Framework mapping is the analytical process of identifying and documenting the relationships between requirements from different compliance standards and regulations. By systematically comparing controls across frameworks—for example, mapping ISO 27001 Annex A controls to SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria or GDPR articles—organisations can see exactly where requirements overlap, where they diverge and where unique obligations exist for each framework.
Accurate framework mapping is the foundation of efficient multi-framework compliance, preventing the common problem of duplicating effort by implementing essentially the same control multiple times under different names. It enables compliance teams to collect evidence once and apply it to multiple frameworks, prioritise remediation work based on the number of frameworks a gap affects and provide management with a clear picture of the organisation's overall compliance posture across all applicable standards.