What is the difference between internal audit and external certification?

Internal audit is a function of the organization: audit scheduling, control testing, workpapers, finding management and reporting to the audit committee, often around SOX and enterprise risk management. An external certification (ISO 27001) or attestation report (SOC 2) is issued by an independent third party based on evidence the organization collects continuously from its systems.

Are SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications?

ISO 27001 is a certification issued by an accredited certification body after an audit of the information security management system. SOC 2 is an attestation report issued by an independent CPA firm on the controls of a service organization. In both cases the organization must produce continuous evidence that controls operate, not just documentation.

Quebec's Law 25 amends the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector. Among other things it requires privacy impact assessments before certain projects, notification of confidentiality incidents to the Commission d'accès à l'information, and consent mechanisms tied to a stated purpose. It applies to organizations that process personal information of Quebec residents, wherever they are established.

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Sentrix vs AuditBoard

Sentrix vs AuditBoard: external certification automation versus internal audit management. Two different workflows, compared without spin, as of July 2026.

Sentrix vs AuditBoard: external certification automation vs internal audit management.

AuditBoard is purpose-built for internal audit teams managing SOX compliance, workpapers, and enterprise risk reporting. Sentrix is purpose-built for compliance and security teams pursuing external certifications and attestations, SOC 2, ISO 27001, Law 25, CPCSC, GDPR, with continuous automated evidence collection. These are two different workflows, and that is the first selection criterion.

What differs, as of July 2026

The table is limited to differences a buyer can verify. It reflects public information from July 2026; verify current capabilities with each vendor.

Criterion	Sentrix	AuditBoard
Primary workflow	External certifications and attestations: continuous evidence collection from connected infrastructure	Internal audit management: scheduling, control testing, workpapers, audit committee reporting
Subscription scope	Compliance, third-party risk, policy management and license optimization in one subscription	Internal audit, risk and compliance modules; third-party risk management (TPRM) module; see the public documentation for plan composition
SOC 2 and ISO 27001	Yes	Yes
Frameworks for Canada	Law 25, PIPEDA, CPCSC, TGV, OSFI B-10 and B-13, CAN/DGSI 104	See AuditBoard's published framework library
Frameworks for the United States and Europe	SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, NIST; GDPR, NIS2, DORA, TISAX	SOX, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 confirmed; see the published library for the others
Interface languages	English and French	See AuditBoard's public documentation
Data hosting	Compliance data hosted in Canada	See AuditBoard's public documentation

The fundamental difference

AuditBoard was founded to modernize internal audit management, replacing spreadsheets and paper workpapers with a connected platform for audit scheduling, control testing, finding management, and board-level reporting. It excels in this use case: organizations with a formal internal audit function managing SOX compliance, ERM programs, and audit committee deliverables.

Sentrix is built for a different workflow: helping compliance managers, CISOs, and security teams achieve and maintain external certifications and attestations. These require continuous automated evidence collection from your live cloud infrastructure, not workpaper management. Frameworks ship preconfigured for Canada, the United States and Europe, and evidence collected once counts toward every active framework.

For a mid-market company pursuing its first SOC 2 attestation or Law 25 compliance without a dedicated internal audit team, the Sentrix model is more direct: connect the infrastructure, let the evidence flow in, and work the gaps through to the audit.

Who each platform is built for

Choose Sentrix if…

Your primary goal is achieving and maintaining external certifications and attestations (SOC 2, ISO 27001, Law 25, CPCSC, GDPR)
You want continuous automated evidence collection connected to your cloud infrastructure
You need a platform that works for your compliance team, not primarily your internal audit team
You are a mid-market company without a dedicated internal audit function
You need Canadian or European frameworks alongside US ones, and a bilingual interface

Choose AuditBoard if…

Your primary use case is internal audit management and SOX compliance
You have a large internal audit team that needs workflow management, workpaper tracking, and audit committee reporting
Your risk program is centered on enterprise risk management (ERM) and board-level risk reporting
You already use AuditBoard for internal audit and want to expand into external compliance in the same platform

Go further

Disclaimer: This comparison is based on publicly available information as of July 2026. Product features, pricing, and data residency options change - we recommend verifying current capabilities directly with each vendor. All product names, logos, and trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Use of competitor names is for descriptive comparison purposes only under nominative fair use.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between internal audit and external certification?: Internal audit is a function of the organization: audit scheduling, control testing, workpapers, finding management and reporting to the audit committee, often around SOX and enterprise risk management. An external certification (ISO 27001) or attestation report (SOC 2) is issued by an independent third party based on evidence the organization collects continuously from its systems.
Are SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications?: ISO 27001 is a certification issued by an accredited certification body after an audit of the information security management system. SOC 2 is an attestation report issued by an independent CPA firm on the controls of a service organization. In both cases the organization must produce continuous evidence that controls operate, not just documentation.
What is Law 25?: Quebec's Law 25 amends the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector. Among other things it requires privacy impact assessments before certain projects, notification of confidentiality incidents to the Commission d'accès à l'information, and consent mechanisms tied to a stated purpose. It applies to organizations that process personal information of Quebec residents, wherever they are established.

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