ISO 27001 + SOC 2 + DORA + NIS2: The 57% You Don't Have to Do Twice

Companies facing multiple compliance frameworks think it's 4x the work. ISO 27001 is one project. SOC 2 is another. DORA is a third. NIS2 is a fourth. Four frameworks, four budgets, four timelines, four sets of consultants.

It doesn't have to be. It's actually about 1.4x the work — if you map the overlaps properly. That's a 57% reduction in effort for companies that approach multi-framework compliance strategically instead of sequentially.

The overlap is massive

All four frameworks — ISO 27001, SOC 2, DORA, and NIS2 — are asking for fundamentally the same things, just in different language. Every single one requires:

The language is different. ISO 27001 calls them "Annex A controls." SOC 2 calls them "Common Criteria." DORA calls them "ICT risk management requirements." NIS2 calls them "cybersecurity risk-management measures." But the underlying requirements are remarkably similar.

How the mapping works

ISO 27001 Annex A controls (A.5 through A.8) map directly to SOC 2 CC criteria, DORA ICT risk management articles, and NIS2 cybersecurity measures. When you implement an access control policy for ISO 27001, you've already satisfied the equivalent requirement in SOC 2, DORA, and NIS2.

One control. One implementation. One evidence set. Four frameworks satisfied.

The key insight: implement once, map everywhere, test once

The expensive way to do multi-framework compliance is to treat each framework as a separate project. Separate risk assessments. Separate control sets. Separate evidence. Separate audits. This is how most consultancies sell it — because four projects means four invoices.

The smart way: implement your controls once, map them to every applicable framework, and test once across all. Your access control policy doesn't need to be rewritten for each framework. Your risk register doesn't need to be duplicated. Your evidence doesn't need to be collected four times.

Separate vs. cross-mapped: the numbers

RiskReady's cross-framework mapping

RiskReady builds this cross-mapping into the platform from day one. When you create your risk register, risks are automatically linked to every applicable framework. Your Statement of Applicability shows coverage across all frameworks simultaneously — not as separate tabs, but as a unified view of which controls satisfy which requirements in which frameworks.

When you collect evidence for a control, that evidence counts toward every framework the control is mapped to. When you run an internal audit, gaps are identified across all frameworks at once. When you prepare for external audit, your audit pack is generated per framework — but from a single source of truth.

Build once, certify many

The "build once, certify many" principle is simple: invest in one well-designed compliance programme, and use cross-framework mapping to satisfy every framework you need. The 57% saving isn't theoretical — it's the measured overlap between ISO 27001, SOC 2, DORA, and NIS2 when controls are properly mapped.

Every additional framework you add has diminishing marginal effort because the core controls are already in place. Your third framework might add 15% effort. Your fourth might add 10%. The foundation does the heavy lifting.