What does “ISO certified” mean for your business? What business benefits does this credential bring? And what does it take to achieve ISO certification in the first place?
These are all questions that many business owners have. The truth is that most companies aren’t taking full advantage of ISO certification and accreditation opportunities often because they don’t fully understand its potential. This article will discuss what ISO certification entails and how you can leverage it to achieve measurable business results.
What Is ISO?
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental organization designed to elevate safety, agility and quality in global industries. Since its formation in 1947, the group has developed and published over 25,600 standards that address challenges across industries, such as:
- Construction
- Health
- Energy
- Engineering
- Environmental sustainability
- Food and agriculture
- Information technology (IT)
- Management and services
- Materials
- Safety, security and risks
- Transportation
ISO has standardization professionals from 172 countries. These representatives form 841 technical committees and subcommittees, each focused on a specific area of expertise that contributes to the development of ISO standards. These global standards form the foundation for ISO certification and accreditation, ensuring consistency, safety, and quality across industries.
Wondering why ISO doesn’t use the acronym “IOS”? It’s not a mistake, it’s a standardized term. Since the organization is known by different names around the world, its founders chose the universal short form “ISO,” in reference to the Greek word “isos,” which means equal. This universal naming convention reinforces the organization’s goal of equal recognition for ISO certification and accreditation worldwide.
What Does ISO Certification Mean and Why Is It Important?
What does “ISO certified” mean for your business? What business benefits does this credential bring? And what does it take to achieve ISO accreditation and certification–and compliance with international standards–in the first place?
These are all questions that many business owners have. The truth is that most companies aren’t taking full advantage of ISO certification and accreditation opportunities often because they don’t fully understand its potential. Some organizations only pursue ISO certification when required for vendor approval or contract eligibility, leaving significant business value untapped. This article will discuss what ISO certification entails and how you can leverage it to achieve measurable business results.
What Is ISO?
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental organization designed to elevate safety standards, agility and quality standards in global industries. Since its formation in 1947, the group has developed and published over 25,600 international standards that address challenges across industries, such as:
- Construction
- Health
- Energy
- Engineering
- Environmental sustainability
- Food and agriculture
- Information technology (IT)
- Management and services
- Materials
- Safety, security and risks
- Transportation
ISO has standardization professionals from 172 countries. These representatives form 841 technical committees and subcommittees, each focused on a specific area of expertise that contributes to the development of ISO standards that support consistent management systems and regulatory requirements worldwide. This collaboration helps ensure that organizations across the globe work toward shared expectations for safety, quality and continuous improvement. These standards form the foundation for ISO certification and accreditation.
Wondering why ISO doesn’t use the acronym “IOS”? It’s not a mistake, it’s a standardized term. Since the organization is known by different names around the world, its founders chose the universal short form “ISO,” in reference to the Greek word “isos,” which means equal. This universal naming convention reinforces the organization’s goal of equal recognition for ISO certification and accreditation worldwide.
What Does ISO Certified Mean?
ISO certification is an internationally recognized credential that proves your business meets rigorous quality management system requirements. It serves as a signal to potential customers and partners that your organization prioritizes operational excellence, transparency and accountability. All ISO-certified companies have been assessed by a trusted third-party organization and confirmed to be in line with a published ISO standard.
As we’ve mentioned before, there are thousands of standards created by the international group. That means there isn’t just one, universal “ISO certified” meaning at the end of the day. For example:
- ISO 14001 certification affirms your organization’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact and improving sustainability.
- ISO 27001 certification means your company complies with guidelines designed to keep data safe.
- ISO 9001 certification (one of the most common) indicates that your company has an excellent quality management system.
- SO 42001 certification (the newest AI management system standard) demonstrates that your organization governs the design, deployment and oversight of artificial intelligence responsibly. It ensures alignment with ethical principles, data governance, and transparency requirements, helping companies build trust while minimizing AI-related risk.
- ISO 9001:2015 is the current version of this standard followed by modern organizations.
