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CyFun for Compliance Teams: Mapping Cybersecurity Controls Across SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA & NIST

by Vivek Thomas, CEO on

Compliance teams today are under pressure to manage multiple cybersecurity frameworks at once. SOC 2 for customers, ISO 27001 for international credibility, HIPAA for regulated data, and NIST as the underlying security baseline all while preparing for NIS2 expectations in Europe.

The challenge is not a lack of controls. The real challenge is mapping, reusing, and evidencing the same controls across frameworks without duplication.

This is where Cyber Fundamentals (CyFun) becomes a powerful foundation for modern compliance teams.

The Multi-Framework Reality for Compliance Teams

Most organizations operate in a many-to-many compliance model:

  • One security control supports multiple frameworks
  • One framework maps to dozens of internal processes
  • Evidence must be reused but presented differently
  • Auditors and regulators expect traceability

Yet, many teams still manage this using spreadsheets, siloed documents, and manual cross-referencing.

The result:

  • Duplicated work
  • Inconsistent evidence
  • Audit fatigue
  • Increased compliance risk

What compliance teams need is a common control language.

Why CyFun Works as a Control Mapping Foundation

Cyber Fundamentals (CyFun) is a structured, risk-based cybersecurity framework grounded in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and recommended by Ireland’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as a recognised way to organise and evidence controls under NIS2.

CyFun is:

  • Voluntary and non-statutory
  • Framework-based, not prescriptive
  • Designed around maturity levels and risk
  • Aligned with internationally recognised standards

This makes it uniquely suitable as a control normalization layer across multiple compliance frameworks.

CyFun and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework: The Common Core

At its core, CyFun is built on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), transitioning to NIST CSF v2.0 by Q3 2025.

CyFun aligns cybersecurity controls under six core functions:

  • Govern – Risk strategy, policies, oversight
  • Identify – Assets, risks, vulnerabilities
  • Protect – Preventive safeguards
  • Detect – Threat detection and monitoring
  • Respond – Incident response
  • Recover – Resilience and continuity

These functions already underpin SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and NIST-based programs, making CyFun a natural mapping backbone.

Mapping CyFun to SOC 2

SOC 2 focuses on the Trust Services Criteria:

  • Security
  • Availability
  • Confidentiality
  • Processing Integrity
  • Privacy

CyFun supports SOC 2 by:

  • Organizing controls under NIST-aligned functions
  • Mapping governance, access control, monitoring, and incident response requirements to Security and Availability
  • Providing structured evidence collection aligned to audit expectations

For compliance teams, this means:

  • One control definition can support multiple SOC 2 criteria
  • Evidence can be reused across audit cycles
  • Auditors can trace controls clearly from policy to implementation

Mapping CyFun to ISO 27001

ISO 27001 is built around an Information Security Management System (ISMS) and Annex A controls.

CyFun complements ISO 27001 by:

  • Supporting risk-based control selection
  • Aligning governance and risk management with ISO clauses
  • Structuring operational controls under Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover

Instead of treating ISO 27001 as a standalone certification, compliance teams can:

  • Use CyFun to organise and evidence ISO controls
  • Maintain continuous readiness rather than annual preparation
  • Reduce manual cross-mapping between Annex A and operational security

Mapping CyFun to HIPAA

HIPAA compliance requires administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, with strong emphasis on evidence and audit trails.

CyFun supports HIPAA by:

  • Mapping governance and risk assessment to administrative safeguards
  • Aligning access controls, encryption, and monitoring under Protect and Detect
  • Structuring incident response and breach management under Respond and Recover

For healthcare and healthtech compliance teams, CyFun helps move HIPAA from:

  • Reactive audit preparation to
  • Continuous, system-driven compliance

CyFun and NIST: A Native Alignment

Unlike other frameworks that require heavy interpretation, CyFun is natively aligned with NIST CSF.

This means:

  • Minimal translation effort
  • Clear control categorization
  • Strong alignment with regulatory expectations

For organizations already using NIST internally, CyFun provides:

  • A recognized structure to evidence controls externally
  • A maturity-based model aligned to risk
  • A pathway to formal assurance where required

Why Control Mapping Matters More Than Certification

Certification under CyFun will be optional, and Ireland’s national certification system will take time to establish.

However, for compliance teams, the real value lies in control mapping and evidence organization, not the certificate itself.

CyFun enables teams to:

  • Define controls once
  • Map them across SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and NIST
  • Reuse evidence consistently
  • Support auditors and regulators without rework

This is the foundation of compliance automation.

CyFun as an Enabler of Compliance Automation

Compliance automation platforms depend on:

  • Clear control definitions
  • Consistent categorization
  • Reusable evidence
  • Continuous monitoring

CyFun provides the structural backbone that makes automation possible.

By organizing cybersecurity controls around risk, maturity, and NIST-aligned functions, CyFun allows compliance teams to:

  • Automate evidence collection
  • Maintain year-round audit readiness
  • Support multiple frameworks from a single system
  • Reduce audit fatigue and operational disruption

The Strategic Role of CyFun for Compliance Teams

As NIS2 reshapes regulatory expectations across Europe, compliance teams must think beyond individual frameworks.

CyFun offers:

  • A common language for cybersecurity controls
  • Flexibility to support multiple standards
  • Alignment with regulator expectations
  • A future-ready foundation for automation

For compliance teams managing SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and NIST in parallel, CyFun is not another framework to manage, it is the framework that helps manage all the others.

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