IT Compliance Consulting Guide 2025: Security, Risk, Governance, SOC 2 and ISO 27001

Want a 90-day plan that aligns SOC 2, ISO 27001, and NIST CSF? Talk to a consultant

What IT Compliance Consultants Do

• Readiness and gap assessment. Map SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria and ISO 27001 requirements to current controls, prioritize remediations, and create an evidence plan.
• ISMS and policies. Build an ISO 27001 Information Security Management System, risk register, statement of applicability, and control owners.
• Audit support. Prepare artifacts, system descriptions, and control narratives for SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2, then liaise with auditors.
• Privacy and sector rules. Align HIPAA Security Rule safeguards, CPRA program needs, and FTC Safeguards Rule updates with security controls.
• Continuous governance. Quarterly testing, vendor risk reviews, incident response drills, training, and board-ready reporting.

Why It Matters in 2025

Core Standards and How They Fit Together

• SOC 2. Attestation over controls for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. See AICPA SOC 2 and Trust Services Criteria.
• ISO 27001. An ISMS that defines policy, risk treatment, controls, and continuous improvement. Start with scope and risk, then implement Annex A controls. See ISO 27001.
• NIST CSF 2.0. A flexible framework to organize risk work. Use it to inventory, govern, and improve controls. See CSF 2.0.
• PCI DSS. Required when handling cardholder data. Align network segmentation, encryption, monitoring, and testing with PCI DSS.
• HIPAA Security Rule. Safeguards for ePHI; pair with workforce training and vendor controls. See HHS.
• CPRA. A California privacy regime enforced by CPPA; operationalize consent, rights, and retention. See CPPA regulations.

Typical IT Compliance Consulting Services

• Readiness and roadmaps. SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 readiness, ISO 27001 gap and ISMS plan, PCI DSS scope reduction.
• Policies and procedures. Access control, incident response, vendor risk, secure development, encryption, data retention.
• Risk and governance. Risk assessments, control testing, board KPIs, and audit committee reporting.
• Privacy program build. Data mapping, consent flows, subject rights, retention schedules, CPRA notices.
• Continuous assurance. Evidence collection, control monitoring, quarterly reviews, tabletop exercises.

Need hands-on help? Our cybersecurity and data privacy team pairs digital and technology with risk management to move from plan to audit-ready execution. Book a discovery call

How to Start in 90 Days

1. Scope and baseline. Pick SOC 2 or ISO 27001 scope, list in-scope systems and vendors, and pull current evidence.
2. Fix the top gaps. Multi-factor coverage, logging, backup and recovery tests, vulnerability management, and encryption at rest and in transit.
3. Stand up governance. Create a quarterly control review, incident drill, and vendor risk cadence; map to NIST CSF functions.
4. Prepare for audit. Lock descriptions and policies, assign control owners, and schedule the auditor window.

FAQ

What is an IT compliance consultant?

A practitioner who translates standards into workable controls, closes gaps, and prepares evidence so your company passes audits and proves trust to customers.

How is cybersecurity different from data privacy?

Cybersecurity protects systems and data. Privacy governs how personal data is collected, used, shared, and retained. Programs need both.

Which standard should we start with?

SaaS teams often start with SOC 2 for customer trust; global or regulated teams may prioritize ISO 27001 for ISMS structure. Many align both to NIST CSF.

How long does SOC 2 Type 2 take?

Commonly 3 to 6 months of remediation and evidence collection, plus a 3 to 12 month operating window depending on scope and maturity.

Related Reading

• Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Services
• What Does a Data Privacy Consultant Do?
• What Is the CPRA?
• Risk Management Services
• What Is Risk Management Consulting?
• Digital and Technology Consulting
• Change Management Services

Sources

• IBM. Cost of a Data Breach 2025. https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
• IBM Newsroom. U.S. cost and AI notes. https://newsroom.ibm.com/2025-07-30-ibm-report-13-of-organizations-reported-breaches-of-ai-models-or-applications%2C-97-of-which-reported-lacking-proper-ai-access-controls
• NIST. CSF 2.0 news. https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2024/02/nist-releases-version-20-landmark-cybersecurity-framework
• NIST. CSF 2.0 document. https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/CSWP/NIST.CSWP.29.pdf
• ISO. ISO/IEC 27001 overview. https://www.iso.org/standard/27001
• ISO. ISO/IEC 27001:2022/Amd 1:2024. https://www.iso.org/standard/88435.html
• AICPA. SOC 2 overview and Trust Services Criteria. https://www.aicpa.org/topic/audit-assurance/audit-and-assurance-greater-than-soc-2
• PCI Security Standards Council. PCI DSS and docs. https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/standards/pci-dss/ and https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/document_library/
• HHS. HIPAA Security Rule summary. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/security/laws-regulations/index.html
• SEC. Final cybersecurity disclosure rules. https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023-139
• CPPA. CCPA regulations and CPRA overview. https://cppa.ca.gov/regulations/consumer_privacy_act.html and https://cppa.ca.gov/about_us/