AI & Tech
ISO Standards for AI (Artificial Intelligence) & Tech Companies
Build trust into your technology
For AI developers, SaaS providers, technology consultancies, cloud platforms, and other digital businesses, customers increasingly want evidence that their sensitive data and systems are safe.
Choosing the right tech and AI management systems enables you to show you take security seriously. It demonstrates your commitment to privacy, service delivery, and quality.
At iso360, we help growing technology companies like yours to understand which international standards are most relevant to your organisation, and support you to build practical management systems designed to fuel their success.
Why do AI and technology companies need ISO certification?
Tech businesses typically manage valuable data, complex infrastructure, fast-changing products, and extensive third-party supply chains.
When you add artificial intelligence into the mix, you also raise vital questions around transparency, bias, accountability, data quality, and human oversight.
ISO certification gives you an internationally recognised framework for managing these risks.
It can help your business:
- Build confidence with customers, investors, and partners
- Meet procurement and tender requirements
- Demonstrate responsible AI governance
- Protect sensitive business and customer information
- Manage privacy and personal data more effectively
- Improve the reliability of your technology services
- Strengthen operational resilience
- Create clearer responsibilities and repeatable processes
- Prepare for future growth, regulation, and scrutiny
- Reduce the burden of customer security questionnaires and due diligence
For growing tech companies, certification can also turn work you are already doing into structured, credible evidence.
Trusted By
Which ISO standards are relevant to AI and tech businesses?
There is no single certification route that suits every technology company. It depends on what you build, what kind of data you handle, how your services are delivered, and what your customers expect from you.
Here, you’ll find a summary of some of the most relevant tech and AI standards.
ISO 42001: Artificial Intelligence Management Systems
ISO 42001 is the international management system standard designed specifically for artificial intelligence.
It helps you to develop, provide, and manage the use of AI responsibly by establishing a structured approach to AI governance, risk, accountability, and continual improvement.
ISO 42001 could be suitable if your business:
- Develops AI models, tools, or platforms
- Incorporates AI into products or services
- Uses third-party AI systems within business operations
- Processes customer or personal data using AI
- Needs to demonstrate responsible AI governance
- Is facing more and more questions from customers or investors about AI adoption and the associated risks.
The standard covers areas including AI policies, impact assessments, risk management, data considerations, transparency, human oversight, and the ongoing monitoring of AI systems.
Certification can help you prove that AI governance is an ongoing process, and that responsibilities, controls, assessments, and review processes are built into your daily operations.
ISO 27001: Information Security Management Systems
ISO 27001 is one of the most important standards for technology businesses. It provides a framework for establishing and maintaining an Information Security Management System.
The standard helps you identify information security risks and put appropriate controls in place to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
For a tech business, this could include:
- Customer and employee data
- Source code and intellectual property
- Cloud platforms and infrastructure
- Access credentials
- Development and deployment environments
- Supplier and third-party systems
- Business-critical applications
- AI training, testing, and operational data.
ISO 27001 certification is frequently requested during procurement, particularly when selling to larger organisations, public sector bodies, or businesses in regulated industries.
It can reduce friction during customer due diligence while providing a more consistent approach to security across your organisation.
ISO 27701: Privacy Information Management Systems
Technology companies often process significant amounts of personal information. ISO 27701 provides a framework for managing privacy and strengthening the way you control personally identifiable information.
It helps you establish a clear Privacy Information Management System and demonstrate greater accountability around personal data.
ISO 27701 can support businesses acting as data controllers, data processors, or both. It may be particularly relevant to:
- SaaS platforms
- HR and recruitment technology
- Health technology providers
- Fintech companies
- Marketing technology platforms
- AI developers using personal data
- Businesses offering data analytics services
The standard can complement wider privacy obligations by helping you embed privacy responsibilities into everyday operations.
ISO 42001 – Artificial Intelligence Management
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used across healthcare for diagnostics, patient engagement, automation, and decision support.
