A Deep Dive into the Relationship Between ISO 9001 and ISO 27001

ISO certifications in general have become popular tools used to demonstrate an organization’s compliance with certain standards. While ISO 27001 itself can give your customers quite a lot of reassurance, there’s also something to be said about combining it with ISO 9001 certification. 

To help you understand whether or not it’s a combination that works for you, we’re going to delve deeper. As an ISO Certification Body, Schellman has performed hundreds of 27001 and 9001 certifications collectively in just the last year, so we have a good understanding of both paths and their relationship. 

In this article, we’ll define both frameworks highlighting their overlap, similarities, and differences. Then, we’ll detail the value of integrating the two and their management systems so that you’re entirely clear on how you can benefit from either of these popular ISO certifications—or perhaps even both together. 

ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 Explained 

If your organization is focused on ISO 27001, or is already certified, then you’re demonstrating a commitment to protecting information assets and managing security risks. ISO 27001 provides a structured framework for identifying threats, implementing security controls, and maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.   

However, if you’re also aiming to enhance how your organization delivers products or services, then ISO 9001 offers a valuable component. While ISO 27001 focuses on how you protect your information, ISO 9001 focuses on how you consistently deliver value to customers through an effective quality management system (QMS) considering the following: 

• Your process operating environment for products/services 
• Customer focus on quality 
• Infrastructure 
• Design and development of products and services 
• Design inputs and outputs 
• How externally provided processes and services are managed 

 To establish a QMS and become ISO 9001 certified requires taking ISO’s promoted interrelated process approach. The idea is that understanding and managing the processes necessary to meet customer requirements as a system can improve your organizational effectiveness and efficiency. You do this using the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle with an overall focus on risk-based thinking that will enable you to take advantage of opportunities and prevent undesirable results. 

ISO 9001 vs. ISO 27001 

ISO certifications often require thoughtful planning and resources but deliver value by strengthening customer trust and business performance. ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 both take a systematic approach to two complementary objectives: for ISO 9001, that is quality management, and for ISO 27001, that is information security. ISO 27001 focuses on protecting data and managing risks, whereas ISO 9001 focuses on the consistent delivery of value through efficient, customer-focused processes. Together, they both contribute to customer satisfaction. 

They also complement each other in terms of structure and implementation—if you’re already fulfilling one standard requirement, you may not be far away from achieving the same requirement under the other. For example, clauses related to resources, performance evaluation, and continual improvement are closely aligned, allowing for efficient integration across teams, functions, and management systems. 

To illustrate what we mean, let’s explore both the differences and similarities of these two certification standards. 

ISO 9001 vs. ISO 27001: Key Differences 

These are two different standards that address two different things – ISO 9001 is process-focused, and ISO 27001 is risk-focused, so there are some divergences necessary to achieve the individual goals of the respective management systems. And so, before we can detail their alignment, we need to address the items that will require separate efforts. The largest of which is the information security risk assessment and risk treatment, including security controls, that ISO 27001 requires you complete for your ISMS.  

You’ll need to develop a methodology for the identification of information security risks while also applying one or several of the information security controls listed within the standard’s Annex A to mitigate risk—this will need to be completely independent of your addressing risk and opportunities with 9001. 

Here’s a little more detail on other significant areas where these two standards and their required efforts diverge, though this is not a comprehensive list: 

• Determining the Scope: You must define the scope of the management system for both standards, but ISO 9001 requires products and services to be considered here whereas ISO 27001 requires consideration of interfaces and dependencies between the processes.
  • ISO 9001 also allows you to exclude requirements that are not applicable only if the exclusion does not affect your ability or responsibility to ensure the enhancement of customer satisfaction. 

• Leadership and Commitment: Unlike 27001, ISO 9001 takes a customer-focused approach to ensure their requirements (i.e., applicable statutory and regulatory, etc.) are consistently met and how will customer satisfaction be determined, understood, enhanced, and maintained. 

• Policy: While these requirements between the two standards are very similar and could even be met in a single document, ISO 9001 additionally requires you to establish a quality policy and communicate it. 

• Established Control Set: Both standards specifically require the identification of risks and opportunities in different contexts. ISO 27001 includes a defined control set form Annex A that can be used to mitigate these risks, whereas ISO 9001 does not have a defined control set in place and requires organizations to define their own as needed to ensure quality and customer satisfaction. 

