Comparison
GDPR vs ISO 27001 and ISO 27701.
GDPR is a law about personal data and individuals' rights. ISO 27001 is a voluntary, certifiable standard for securing all information. ISO 27701 extends it into privacy management. Many organizations run all three together.
Back to GDPR services01 · Side by side
Law, security standard, privacy extension
Different questions, heavy overlap on security.
| GDPR | ISO 27001 | ISO 27701 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | EU regulation | Certifiable ISMS standard | Privacy extension to ISO 27001 |
| Covers | Personal data and rights | All information: confidentiality, integrity, availability | Personal data processing, for controllers and processors |
| Result | Compliance, enforced by regulators | An accredited certificate | A certificate alongside 27001 |
| Overlap | Article 32 security | Annex A controls | Maps to GDPR requirements |
02 · Running them together
One programme, several outcomes
Build once, map many times.
- Use the ISO 27001 risk process and controls for GDPR Article 32 security.
- Add ISO 27701 where buyers want certified privacy management.
- Keep the GDPR-only duties, lawful basis, rights, DPIAs, transfers, in a privacy workstream.
03 · Where they map
Mapping the overlap, requirement by requirement
Security carries over; the rights and legal parts do not.
| GDPR duty | ISO 27001 help | Still your own work |
|---|---|---|
| Security of processing (Article 32) | Risk assessment and Annex A controls | Choosing measures suited to personal data |
| Breach handling (Articles 33 and 34) | Incident management controls | The 72-hour authority notice and individual notices |
| Processor oversight (Article 28) | Supplier relationship controls | The Article 28 contract terms |
| Records and accountability | Documented information and internal audit | The Article 30 record of processing |
| Rights, lawful basis, transfers | Little direct cover | All of it, in a privacy workstream |
04 · A worked scenario
Illustrative: a SaaS firm doing both
One risk register, two audiences.
Illustrative: a software company with European and Indian customers is certified to ISO 27001 and now faces buyer questions on GDPR. It adds personal-data fields to the same risk register, reuses its incident process for breach triage, and builds a separate record of processing and a request log. The certificate answers the security questionnaire; it does not answer the lawful basis or rights questions, so those get their own evidence.
- Scope the ISMS. Include the systems that hold personal data.
- Reuse what exists. Access control, logging, supplier reviews and training.
- Build the privacy-only set. Basis register, notices, rights log, DPIA template, transfer file.
- Decide on 27701. Add it where customers ask for certified privacy management.
05 · Limits and India
What a certificate does not prove
Do not let one badge stand for the other.
- Calling ISO 27001 a GDPR certificate. It is not one, and an authority will not treat it as such.
- Scoping the ISMS too narrowly. Systems that hold personal data sit outside the certificate.
- Treating the Statement of Applicability as a privacy record. It lists security controls, not purposes and bases.
The GDPR does have its own certification route under Articles 42 and 43, but approved schemes are few. For Indian teams, the same ISO 27001 base also supports the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 duty of reasonable security safeguards, so one programme can serve three audiences.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Articles 32, 42 and 43; ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27701 (clause and control titles only); Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. This page is general information, not legal advice; counsel should confirm how it applies to your contracts.
More about GDPR and ISO
Does ISO 27001 make us GDPR compliant?
No, but it covers the security part well.
ISO 27001 evidences security of processing. GDPR also needs lawful basis, rights handling, records, DPIAs and transfer safeguards.
Do we need ISO 27701 if we already have ISO 27001?
Only if buyers or your own plan call for it.
27701 adds a privacy management layer and certificate. It is optional, and it does not replace GDPR duties.
Will a regulator accept ISO 27001 as evidence?
As supporting evidence for security only.
Authorities look at your actual measures. A certificate helps show diligence on Article 32, but it is not a defence on its own.
Which should we do first?
Start with the legal duties, and build on shared controls.
Fix the legal gaps that carry fines first, such as bases, notices and rights, while the ISMS grows from the security controls you already run.
Run privacy and security as one programme.
We map your ISO 27001 controls to GDPR and show the privacy-only gaps.