As adoption grows, organisations need a structured way to manage AI-related risks and governance responsibilities.
ISO 42001 provides a framework for:
- Responsible AI governance
- Risk management
- Transparency and accountability
- Regulatory readiness
- Ethical AI implementation.
This standard is particularly relevant for:
- HealthTech companies
- Medical software providers
- AI-enabled healthcare platforms
- Digital health innovators.
ISO 20000: IT Service Management Systems
ISO 20000-1 provides a structured framework for managing and continually improving technology services.
It covers the planning, design, transition, delivery, monitoring, and improvement of services, helping you to create a more consistent and reliable customer experience.
ISO 20000 may be suitable for:
- Managed service providers
- Cloud service providers
- IT support businesses
- SaaS companies
- Software and infrastructure providers
- Internal technology departments
- Digital transformation consultancies.
Certification can demonstrate that your services are supported by effective processes for incident management, service continuity, capacity, availability, supplier management, and continual improvement.
It can also work alongside ITIL, Agile, DevOps, and existing service management practices.
ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems
ISO 9001 helps organisations deliver consistent products and services while improving customer satisfaction and operational performance.
For fast-growing technology businesses, it can provide vital structure without stifling innovation. The framework can help clarify responsibilities, improve development and delivery processes, manage customer feedback, and reduce inconsistencies as teams expand.
ISO 9001 may be useful if you want to:
- Improve product and service quality
- Standardise core processes
- Reduce errors and repeated work
- Strengthen customer feedback processes
- Demonstrate a commitment to continual improvement
- Create a scalable operational foundation
- Meet customer or tender requirements.
It can be integrated with other management system standards, including ISO 27001, ISO 20000, and ISO 42001.
ISO 22301: Business Continuity Management Systems
Downtime, cyber incidents, infrastructure failures, supplier disruption, and the loss of key systems can all quickly escalate into major business problems.
ISO 22301 helps organisations prepare for disruption and maintain critical operations when something goes wrong.
For AI and technology companies, business continuity planning may cover:
- Cloud or hosting outages
- Cyberattacks
- Loss of critical data
- Software or platform failure
- Third-party supplier disruption
- Staff unavailability
- Communication during an incident
- Recovery of customer-facing services
Certification provides evidence that your organisation has identified its critical activities, assessed disruption risks, and established tested plans for responding and recovering.
ISO 27017 and ISO 27018: Cloud Security and Privacy
Cloud technology creates additional responsibilities for providers and customers.
ISO 27017 provides guidance on information security controls for cloud services, while ISO 27018 focuses on protecting personally identifiable information in public cloud environments.
These standards may be particularly relevant to SaaS providers, cloud platforms, hosting companies, and organisations managing customer information through cloud-based infrastructure.
They can strengthen an existing ISO 27001 management system by addressing cloud-specific security and privacy considerations.
ISO 13485: Health Technology and Medical Devices
If your technology forms part of a medical device or supports the development and manufacture of medical devices, ISO 13485 may also be relevant.
The standard provides a quality management framework specifically designed for organisations operating within the medical device sector.
Its suitability will depend on your product, intended use, regulatory position, and role within the medical device supply chain.
Not sure which ISO standard you need to support responsible AI and tech governance?
This page offers some insight into the many standards which can be relevant for tech and AI companies, but it’s by no means a list of must-haves. Every organisation is different.
For example, a SaaS provider handling sensitive customer information might begin with ISO 27001, while an AI platform may benefit from combining ISO 42001 with ISO 27001. Elsewhere, a managed IT service provider might prioritise ISO 20000 and information security, while an established technology business may need an integrated system covering several standards.
We can help you identify:
- Which standards match your services and risks
- What customers and procurement teams are asking for
- Which certification will deliver the greatest commercial value
- Where standards can share policies, processes, and evidence
- Whether you should integrate multiple standards together or work on them in stages.
Together, we’ll establish what’s best for your business and come up with a plan on how to get there.