Regardless of the specific certification you get, an ISO-certified label shows that your product, service or process is fully optimized to achieve a particular outcome. It also gives stakeholders confidence that your organization takes a structured, data-driven approach to compliance and performance.
Benefits of ISO Certification
So, why would a company want to be ISO certified? If you’re like most business owners, you’re always looking for ways to improve your company’s efficiency, bottom line and reputation. One way to achieve all these results is to pursue ISO certification. Here are just a few of the benefits of this distinction.
Improved Business Process Efficiency
ISO accreditation is an excellent way for companies to improve their business objectives, processes and procedures. When your processes and procedures meet ISO certification requirements, it becomes easier for your employees to work together effectively and efficiently, while communicating with less ambiguity. Each standard was developed to be the best way to work, after all.
The ISO certification process alone is beneficial for your team. It includes an audit of your company’s business operations and procedures, which will help you identify areas where your company can improve efficiency and ensure alignment with regulatory requirements. Standardization also reduces duplicate work, miscommunication and manual rework by defining how tasks should be performed consistently across teams.
Sustainability
Many standards, like the ISO 14001 certification, help businesses show that they care about their environmental impact by proving their commitment to addressing environmental challenges. These ISO certification standards help you assess resource utilization, energy consumption and your overall impact on the planet. As a result, achieving ISO certification can position your business to meet environmental goals such as high-efficiency product lifecycles and the use of sustainable natural resources, leading to both reputational and financial gains. This can be especially impactful for companies in highly regulated industries where environmental compliance directly affects licensing, operation and brand trust.
Reduced Expenses
What does being ISO certified mean for your bottom line? It can be the difference between maximizing profitability and lagging behind. ISO standards are designed to streamline your operations, one area of business at a time.
Naturally, ISO certification and accreditation are great ways to reduce expenses, which in turn helps improve your return on investment (ROI). The financial impact of ISO compliance is well documented. According to ISO-related case studies, companies can increase profits by as much as 5% simply by implementing ISO-certified quality management system standards into their production processes.
Cost savings are often realized quickly because improvements touch core operational areas such as scrap reduction, fewer defects, resource optimization and streamlined decision-making.
Risk Reduction
Struggling with risk management in our highly disruptive world? Meeting ISO certification requirements is a smart way to prepare your organization for challenges and turn them into opportunities. When problems arise, your business will be better equipped because these standards encourage success in managing or mitigating those situations to prevent disasters.
The top benefit that organizations see from implementing ISO certification standards is being able to withstand and thrive when things go wrong. The standards provide guidance on the best line of action when corrective measures are needed—and they equip your team members with the standardized processes required for fast, agile decision-making that’s necessary as the pace of change accelerates.
When organizations align risk, quality and compliance into centralized management systems, they respond faster to disruptions and prevent costly errors before they occur.
Improved Quality and Consistency
ISO certification, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 9001:2015, is achieved through independent audits that verify your organization’s adherence to international quality standards and quality management system requirements. This ensures consistent processes and repeatable results, leading to higher product and service quality and increased customer satisfaction. This level of repeatability is especially beneficial for scaling businesses that must replicate quality across locations, suppliers and product lines.
Continuous Improvement
ISO standards encourage organizations to adopt a culture of continuous improvement by regularly reviewing and updating processes, driving innovation and enhancing overall performance. Instead of a one-time compliance exercise, ISO reinforces a culture where small adjustments compound into major gains over time.
Competitive Advantage
ISO certification is verified through an independent third-party audit that confirms your company meets internationally recognized management systems and international standards. Earning this credential can provide a significant competitive advantage by enhancing your reputation, opening doors to new markets and reassuring stakeholders of your commitment to quality and reliability. For many industries, ISO certification is a prerequisite to bid on government or enterprise-level contracts, unlocking valuable new revenue opportunities.
