55 Degrees, a small Swedish technology firm with fewer than ten employees and no dedicated security roles, successfully achieved ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II compliance by leveraging SaaS tools and company-wide commitment, illustrating that compliance is attainable without large teams or budgets.
- Small teams can achieve top-tier security certifications effectively
- SaaS compliance tools streamline requirements and documentation
- Company-wide cooperation is essential for sustainable compliance
What happened
55 Degrees, a Swedish SaaS company with fewer than ten employees and no specialized security staff, embarked on achieving ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II compliance in September 2022. Driven by customer demands and GDPR commitments, the company recognized that manual security questionnaires were consuming too much development time. They chose ISO 27001 first for its international reach and foundation for secure business processes, then planned to follow with SOC 2 Type II to meet US customer needs.
The company's CTO proposed using the SaaS platform Vanta, which became critical in guiding and simplifying the compliance efforts. Vanta provided an organized roadmap, automated tracking, and audit preparation help. With occasional expert support from Vanta’s customer success team, 55 Degrees managed to implement robust security policies and processes despite initially having no internal expertise or dedicated security personnel.
Why it matters
This compliance success story challenges the misconception that only large companies with big security budgets can meet standards like ISO 27001 and SOC 2. By leveraging modern SaaS tools and fostering a company-wide security mindset, small businesses can demonstrate strong data protection, streamline audits, and reduce administrative overhead.
For 55 Degrees, the compliance journey improved security awareness and confidence across the organization. It also strengthened customer trust by publicly proving their commitment to data protection beyond GDPR compliance. As data privacy regulations tighten globally, the ability to efficiently achieve recognized standards is rapidly becoming a market differentiator for small SaaS providers looking to expand into enterprise accounts.
What to watch next
Small technology firms should watch developments in integrated SaaS compliance platforms, as these tools dramatically reduce time and complexity for achieving certifications. The collaborative model 55 Degrees adopted—engaging the whole team in compliance responsibilities—may also emerge as a best practice for sustainable security culture.
Additionally, observe how customer expectations evolve globally regarding specific compliance frameworks, especially as companies expand internationally. Organizations like 55 Degrees will likely pursue additional certifications or deepen their security controls to meet new demands while optimizing scarce resources.