Your Global Privacy Compliance Roadmap: Start with ISO 27001
July 17, 2025
ISO 27001 gives businesses a strong foundation for privacy compliance across laws like GDPR, PDPA, and PDPL. It covers key security controls, but full compliance needs extra steps like consent management and data requests. FEHA helps you bridge the gap—showing what’s already covered and what’s missing, all in one smart dashboard with AI checks and ongoing updates.
Running a business across different countries means dealing with lots of privacy laws; like GDPR in Europe, PDPA in Singapore, or PDPL in the UAE. It can feel overwhelming, but there’s good news: you don’t have to start from zero.
ISO 27001: A Strong Starting Point
ISO 27001 is a well-known standard for managing information security. While it won’t make you fully compliant with every privacy law, it gives you a strong foundation to build on.
Think of ISO 27001 as the basic structure of a house. You’ll still need to add some privacy-specific features, but the walls, wiring, and plumbing are already there.
How ISO 27001 Helps You Comply Faster
- Smart risk management
- ISO 27001 helps you find and fix security risks; this naturally includes personal data risks too
- Core security controls
- Many privacy laws require the same basic protections, like:
- Access controls and secure logins
- Data encryption and safe transmission
- Incident response plans
- Regular security checks
- Managing third-party vendors
- Built-in Improvement Process
ISO 27001 uses a “Plan – Do – Check – Act” cycle to keep improving over time. This mindset fits perfectly with privacy rules, which also expect regular updates and reviews.
From Security to Full Privacy Compliance
To fully meet privacy laws, you’ll need to add a few more things to your ISO 27001 program, such as:
- Handling Personal Data Requests - Letting users access, delete, or transfer their data.
- Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) - Checking privacy risks before starting new projects.
- Consent Management - Getting and tracking user permission in clear ways.
- Data Minimization - Only collecting personal data, you really need it.
- International Data Transfers - Setting up rules to protect data sent across borders.
Security + Privacy: Better Together
Smart companies don’t separate security and privacy; they work together. ISO 27001 gives you a strong security framework. Privacy rules add specific rules for how you handle personal data. Combined, they make your overall compliance program stronger.
Even better, most privacy laws share common principles like protecting personal data, giving people control over their data, and holding companies accountable. A good strategy can cover many laws at once, saving you time and money.
How FEHA Can Help
FEHA makes privacy compliance easier by connecting all the pieces. We will show you how your ISO 27001 setup already supports privacy requirements and where you need to add more.
Here’s what you get with FEHA:
- One Dashboard | View your compliance status across multiple regulations in one place.
- AI-Backed Document Checks | Make sure your evidence meets legal standards without assumptions.
- Gap Analysis | See exactly what’s missing to become fully compliant.
- Ongoing Monitoring | Stay on top of changes in privacy laws as they happen.
What To Do Next
Privacy compliance doesn’t need to be complicated. Use your ISO 27001 system as the base, find what’s missing, and fill in the gaps with targeted privacy tools. With the right platform, like FEHA GRC, you can manage global privacy regulations with more confidence and less effort.
Want to see how your ISO 27001 program can do more? Let FEHA show you the way to smarter, faster, and scalable privacy compliance.
