Time to Certification
New Contracts Won
External Audit Findings
The Challenge
Client Profile: A rapidly growing fintech company providing payment processing and financial management SaaS solutions to mid-market enterprises.
Business Driver: Multiple enterprise prospects required ISO 27001 certification as a prerequisite for contract signing. The company was losing $100K+ monthly in delayed deals.
Starting Point:
- •No formal Information Security Management System (ISMS)
- •Security controls were ad-hoc and undocumented
- •No risk assessment or security policies in place
- •Limited internal security expertise
- •8-month deadline to certification (aggressive timeline)
Compliance Progress
The Solution
Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-8)
- Gap analysis against ISO 27001:2022 controls (93 controls assessed)
- ISMS scope definition and asset inventory
- Comprehensive risk assessment with risk treatment plan
- Onboarding to Cybool GRC platform for tracking
Phase 2: Implementation (Weeks 9-24)
- Development of 28 security policies (Access Control, Incident Management, etc.)
- Implementation of missing technical controls (MFA, logging, encryption)
- Staff security awareness training (95% completion rate)
- Evidence collection and documentation in GRC platform
Phase 3: Internal Audit (Weeks 25-28)
- Mock Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits conducted by Cybool
- 7 minor non-conformities identified and resolved
- Audit readiness workshop for management team
Phase 4: Certification (Weeks 29-32)
- Stage 1 audit (documentation review): Zero findings
- Stage 2 audit (on-site assessment): Zero findings
- ISO 27001:2022 certificate issued
Measurable Outcomes
8 months
Certification achieved (vs. 12-18 month industry average)
$1.2M
New enterprise contracts signed within 3 months
0
Findings in external certification audit
95%
Staff security awareness training completion
Business Impact
Revenue Growth: Closed 3 major enterprise deals worth $1.2M ARR within 3 months of certification, all requiring ISO 27001 compliance.
Sales Cycle Acceleration: Reduced security questionnaire completion time from 4 weeks to 2 days using GRC platform documentation.
Operational Efficiency: Established repeatable security processes that reduced manual overhead by 60%.
Market Positioning: ISO 27001 became a key differentiator in competitive enterprise deals.
Ready for ISO 27001 certification? Learn more about our GRC Services or view more case studies.