Third Party Assurance

Independent assurance solutions for effective risk management.

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Proof of compliance is no longer optional

Today’s business environment demands more than internal policies and promises. Customers, investors, regulators, and business partners expect independent validation to ensure that your systems, data, and governance frameworks meet recognized standards.

BDO helps organizations demonstrate security, compliance, and governance through System and Organization Controls (SOC) reports, readiness assessments, and support for ISO 27001:2022 and ISO 42001 alignment. These services help strengthen stakeholder confidence, meet customer and regulatory expectations, support enterprise sales, and reinforce your commitment to protecting sensitive information.

Trusted assurance, practical results

BDO helps organizations navigate overlapping assurance requirements, determine the most appropriate framework, and prioritize a practical path forward. Backed by BDO’s global network and delivered through practical, business-focused solutions, we tailor our services to your organization's unique objectives.

Organizations choose BDO for independent, credible assurance that minimizes business disruption, supports stakeholder confidence, and delivers meaningful business outcomes—including faster enterprise sales cycles, fewer intrusive audits and questionnaires, and early identification of gaps.

What to expect when you work with BDO

Define objectives and assurance requirements

We work with your team during an initial consultation to define assurance requirements, business objectives, and key compliance expectations.

Assess your current readiness

Evaluate the existing control environment, identify gaps, and determine areas requiring attention before an assurance engagement.

Develop a remediation roadmap

Work with your team to prioritize findings, strengthen controls, and address documentation or evidence requirements.

Complete your assurance review

Conduct the SOC, ISO, or third party assurance services efficiently and with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations.

Maintain ongoing trust and confidence

Help demonstrate compliance, strengthen stakeholder confidence, and reduce the burden of recurring customer audit requests.

Why organizations invest in Third Party Assurance services

Organizations pursue third-party assurance to strengthen trust, meet stakeholder expectations, and create a scalable foundation for growth. Depending on their priorities, assurance can help organizations:

Build customer trust
Accelerate enterprise procurement
Meet regulatory and contractual obligations
Reduce repetitive customer security questionnaires
Demonstrate mature governance
Identify control gaps before customers or auditors do

Our Third Party Assurance services

Our Third Party Assurance team uses a pragmatic methodology that is flexible, cost-effective, and customizable to your unique resources and needs.

Our services include:

AI Governance Readiness Assessments evaluate whether an organization’s AI practices, controls, and oversight are structured to manage risk, meet evolving standards, and withstand regulatory or stakeholder scrutiny.

Our approach is aligned with leading governance and risk management frameworks including ISO/IEC 42001, ISO/IEC 23894, and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. The assessment provides a clear, prioritized roadmap to support responsible AI practices across your organization.

A readiness assessment helps your organization identify and address control gaps before beginning a formal engagement, reducing the risk of surprises during the audit phase. We identify deficiencies, provide remediation recommendations, and outline the controls, procedures, and evidence required to support a successful audit.

A SOC report is an independent assurance report that evaluates an organization’s internal controls and provides credible validation that those controls can be trusted.

Our SOC 1 reports attest to the compliance of systems involved in financial transactions, providing independent assurance on controls for financial processes that have been outsourced to a third party.

Our SOC 2 reports cover information security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.

For service providers facing multiple compliance requirements, our SOC 2+ reports provide an independent opinion on both the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) plus additional subject matter.

Our SOC 3 reports are less detailed than SOC 2 compliance and are intended to be publicly available. These reports are designed to meet the needs of users who require assurance about the controls at a service organization.

ISO/IEC 27001 is the international standard for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). Our team can advise on the information security controls required to develop, maintain, and continually improve the ISMS.

When your organization is ISO 27001 compliant, clients can be assured that the level of data privacy and security controls meet international standards.

ISO/IEC 42001 is an AI governance standard that introduces a structured approach to documentation, controls, oversight, and accountability—helping reduce unmanaged risk and strengthen defensibility.

Our ISO 42001 assessments evaluate your regulatory, reputational, and operational exposure, identifying where governance enhancements may be needed.

Choosing the right third-party assurance approach

Third-party assurance is an independent assessment that verifies an organization’s controls, systems, and governance to meet recognized standards and stakeholder expectations.

It helps organizations build trust with customers, investors, and regulators, reduce risk, and demonstrate compliance with security and regulatory requirements.

BDO supports third-party assurance through readiness assessments, SOC reporting, ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 assessments, and ongoing advisory guidance.

Whether you're preparing for your first SOC report, pursuing ISO certification, responding to customer assurance requests, or evaluating AI governance requirements, we help identify gaps, strengthen controls, and achieve compliance efficiently.

Organizations that need to demonstrate compliance, security, and strong governance to customers, investors, or regulators benefit most from third-party assurance.

This includes technology and SaaS companies, organizations handling sensitive data, businesses in regulated industries, and companies preparing for enterprise sales, investor due diligence, or regulatory review.

The right option depends on your customer requirements, industry expectations, and regulatory obligations.

A SOC report is often required to satisfy customer assurance requests, while ISO certification is pursued to help organizations align with internationally recognized standards. A readiness assessment helps determine whether your controls and processes are prepared for formal assurance.

Determine the right assurance path for your organization

BDO can help you navigate customer audit requests, SOC reporting, ISO certification, and AI governance requirements. Connect with our Third Party Assurance team to identify the right next step for building trust, demonstrating compliance, and reducing assurance burden.

Speak with a Third Party Assurance advisor

Build your understanding of assurance requirements

Not ready to speak with an advisor? Explore related insights on SOC reporting, risk, compliance, data security, standards, controls, and expectations shaping third-party assurance.

The strategic edge of ISO 42001: Bridging the AI governance gap

How we helped AirSuite prepare for SOC 2 and ISO 27001 readiness

ISO 27001: Building compliance and cyber resilience