Increased Confidence From Customers
Another benefit of ISO certification is proving to your customers that you are a reliable and reputable company. Customers look for companies they can trust, and brands that hold this credential are validated in a way that demonstrates their commitment to product and process quality. It demonstrates your company’s credibility to customers, employees and other stakeholders, building positive sentiment and engagement with your brand.
Being ISO certified is marketable. Whether you indicate your certification on your website, product packaging, social media channels or elsewhere, you can easily differentiate your products or services from competitors and stand out as an industry leader. It communicates that your organization welcomes oversight, adheres to best practices and can be trusted to deliver on its commitments.
How To Get ISO Certification
You might think that the ISO certification process is expensive and complicated, but it can be affordable and straightforward. Gaining the credential is accessible to all sorts of businesses— not just large corporations— because its cost can fluctuate based on:
- Your organization’s size and structure
- Your industry
- The certification body you choose
If you don’t have experience with ISO certification requirements, there are plenty of consultants and certification bodies that offer support in your process, including ISO training programs to ensure employee readiness. Strong leadership buy-in is one of the biggest predictors of successful ISO certification because process improvements often require organization-wide participation.
The following steps can also help you meet essential qualifications for your standard of choice.
1. Build a Dedicated ISO Certification Team
A specialized task force can help you stay on track to meet your ISO certification goals. This team will be responsible for aligning current business processes with your target ISO standards and then initiating the official review process when your organization is prepared.
Your committee will be most effective if it includes members of your leadership team. ISO certification can require some degree of organizational transformation and resource allocation, so strong decision-making power is always beneficial. Some organizations also designate a management representative responsible for coordinating documentation, ISO training and quality activities across departments.
2. Conduct an Internal Audit
A thorough internal audit is critical for understanding what needs to be done to achieve ISO standards. Your assessment, which may include internal control testing, can help you uncover critical gaps in your ISO compliance and develop a robust plan for success. Tracking results in a centralized system allows your team to demonstrate improvements during the official certification audit. This plan should include:
- A realistic timeline for implementation and certification
- A comprehensive list of the resources required to achieve ISO compliance
- A change management strategy that includes employee training requirements
3. Select an Accredited Certification Body
Not all certification bodies are created equal. ISO only recommends accredited organizations that follow the ISO’s Committee on Conformity Assessment (CASCO) standards.
Beyond confirming that your certification body meets these requirements, you should also review its online presence, testimonials and experience to ensure its reliability and expertise along with each provider’s ISO training options. Be sure that the organization’s pricing structure aligns with your budget as well.
Once selected, this third party will conduct an audit of its own—assessing your management systems—to determine whether you meet the ISO certification requirements. Certification partners may also provide optional pre-assessment services to help identify any issues before the formal audit begins. The ideal certification body will provide feedback if standards are not met.
4. Reinforce ISO Standards
There’s a common misconception that ISO certification is a one-time process. Once ISO certification is attained, your company needs to maintain it on an ongoing basis for the credential to remain valid. To stay certified means that organizations must continually review and update their procedures and processes to ensure compliance with the latest ISO standards, which may evolve.
In most cases, ISO certification is valid for three years, and organizations must undergo annual surveillance audits conducted by independent auditors to maintain compliance and confirm continued validity. Ongoing audits, employee refreshers and periodic policy updates ensure that the operational gains achieved through certification continue to drive value year after year.
Closing Thoughts: What Does ISO Certified Mean and Why Is It Important?
ISO certification can be an asset for any business, big or small. It affirms that your company is in line with top-tier quality, efficiency and/or safety standards. Earning this credential can elevate your profitability and reputation, giving your stakeholders plenty of reassurance, all while reducing your business risks. Most importantly, ISO standards help you build a stronger organization that scales with confidence, mitigates risk and consistently exceeds customer expectations.
Not sure where to start? An ISO audit can identify areas where your management systems could be improved. If you’re looking to manage your audit processes, risk assessments and compliance requirements as you pursue ISO certification, Onspring is a great place to start.
