ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 External Audits

Information security and AI governance are no longer side issues. They are board-level concerns, customer concerns, and increasingly regulatory concerns.

Rheinberry provides external audit services for ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 42001, helping organisations assess, strengthen, and demonstrate the maturity of their information security and AI governance arrangements. ISO describes ISO/IEC 27001 as the world’s best-known standard for information security management systems, while ISO/IEC 42001 is the international standard for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an AI management system. 

Whether you are preparing for certification, validating readiness, responding to client requirements, or seeking an independent view of your current posture, Rheinberry brings practical, risk-led assurance grounded in real operational environments.

Organisations are under growing pressure to show that they are not just using technology effectively, but governing it responsibly.

ISO states that ISO/IEC 27001 helps organisations establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an information security management system. ISO also explains that ISO/IEC 42001 supports responsible AI governance by helping organisations align AI practices with legal and regulatory expectations, manage risks such as bias, safety, security and misuse, and increase trust with customers, partners and regulators. 

In practice, that means two things:

Your information must be protected through a structured, defensible security management system.

Your AI must be governed through a structured, defensible management system for accountability, oversight, and control.

For many organisations, these now belong in the same conversation. ISO itself presents ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 42001 together as a complementary package for information security and AI management. 

Click the button below to learn about Rheinberry's ISO 27001 External Audit

Click the button below to learn about Rheinberry's ISO 42001 External Audit

Rheinberry approaches external audit as more than a standards exercise.

We do not just look for documents. We look for evidence of governance in action: decision-making, accountability, control, escalation, monitoring, and improvement.

That matters because a management system can appear compliant on paper while remaining weak in practice.

Our clients value Rheinberry because we bring:

• independent, credible external perspective 
• practical and commercially relevant findings 
• strong understanding of governance, risk, and operational reality 
• the ability to work across both security and AI assurance domains 
• a focus on what will stand up in practice, not just in theory

A strong fit for complex and scrutinised environments

Rheinberry is particularly well placed to support organisations operating in environments where security, accountability, resilience, and trust matter deeply.

That includes businesses dealing with sensitive data, critical operations, regulated settings, emerging AI use cases, or customers who increasingly expect structured assurance.

Our external audits are tailored to the size, maturity, and complexity of the organisation, but typically follow a straightforward structure.

1. Scope and context - We define the organisational scope, objectives, critical systems, key stakeholders, and intended audit outcomes.
2. Documentation and evidence review - We assess the policies, procedures, governance records, risk materials, and supporting evidence relevant to the standard.
3. Stakeholder interviews and walkthroughs - We test how the management system actually operates in practice.
4. Assessment and findings - We identify strengths, gaps, risks, and improvement priorities against ISO/IEC 27001 and/or ISO/IEC 42001.
5. Reporting - We provide a clear, decision-useful report designed for leadership, assurance, and action.

Depending on your need, Rheinberry can provide:

• independent external audit reports 
• certification readiness assessments 
• gap assessments against ISO 27001 or ISO 42001 
• combined reviews covering information security and AI governance 
• targeted thematic audits for higher-risk areas 
• executive-level findings suitable for boards, investors, clients, or investors

For organisations using AI, information security and AI governance cannot be separated for long.

AI depends on data, systems, suppliers, controls, and decision processes. That means information security weaknesses can become AI governance weaknesses, and poor AI governance can introduce new security, legal, operational, and reputational risks.

ISO describes AI management systems as a way to address challenges around ethics, accountability, transparency, and data privacy through a recognised management system framework. 

That is why Rheinberry offers both services together: to help clients build confidence not only that their information is protected, but that their AI is being governed responsibly.

Whether you are preparing for certification, testing readiness, or strengthening assurance for customers, regulators, or internal leadership, Rheinberry can help.

Talk to Rheinberry about:

• ISO/IEC 27001 external audits 
• ISO/IEC 42001 external audits 
• certification readiness reviews 
• combined security and AI governance assessments 

Rheinberry delivers independent assurance that is practical, rigorous, and grounded in operational reality.

info@rheinberry.com