Introduction
SOC 2 provides valuable insights into your organization’s security posture at any given time. It is an auditing procedure and a crucial framework that applies to all technology, product, and cloud computing service providers that store customer data. It ensures that companies securely manage data to protect the interests of your organization and the privacy of its clients.
SOC 2 Compliance report not only provides valuable insights into your organization’s security posture but also provides you with a competitive edge.
Passing the SOC 2 audit process provides you the much-required peace of mind that your systems and networks are secure. But a SOC 2 readiness test helps you locate the gaps in your procedures, internal controls, and documentation even before the auditor finds them.
Check your readiness score here. Following are the top 5 things based on our years of experience in helping companies with SOC 2 readiness:
Is SOC 2 mandatory?
SOC 2 is neither a compliance law nor a regulation. But It is a complex set of requirements that must be carefully addressed. Compliance is the key driver for Customer assurance.
A SOC 2 report is designed to protect customer data from unauthorized access and compliance is a crucial measure to avoid costly security breaches.
Tenets of SOC 2 Compliance
SOC 2 does not prescribe standards but simply audits and confirms that the processes are actually being followed in practice. In other words, it covers five basic trust service “principles”: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
Things to monitor for SOC 2 Compliance- Alerts, Triggers, Visibility
Alerts
SOC 2 requires you to set up alerts for:
- Exposure or modification of data, controls, configurations
- File transfer activities
- Privileged filesystem, account, or login access
Triggers
SOC 2 prescribes alerts whenever there is unauthorized access to customer data
Visibility
You must have visibility at the host level. User activity, processes, network connections, and threat-prone areas require visibility. You should seek compliance mechanisms to conduct behavior-based monitoring to detect suspicious events.
Can I fast-track SOC 2 Compliance?
The answer to this question really depends on many factors – the size of your organization, your readiness score, the resources available, and the type of audit –SOC 2 Type 1 or 2 you need. Depending on these elements, Type 1 may take up to a month, while Type 2 may take 3 to 12 months. So, fast-tracking SOC 2 compliance is possible only when all resources – controls, policies and your technical stack are readily available and securely configured. Most companies start the SOC 2 path only after a customer requests an audit report. But, getting to a realistic timeline requires an expert recommendation and a dedicated team. We work with clients to pre-assess, identify critical tasks, and offer expert advice on project management to get you the realistic timeline.
What pitfalls/ mistakes should I prevent?
- Not doing a pre-assessment: Not performing a readiness test, can lead to unexpected gaps and failures during the audit. It can also lead to a longer time to completion of the audit
- Limiting to core applications: Some companies believe in testing security controls only on the core applications. What they don’t know is that some controls are non-technical in nature that can trip their security posture.
- Not allowing ample time for the audit completion: Companies that need Type II reports need to be assessed for about 100 security controls which take time and in order to be compliant, they must put in ample time and effort.
How can we help you with SOC 2 Compliance?
Achieve your SOC 2 compliance attestation with our team of security experts of who can streamline the audit process, prep you for the journey, and help you succeed with SOC 2 compliance.
Read our SOC 2 Compliance Guide and engage with our team of security experts who can prep you for your SOC 2 journey, streamline the audit process and help you succeed at SOC 2.