ISO certifications for UK SaaS providers from 2025
Many young startups in the UK + Europe and the USA have interesting solutions to offer. These include products aimed at consumers and/or companies. The software products are often offered as SaaS solutions in the cloud. With the introduction of the new NIS 2.0 regulation and the Digital Services Act, the European Union is forcing providers who want to make their services available to European users to submit to new requirements. This means they are obliged to have their own processes and organizational areas certified. As an ambitious startup or established company, you should fundamentally strive to optimize your organizational structures and processes. This is why companies must already have ISO 9001 in some form or other established within their company. Here you can find out which ISO certifications SaaS providers need in order to grow in Europe in compliance with NIS 2.0 and the GDPR.
ISO certifications for SaaS providers
With increasing regulation in the UK as well as the EU and other regions, SaaS providers must adapt to a new market situation. This makes management system certification increasingly important in the SaaS industry.
Quality management for SaaS providers (ISO 9001)
When developing online solutions and smartphone apps, interfaces to databases and other systems are usually prepared. Software development in the age of cyberattacks (hacking / phishing / bluesnarfing) demands ever better working methods from programmers and coders. Traditional security requirements are no longer sufficient for SaaS providers. Quality standards (ISO 9001:2015) must be adhered to right from the planning stage for new software or apps. Anyone who would like to market their software as an app on platforms such as Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store will increasingly realize that compliance with the specified quality parameters is becoming increasingly difficult to demonstrate. App providers can only reliably demonstrate this with a certified quality management system according to ISO 9001.
Environmental management for SaaS providers (ISO 14001)
App providers in highly regulated industries, in particular, must not only demonstrate their quality assurance and information security. They are also increasingly being forced to do more to protect the environment. Some SaaS providers have 100+ employees and are therefore quickly required by law to obtain ISO 14001 certification.
Software development generates less waste and pollutants than mechanical engineering. Nevertheless, lawmakers have stipulated this regulation for all industries, regardless of their waste characteristics. By specifically avoiding or reducing the unavoidable environmental impact, SaaS providers can make their software significantly more environmentally friendly. Software that consumes less energy and storage space requires less energy in data centers and decentralized/mobile devices.
Government funding programs are increasingly linking environmental aspects to a multi-year commitment to funding. To meet the requirements of the funding guidelines, innovative companies must obtain ISO 14001 certification.
Information security for SaaS providers (ISO 27001)
The European Union has brought considerable uncertainty to the market with the introduction of NIS 2.0. Large companies must comply with new security requirements and obtain ISO 27001 certification. However, small businesses are also being drawn into this vortex by the NIS 2.0 supply chain regulations. This means that SMEs and medium-sized enterprises must also be audited and certified according to ISO 27001, as they provide certain critical products or services to large companies. As more and more software providers offer their products as cloud solutions combined with apps for mobile devices, ISO 27001 certification is becoming mandatory. When using cloud platforms as part of a SaaS solution, SaaS providers also require additional cloud provider certification according to ISO 27018. ISO 27018 cannot be obtained without ISO 27001 certification!
Anyone who wants to win customers in the corporate sector must adapt to the circumstances of large corporations. Major customers expect neutral proof of information security through the certification of an ISMS according to ISO 27001:2022.
Why should you care about certification as a UK based SaaS business?
If you are a SaaS Company based in the UK you might have no longer the feeling that since Brexit you need to care at all about what the European union is getting up to. The UK market is big enough for british startups? Even if you are just starting out with 5 friends, you need to invest the time and effort to design your SaaS governance in a way that you have less issues when eventually authorities decide to inspect your offerings. With the volatility in the political landscape, it is really difficult for entrepreneurs to balance out innovation and compliance. you want to build fast and not get stuck in paperwork. That is where ACATO’s Consultants save you from frustration, wasting your precious time as well as help you keep regulatory costs at bay.
Even small businesses have a chance to get a certification at an affordable price. Furthermore there are a variety of private and state sponsorships for SMEs as well as for young startups. This even includes sponsorships from foundations focusing on helping young entrepreneurs get a fair chance in the often uS dominated tech economy.