SOC 2 Compliance – are you ready?

Do you provide a cloud-based service or solution? Are your customers asking for a SOC 2 audit report to prove data security and privacy?

SOC 2 is one of the most common compliance requirements that technology companies must meet today.

But, where do you start? How do you demonstrate your commitment to security and privacy for your customers and prospects?

Like many cloud technology companies that are new to the SOC 2 process, it isn’t easy to navigate the complexities of preparing for an audit. SOC 2 requires companies to establish and follow strict information security policies and procedures, including the security, availability, processing integrity, and confidentiality of customer data held in the cloud. These are known as the Trust Service Principles.

information security policies and procedures are a big part of regulatory compliance, since the written policies are what the CPAs use as the standard for auditing your organization’s compliance. As far as your auditor is concerned, if it isn’t documented, it isn’t happening within your organization. So, developing a solid set of policies properly documenting everything you say you are doing, like providing evidence that there are tools and protocols in place for monitoring all network level and system level activities, is crucial to achieving SOC certification.

It has been my experience that most companies typically do not have up-to-date and relevant InfoSec documents in place. If your company falls into that category and you are looking to achieve SOC 2 certification in the next year, I would be happy to provide direction and guidance to navigate the complexities of the audit. My services include: explaining the Trust Service Principles and determining which ones apply to your business, identifying and documenting the information security controls within your system to prepare for a readiness assessment, remediating the documentation post-assessment and organizing the policies and procedures for the final audit to achieve SOC 2 compliance.

By attaining SOC 2 compliance, you are demonstration your company’s commitment to maintain rigorous security standards within your technology, processes, and personnel to provide the highest level of security and privacy to your customers. If you are ready to move forward, I am ready to help!