• Resources: Both standards require the necessary resources for process execution. While the same can be used in some cases, ISO 9001 also requires specific resources surrounding personnel, infrastructure, and knowledge when it comes to the conformity of products/services. 

• Operational Planning and Control: Though the clause names may be the same, that for ISO 9001 focuses on defining and controlling processes whereas ISO 27001 focuses on implementing information security risk treatments, and ensuring controls are applied effectively based on the risk assessment. 

• Requirements for Products and Services: ISO 9001 is unique in that it specifically requires you to: 
  • Establish customer communication
  • Determine and review requirements for products and services, including those regarding control of production, traceability, preservation, and post-delivery activities, among others
  • Verify that said requirements have been met at planned arrangements or appropriate stages before release to customers can proceed

ISO 9001 vs. ISO 27001: Key Similarities  

Despite these differences, there are a lot of complementary facets between ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 which can be accomplished together or at the same time.  

More specifically, here’s where 27001 and 9001 align: 

• Context of the Organization: Both standards require organizations to identify the internal and external issues relevant to the company (albeit from a different viewpoint). 

• Interested Parties: You can use the same process to determine the interested parties and their needs and expectations relating to both quality and information security. 

• Responsibility and Authority: Both standards require the roles and responsibilities of the respective QMS and ISMS to be defined. Although these roles may be different, the same process to identify and define these roles can be the same. 

• Changes: Both standards require that you determine the need for changes and that they are carried out in a planned manner with considerations of purpose, integrity, resource availability, and allocation of responsibilities. 

• Competence, Awareness, Communication, and Documented Information: These requirements are similar for many standards—not just ISO 9001 and 27001—and can be addressed in the same way and, in many cases, at the same time. 

• Measurement and Monitoring: Both require ongoing monitoring of management system operations to maintain certification. 

• Internal Audits and Management Review: Although the audit criteria and management review input and outputs will differ, this process is exactly the same. Depending on the size or complexity of your organization, they can be done together or separately. 

• Nonconformity and Corrective Action: Both systems require a process for handling nonconformities and corrective action, and again, you can use one process for both. 

Benefits of Integrating ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 

Integrating ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 allows organizations to streamline their operations and demonstrate a robust commitment to both quality and information security. The combined system not only reduces redundancy but also strengthens overall governance.

Additional key benefits include: 

1. Holistic Management System Approach

Integration of these two different standards and their management systems creates a unified framework for managing risks, processes, evaluation, and continual improvement across departments – ensuring security and quality are embedded into everyday business operations. 

2. Compliance with Two International Standards

ISO certification demonstrates compliance with rigorous international requirements to customers, partners, and regulatory bodies alike. 

3. Demonstration of Both Security and Quality of Processes 

You can simultaneously demonstrate your ability and commitment to information security risk management while also validating your dedication to the optimal delivery of quality products and services. 

4. Increased Marketability

Not one but two ISO certifications will mean a significant competitive advantage—your customers will not only be confident in your having reduced risk and the required mitigation practices established, but they’ll know you’re in a position to provide better customer satisfaction. All that will only boost your reputation among new prospects. 

5. Better Positioned for Other Compliance Projects

Because ISO is so comprehensive, mapping to other regulations or standards should be made simpler. A management system establishes mature, scalable practices that make it easier to pursue additional frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 42001, NIST CST, or other industry-specific regulations. 

Moving Forward with ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 Certification 

Though it will take some effort, becoming certified in both ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 will result in giving your customers a fuller experience. Now, you also understand how giving them that also benefits you. 

The similarities between these standards indicate a more easily charted path forward, but it’s likely you still have some questions about how it all works. If so, reach out to us so that one of our subject matter experts at Schellman can walk you through the specifics, after which, you can move more confidently toward certification. 

 In the meantime, discover other helpful ISO certification insights in these related resources:  

• What is the ISO 9001 Certification Process? 
• What are the ISO 9001 Requirements? 
• An Overview of ISO 27001: Key Principles, Benefits, and Implementation 
• How to Create Efficiencies in Your ISO 27001 Certification