ISO 42001 CERTIFICATION SERVICES

ISO 42001 AI Management
System Certification

The international standard for AI governance. Required by third-party risk teams and becoming enterprise-expected by 2026.

Third-Party Audit

ISO 42001 certification readiness

Expert Assessment

AI governance & compliance

DLP Integrated

Technical controls + compliance

Who Needs ISO 42001 Certification?

Industries and organizations facing AI regulatory scrutiny

Financial Services

Banks, credit unions, fintech firms subject to FDIC/OCC AI governance expectations

Healthcare

AI-powered diagnostics, imaging, patient engagement tools requiring HIPAA + AI governance

Government Contractors

Defense and intelligence AI systems requiring formal management frameworks

AI-Powered SaaS

CRM, HR tech, analytics platforms selling to enterprise with vendor risk requirements

Enterprise Deploying AI

Fortune 1000 companies using generative AI, LLMs, or ML models in operations

EU Market Access

Any organization selling AI products/services in European markets post-August 2026

Vendor Risk Teams

Organizations responding to RFPs requiring ISO 42001 certification proof

AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure have all achieved ISO 42001 certification, with Microsoft requiring it for AI vendors under DPR v10

Series B+ Startups

High-growth AI companies seeking enterprise credibility and compliance differentiation

Why ISO 42001 Is Becoming Mandatory

As AI adoption accelerates, regulators and enterprise risk teams are requiring formal AI management systems

FDIC Guidance

September 2025 draft compliance plan cites ISO 42001

Banks encouraged to adopt structured AI management consistent with ISO 42001

OCC Expectations

Documented, auditable controls aligned with ISO 42001

Reference model for AI risk frameworks during examinations

EU AI Act

August 2026 enforcement deadline

ISO 42001 provides framework for AI Act compliance

Vendor Risk

Enterprise procurement requirement

Third-party risk teams now asking for ISO 42001 in RFPs

The AI Governance Gap

Most organizations are unprepared for AI regulatory requirements

72%

Using AI in Business

Enterprises now use AI in at least one business function

63%

Lack AI Governance

Do not have formal AI governance policies in place

55%

Unprepared

Are unprepared for AI regulatory compliance requirements

What Is ISO 42001?

The international standard for Artificial Intelligence Management Systems (AIMS)

Core Requirements

  • AI Asset Inventory

    Complete catalog of AI systems and models

  • Risk Classification

    Categorize AI systems by risk level and impact

  • Data Governance (Annex A.7)

    Data provenance, lineage tracking, quality management

  • Model Lifecycle Management

    Development, deployment, monitoring, and retirement

  • Transparency & Explainability

    Document AI decision-making processes

  • Continuous Monitoring

    Model drift detection and performance tracking

Integration Benefits

ISO 27001 Synergy

Organizations with ISO 27001 certification achieve ISO 42001 compliance 40% faster

Many Annex A controls overlap with information security frameworks

DLP Foundation

DataFence DLP provides technical enforcement for data governance controls

Automated policy enforcement, data lineage, and audit trails required by ISO 42001

NIST AI RMF Alignment

ISO 42001 aligns with NIST AI Risk Management Framework 1.0

Dual compliance approach for U.S. and international requirements

DataFence Certification Process Overview

Third-party audit for ISO 42001 certification readiness

Estimated Total Timeline: 6-12 months from preparation through final certification

1

Gap Assessment & Readiness

Comprehensive evaluation of your current AI governance maturity against ISO 42001's 38 Annex A controls

AI Asset Inventory

Catalog all AI systems and models

Risk Classification

Assess and categorize AI risks

Implementation Roadmap

Detailed preparation plan

Duration: 2-6 months (preparation and AIMS design)

2

Implementation & Technical Controls

Deploy DataFence DLP infrastructure and develop AI governance policies

DLP Deployment

Technical enforcement layer

Policy Development

AI governance documentation

Evidence Templates

Audit-ready documentation

Duration: Included in Phase 1 preparation period

3

Stage 1 & Stage 2 Certification Audits

Third-party audit process to assess ISO 42001 certification readiness

Stage 1: Documentation Review

Evaluate AIMS documentation and readiness

Duration: 1-2 days

Stage 2: Operational Effectiveness

Validate implementation and effectiveness

Duration: 3-9+ days

Gap Closure Period: 1-3 months between Stage 1 and Stage 2

Certification Decision: ~1 month after Stage 2 completion

4

Recommended: Adversarial AI Pentesting DataFence Exclusive

Optional but highly recommended: Comprehensive adversarial AI security testing to validate your AI systems can withstand real-world attacks

Prompt Injection

Test LLM guardrails and input validation

Model Inversion

Extract training data vulnerabilities

Data Poisoning

Test resilience to malicious data

Duration: 2-4 weeks depending on AI system complexity

Audit Completion & Readiness Report

Receive comprehensive third-party audit report demonstrating ISO 42001 certification readiness

Readiness Report

Detailed audit findings and recommendations

Gap Identification

Areas requiring remediation

Continuous Support

Ongoing compliance guidance

Deliverable: Third-party audit report validating your organization's readiness for ISO 42001 certification

Complete Timeline Summary

2-6m

Pre-Work

Preparation & AIMS design

1-2d

Stage 1

Documentation review

1-3m

Gap Closure

Address findings

3-9d

Stage 2

Operational effectiveness

2-4w

Pentesting

Optional security testing

~1m

Audit Report

Readiness assessment

Why DataFence for ISO 42001 Certification

The only certification service that combines auditing expertise with production-ready DLP infrastructure

Expert Assessment

Third-party ISO 42001 auditors with extensive AI governance experience

  • ISO 27001 expertise
  • AI/ML security knowledge
  • NIST AI RMF alignment

Technical Enforcement

DataFence DLP provides automated technical controls that ISO 42001 requires

  • Data governance controls (A.7)
  • Automated policy enforcement
  • Real-time audit trails

Readiness Validation

Third-party audit report demonstrating compliance preparedness

  • FDIC/OCC alignment verified
  • EU AI Act requirements assessed
  • Vendor risk documentation ready

The DataFence Difference

Traditional Auditors

  • Check policies and documentation only
  • Leave you to implement technical controls separately
  • No DLP expertise or infrastructure
  • Manual evidence collection processes
  • Limited ongoing support post-certification

DataFence Approach

  • Deploy technical controls that enforce AI governance
  • Production-ready DLP infrastructure included
  • Automated data provenance and lineage tracking
  • Real-time compliance dashboards and evidence
  • Continuous monitoring and surveillance support

Get Ahead of AI Compliance

Start your ISO 42001 certification journey with third-party audit assessment and production-ready DLP infrastructure

Third-Party Audit

Expert Assessment

DLP Integration