Compliance language gets messy fast. Founders hear acronyms, frameworks, and control jargon long before anyone explains what those terms mean in day-to-day business.
This guide keeps it simple. Each term below exists because a company is trying to reduce a real risk, usually around access, data handling, resilience, or accountability.
Why this matters for founders
If you understand the language, you can ask better questions and spot weak answers earlier.
Core terms in plain English
Access control
Audit trail
Authentication (AuthN)
Authorization (AuthZ)
Control
Evidence
Encryption
Incident response plan
Penetration test
Risk assessment
SOC 2 Type 2
Terms that come up often in ISO 27001 work
ISMS
Scope
Statement of Applicability (SoA)
Risk treatment plan
Corrective action
Terms buyers and customers care about in diligence
Least privilege
Vendor risk management
Business continuity / disaster recovery
Data retention
Offboarding
A useful way to think about it
If you can answer those clearly, a lot of the jargon becomes easier to manage.
Final takeaway
If you want help turning that vocabulary into a usable evidence pack or review process, we can help.