How ISO certification can support growth
Certification is often seen as a tick-box compliance exercise, but it can be a real commercial differentiator for companies in the tech space, equipping you to:
Win larger contracts
Enterprise clients frequently expect suppliers to demonstrate strong security, governance, service management, and business continuity. Certification can help you meet procurement requirements and compete for opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.
Answer due diligence questions with confidence
Customer questionnaires can drain time across security, sales, technical, and leadership teams. A certified management system provides organised evidence and clearer answers.
Build investor and stakeholder confidence
Formal governance shows that your business understands its risks and is putting appropriate controls around growth, data, technology, and AI.
Scale without losing control
Processes that work for a team of ten may not hold up if your team suddenly grows to 50. ISO provides a structured foundation for growth while allowing your systems to evolve alongside the business.
Strengthen your competitive position
Certification gives prospective customers a clear reason to trust you, particularly when comparing providers that make similar claims about security, quality, or responsible AI.
ISO support designed around your tech business
iso360 provides practical consultancy and certification support for AI and technology companies at every stage of your journey.
We can help with:
- ISO readiness and gap assessments
- Management system design and implementation
- AI governance and risk management
- Information security risk assessments
- Policies, procedures, and control frameworks
- Internal audits
- Supplier and third-party risk
- Certification preparation
- Corrective action and non-conformity support
- Integrated management systems
- Ongoing consultancy and compliance support.
Our approach is tailored to you and your commercial goals.
Can different ISO standards be integrated?
Yes. Many ISO management system standards follow a compatible structure, which makes it possible to combine shared elements such as:
- Leadership and responsibilities
- Risk management
- Objectives and performance monitoring
- Document control
- Internal auditing
- Management review
- Corrective action
- Continual improvement
For example, an AI company could integrate ISO 42001 and ISO 27001 to manage responsible AI and information security within a joined-up system. ISO 9001, ISO 20000, ISO 22301, and ISO 27701 can also be incorporated where relevant.
An integrated approach can reduce duplication, save time and budget, and make ongoing compliance easier to manage.
WHY WORK WITH iso360 ON TECH & AI MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Your management systems need to keep up with the ever-evolving world of technological advancement, and the risks that evolve with it.
iso360 combines technical expertise with straightforward, hands-on support. We turn complex ISO requirements into practical actions your team can understand, use, and maintain with confidence.
Whether you’re starting from scratch, preparing for an important tender, or adding another standard to an existing management system, we can support you through the process.
Related resources & frameworks
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important ISO standards for AI companies?
ISO 42001 is the key standard for creating and continually improving an AI management system.
ISO 27001 is also highly relevant because it addresses information security. Depending on your organisation, ISO 27701, ISO 9001, ISO 20000, and ISO 22301 may provide additional support for privacy, quality, service management, and business continuity.
Is ISO 42001 only for companies that develop AI systems?
No. ISO 42001 can be highly beneficial for organisations that develop, provide, or use AI systems.
It can apply to both AI technology companies and businesses using third-party AI within their operations.
Does a SaaS company need ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 is not mandatory for SaaS providers, but it’s increasingly asked for by customers, procurement teams, and investors.
Certification can show that security risks are being managed through an independently assessed system, which goes a long way.
Can a startup achieve ISO certification?
Yes. ISO standards can be applied to organisations of different sizes. The management system should be proportionate to the startup’s scope, risks, structure, and services. Building good practices early can make future growth and customer assurance easier.
How long does ISO certification take?
Timescales depend on a variety of factors, including the scope, existing processes, available resources, and how quickly the organisation can implement any required changes.
A readiness assessment can provide a more accurate view of your likely certification journey.
Build a stronger, more trusted technology business
The right ISO standards create a stronger foundation for growth for tech and AI companies.
If you’re not sure where to start or lack internal resources to do things properly, iso360 can help you choose the right framework, prepare for certification, and create a management system that moves your business forward.