soc2-compliance

SOC 2 Compliance

SOC 2 Type I and Type II compliance preparation for SaaS companies. Covers Trust Service Criteria mapping, control matrix generation, evidence collection, gap analysis, and audit readiness assessment.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Trust Service Criteria
• Control Matrix Generation
• Gap Analysis Workflow
• Evidence Collection
• Audit Readiness Checklist
• Vendor Management
• Continuous Compliance
• Anti-Patterns
• Tools
• References
• Cross-References

Overview

What Is SOC 2?

SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is an auditing framework developed by the AICPA that evaluates how a service organization manages customer data. It applies to any technology company that stores, processes, or transmits customer information — primarily SaaS, cloud infrastructure, and managed service providers.

Type I vs Type II

Who Needs SOC 2?

• SaaS companies selling to enterprise customers
• Cloud infrastructure providers handling customer workloads
• Data processors managing PII, PHI, or financial data
• Managed service providers with access to client systems
• Any vendor whose customers require third-party assurance

Typical Journey

Gap Assessment → Remediation → Type I Audit → Observation Period → Type II Audit → Annual Renewal
    (4-8 wk)      (8-16 wk)     (4-6 wk)       (6-12 mo)          (4-6 wk)       (ongoing)

Trust Service Criteria

SOC 2 is organized around five Trust Service Criteria (TSC) categories. Security is required for every SOC 2 report; the remaining four are optional and selected based on business need.

Security (Common Criteria CC1-CC9) — Required

The foundation of every SOC 2 report. Maps to COSO 2013 principles.

Availability (A1) — Optional

Select when: Customers depend on your uptime; you have SLAs; downtime causes direct business impact.

Confidentiality (C1) — Optional

Select when: You handle trade secrets, proprietary data, or contractually confidential information.

Processing Integrity (PI1) — Optional

Select when: Data accuracy is critical (financial processing, healthcare records, analytics platforms).

Privacy (P1-P8) — Optional

Select when: You process PII and customers expect privacy assurance (complements GDPR compliance).

Control Matrix Generation

A control matrix maps each TSC criterion to specific controls, owners, evidence, and testing procedures.

Matrix Structure

Control Naming Convention

{CATEGORY}-{NUMBER}
SEC-001 through SEC-NNN  → Security
AVL-001 through AVL-NNN  → Availability
CON-001 through CON-NNN  → Confidentiality
PRI-001 through PRI-NNN  → Processing Integrity
PRV-001 through PRV-NNN  → Privacy

Workflow

1. Select applicable TSC categories based on business needs
2. Run control_matrix_builder.py to generate the baseline matrix
3. Customize controls to match your actual environment
4. Assign owners and evidence requirements
5. Validate coverage — every selected TSC criterion must have at least one control

Gap Analysis Workflow

Phase 1: Current State Assessment

1. Document existing controls — inventory all security policies, procedures, and technical controls
2. Map to TSC — align existing controls to Trust Service Criteria
3. Collect evidence samples — gather proof that controls exist and operate
4. Interview control owners — verify understanding and execution

Phase 2: Gap Identification

Run gap_analyzer.py against your current controls to identify:

• Missing controls — TSC criteria with no corresponding control
• Partially implemented — Control exists but lacks evidence or consistency
• Design gaps — Control designed but does not adequately address the criteria
• Operating gaps (Type II only) — Control designed correctly but not operating effectively

Phase 3: Remediation Planning

For each gap, define:

Phase 4: Timeline Planning

Evidence Collection

Evidence Types by Control Category

Automation Opportunities

Continuous Monitoring

Move from point-in-time evidence collection to continuous compliance:

1. Automated evidence gathering — scripts that pull evidence on schedule
2. Control dashboards — real-time visibility into control status
3. Alert-based monitoring — notify when a control drifts out of compliance
4. Evidence repository — centralized, timestamped evidence storage

Audit Readiness Checklist

Pre-Audit Preparation (4-6 Weeks Before)

• All controls documented with descriptions, owners, and frequencies
• Evidence collected for the entire observation period (Type II)
• Control matrix reviewed and gaps remediated
• Policies signed and distributed within the last 12 months
• Access reviews completed within the required frequency
• Vulnerability scans current (no critical/high unpatched > SLA)
• Incident response plan tested within the last 12 months
• Vendor risk assessments current for all subservice organizations
• DR/BCP tested and documented within the last 12 months
• Employee security training completed for all staff

Readiness Scoring

Common Audit Findings

Vendor Management

Third-Party Risk Assessment

Every vendor that accesses, stores, or processes customer data must be assessed:

1. Vendor inventory — maintain a register of all service providers
2. Risk classification — categorize vendors by data access level
3. Due diligence — collect SOC 2 reports, security questionnaires, certifications
4. Contractual protections — ensure DPAs, security requirements, breach notification clauses
5. Ongoing monitoring — annual reassessment, continuous news monitoring

Vendor Risk Tiers

Subservice Organizations

When your SOC 2 report relies on controls at a subservice organization (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure):

• Inclusive method — your report covers the subservice org's controls (requires their cooperation)
• Carve-out method — your report excludes their controls but references their SOC 2 report
• Most companies use carve-out and include complementary user entity controls (CUECs)

Continuous Compliance

From Point-in-Time to Continuous

Implementation Steps

1. Automate evidence gathering — cron jobs, API integrations, IaC snapshots
2. Build control dashboards — aggregate control status into a single view
3. Configure drift alerts — notify when controls fall out of compliance
4. Establish review cadence — weekly control owner check-ins, monthly steering
5. Maintain evidence repository — centralized, timestamped, auditor-accessible

Annual Re-Assessment Cycle

Anti-Patterns

Tools

Control Matrix Builder

Generates a SOC 2 control matrix from selected TSC categories.

Evidence Tracker

Tracks evidence collection status per control.

Gap Analyzer

Analyzes current controls against SOC 2 requirements and identifies gaps.

References

• Trust Service Criteria Reference — All 5 TSC categories with sub-criteria, control objectives, and evidence examples
• Evidence Collection Guide — Evidence types per control, automation tools, documentation requirements
• Type I vs Type II Comparison — Detailed comparison, timeline, cost analysis, and upgrade path

Cross-References

• gdpr-dsgvo-expert — SOC 2 Privacy criteria overlaps significantly with GDPR requirements; use together when processing EU personal data
• information-security-manager-iso27001 — ISO 27001 Annex A controls map closely to SOC 2 Security criteria; organizations pursuing both can share evidence
• isms-audit-expert — Audit methodology and finding management patterns transfer directly to SOC 2 audit preparation