$16K  

There are two main stages to the audit-certification process. Stage 1 is the documentation audit, and stage 2 is the certification audit. The cost of securing an auditor for these stages will run between $14,000 and $16,000 for a small start-up.

The difference in auditor costs is largely dependent on the prestige of the auditor you choose. Hiring a Big Four firm (PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG) comes at a premium, but in exchange, you’ll get certified by a high-profile, highly respected company. For some companies, the extra cost is worth it. For others, a reputable, accredited boutique auditing firm may be a better fit.

When deciding which type of auditor to choose, consider these two key questions:

Does the prestige of the Big Four carry weight with your CEO? Are they more likely to trust the choice if it comes with a top-tier label?
Do your customers prefer a Big Four auditor? Will they be more inclined to trust the audit findings and your company’s commitment to information security?

If the answer to either question is a “yes,” the extra cost could be well worth it.

ISO 27001 cost: Surveillance and recertification audits, $20K—$23K

Once your company passes the certification audit, it is fully ISO 27001 certified. However, to maintain certification, you must undergo a surveillance audit annually in years one and two, plus a recertification audit in year three.

The surveillance audits are less intensive than the initial documentation and certification audits, so they are likely to cost less—usually between $6,000 and $7,500 each. The recertification audit is as detailed as the original certification audit, so you can expect it to cost as much.

Putting it all together

As you can see, many variables can affect the cost of becoming ISO 27001 certified. In addition to the size of your company and the scope of your ISMS, the decision to move forward with a consultant, a compliance platform, or a pure DIY approach can have a big impact on the ultimate price tag. Here’s a chart that sums it all up.

Start-up with 50 employees	Option 1: DIY	Option 2: Consultant	Option 3: Compliance Platform
Readiness stage	$24,583-$39,333	$30,000	$10,450-$12,220
Documentation and certification audits (year 1)	$14,000-$16,000
Surveillance audits (year 2 and 3)	$12,000-$15,000
Recertification audit (year 4)	$7,000-$8,000
Total	$57,583-78,333	$66,000-69,000	$43,450-51,220

Blog

How much does ISO 27001 certification cost?

Breaking Down the Cost of ISO 27001

ISO 27001 Cost: Readiness Stage, $10K—$39K

Option 1: DIY

Option 2: The consultant

Option 3: The platform

ISO 27001 cost: Stage 1 and 2 audits, $14K—$16K

ISO 27001 cost: Surveillance and recertification audits, $20K—$23K

Putting it all together

Start-up with 50 employees

You may also like

Technology Risk & Compliance

Compliance Automation product showcase

Join our live demonstration and see how Compliance Automaiton can help boost compliance efficiency with automated workflows, shared evidence, and 40+ frameworks.

December 19, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

The PDPL in Saudi Arabia is now in effect: is your business ready?

Join our Saudi Arabia PDPL webinar for an overview on the data protection law, its requirements, and how to prepare for full enforcement.

December 12, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

Elevating client compliance with OneTrust Automation: Key strategies for partners

Discover how to use OneTrust Compliance Automation to establish client baselines, improve efficiency, and drive scalability. Learn key strategies to enhance your compliance impact.

December 11, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

Understanding the NIS 2 Directive: Compliance insights and best practices

This DataGuidance webinar explores the latest and expected developments in the implementation of the NIS 2 Directive, focusing on practical compliance strategies to ensure your organization is prepared.

December 04, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

Tech risk and compliance masterclass: An evidence-based approach to building by-design risk and compliance practices

Discover strategies to embed compliance and risk management into business processes with minimal disruption, using technology-driven solutions for efficiency, scalability, and improvement.

November 06, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

Building a strong security posture: Managing compliance, risk, and business engagement in a dynamic landscape

Join our webinar to learn how to optimize security posture, streamline compliance, and leverage automation to manage IT risk in today's complex digital landscape. Register now!

October 29, 2024

Privacy Automation

Build resiliency and operationalize compliance with OneTrust: Fall product release recap, 2024

Join our upcoming product release webinar to explore how these new capabilities can help your organization navigate complex frameworks, streamline third-party management, and accelerate AI and data innovation.

October 22, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

Tech risk & compliance masterclass: The anatomy of a framework

Master the fundamentals of constructing robust compliance frameworks that can seamlessly integrate with organizational operations while aligning with regulatory and strategic mandates to deliver measurable insights on your progress and gaps.

August 14, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

Tech risk and compliance masterclass

Unlock tech risk management & compliance excellence. Master risk management, build robust frameworks, and foster cross-functional collaboration for long-term resilience.

August 07, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

Introducing OneTrust Compliance Automation

Join us as we explore OneTrust Compliance Automation, a holistic and fully integrated solution that streamlines and optimizes workflows, compliance, and attestation.

July 25, 2024

Data Discovery & Classification

Catch it live: See the all-new features in OneTrust's Spring Release and Post-TrustWeek recap

June 06, 2024

AI Governance

GRC strategies for effective AI Governance: OCEG research report

Download the full OCEG research report for a snapshot of what organizations are doing to govern their AI efforts, assess and manage risks, and ensure compliance with external and internal requirements.

May 22, 2024

Third-Party Risk

Streamline compliance with the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)

Download our infographic to learn about the new DORA regulation, who needs to comply, and how OneTrust can help streamline the process.

April 29, 2024

Ethics Program Management

EthicsConnect: Risk - It’s not just for breakfast anymore

Join us for a deep dive into embedding privacy by design into the fabric of your business to promote the responsible use of data.

April 25, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

Rethinking risk assessments: Bridging the gap between best practices and action

Download our infographic to learn the main challenges faced during risk assessments, proven frameworks for assessing risks, and how to translate guidance into action.

March 07, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

PCI DSS Compliance: How to scope and streamline monitoring with Certification Automation

Join our PCI DSS webinar where we discuss how Certification Automation can help free up valuable InfoSec resources, streamline audits, and stay continuously compliant.

March 05, 2024

Ethics Program Management

Business messaging apps: A guide to corporate compliance

How can your business use third-party messaging apps while staying compliant? Dive into key usage considerations based on the DOJ’s 2023 guidance.

February 13, 2024

Technology Risk & Compliance

ISO 27001 cost: Stage 1 and 2 audits, $14K—$16K  