FinTech Startup — ISO 27001 ISMS in 12 Weeks

At a Glance

• Client — Seed-to-Series-A FinTech handling payment data, customer PII, and financial records
• Challenge — Needed ISO 27001 certification quickly to win investor confidence and enterprise clients, but started with fragmented policies and no structured ISMS
• Starting point — Basic security practices, but no scope, risk linkage, or repeatable evidence
• Goal — Build a pragmatic, scalable ISMS that supports fast growth without heavy bureaucracy
• Result — ISO 27001 certified in 12 weeks, with live risk management, automated evidence, and significantly shorter sales cycles

The Challenge

As this FinTech scaled from seed to Series-A, investors and enterprise clients demanded proof of strong security to protect sensitive financial data.

The team had good intentions but faced real hurdles:

• Fragmented policies — documents existed but weren’t linked to risks or operations
• No structured ISMS — scope, leadership roles, and governance were undefined
• Manual evidence hunts — responding to security questionnaires took weeks, stalling deals
• Growth pressure — needed certification fast without slowing product development

The biggest fears were losing investor funding, failing enterprise RFPs, and exposing customer data — all while maintaining startup velocity.

Our Approach

We built a pragmatic, growth-friendly ISMS — focusing on what mattered most to auditors and buyers, with repeatable processes from day one.

1. ISMS Foundation
   Defined clear scope, interested parties, leadership roles, and operating cadences — ensuring security supported business goals.

2. Risk Management
   Adopted a lightweight risk methodology, built a live risk register with owners and KPIs, and created a current Statement of Applicability (SoA) mapped directly to real risks.

3. Control Implementation
   Prioritized high-impact controls: MFA enforcement, logging/monitoring, backups/disaster recovery, and supplier due diligence — integrated into daily operations.

4. Evidence Automation
   Centralized evidence collection with repeatable exports and documentation — reducing prep time and making audits predictable.

5. Internal Audit & Readiness
   Conducted a focused internal audit, closed findings, and prepared the team for certification — with walkthroughs and sampling support.

Results

• ISO 27001 certification in 12 weeks — from fragmented start to full ISMS
• 50–60% reduction in evidence preparation time — from manual weeks to automated hours
• Faster enterprise sales cycles — security questionnaires no longer stalled deals
• Live risk register — owners and KPIs tracked, giving leadership clear visibility
• Stronger investor & customer confidence — defensible proof that supported Series-A funding and first major contracts

Key Deliverables

• Pragmatic ISMS design — scope, policies, roles, and cadences
• Live risk register with owners, KPIs, and treatment plans
• Statement of Applicability (SoA) aligned to real risks and controls
• High-impact control implementation — access, logging, backups, supplier management
• Automated evidence register with repeatable exports
• Internal audit, findings closure, and certification support

The Bottom Line

This FinTech startup transformed from fragmented security practices to a pragmatic, scalable ISO 27001 ISMS in just 12 weeks — enabling faster enterprise sales, stronger investor confidence, and sustainable growth without slowing innovation.

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