New Peppol Requirements: ISO 27001 Becomes Mandatory

Peppol continues to evolve as a central and trusted infrastructure for the electronic exchange of business documents. An important change on the horizon is the requirement for all Peppol Service Providers and Access Point Operators to be certified according to ISO/IEC 27001 by 1 July 2027 at the latest. The requirement has been communicated within the Peppol network and means that all organisations providing Peppol services will be subject to a common global standard for information security.

For companies using Peppol for e-invoicing, order management and digital document exchange, the change primarily means increased security, transparency and reliability across the network.

A new common security standard

The introduction of ISO/IEC 27001 as a mandatory requirement is a clear step in Peppol’s continued efforts to strengthen information security and risk management. The standard requires service providers to work systematically to identify, manage and mitigate security risks through established processes, controls and regular audits.

The aim is to establish a common level of security across the entire Peppol network, regardless of country or service provider. For Peppol users, this provides greater confidence in how business documents are handled, protected and delivered.

What does this mean for businesses?

For service providers operating their own Peppol Access Points, the requirement represents a significant undertaking. ISO/IEC 27001 is not a one-time certification, but a long-term commitment that involves governance, documentation, continuous improvement, risk assessments and external audits.

As a result, many organisations will need to evaluate how they want to manage their Peppol connectivity going forward. For some, this will mean continuing to invest in their own operations and certification. For others, it may be more efficient to use an established partner that is already certified.

More businesses are choosing specialized Peppol partners

This development is expected to accelerate a trend that is already evident in the market: having a specialized provider manage the Access Point function.

By using a certified partner, companies can reduce administrative and technical complexity while gaining access to a secure and scalable infrastructure that is continuously adapted to new Peppol requirements.

This makes it easier to focus on their core business without having to manage the security and compliance requirements that come with operating as an Access Point provider.

What does this mean for companies using Peppol?

For most companies sending and receiving documents via Peppol, the change will not require any immediate action. However, it may be wise to ensure that your current service provider has a clear plan in place to meet the new requirements.

Choosing a certified provider not only provides greater confidence when it comes to future regulatory changes, but also contributes to enhanced security, more reliable operations and a reduced risk of disruptions to critical business processes.

Strålfors’ role in the new landscape

At Strålfors, we see this development as a natural step in the continued maturity of Peppol and an important investment in an even more secure digital ecosystem.

We work systematically and continuously with information security and have been ISO/IEC 27001 certified for several years. This provides us with a solid foundation for meeting both current and future requirements and continuing to support our customers going forward.

As security and compliance requirements continue to increase, choosing the right partner is becoming an increasingly important part of a sustainable long-term digitalisation strategy.