In a nutshell
SOC 2 is an attestation report (not a certification) from a licensed CPA firm, proving your controls meet the AICPA's Trust Services Criteria — Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity and Privacy.
The case for action
Why your organisation needs SOC 2
The upside
What your organisation gains
Shorten enterprise sales cycles by replacing security questionnaires.
Win and expand contracts with North American customers.
Surface and fix control gaps before customers find them.
Give your board independent assurance over key controls.
Scope
Who it covers — and where
Who it applies to
SaaS, cloud and managed-service providers — especially those selling to North American enterprises.
Where it applies
Global, but originates from the US and most demanded there.
Timing
When you need to act
Type 1 covers a point in time; Type 2 covers 3–12 months of operation. Most buyers want Type 2.
The path forward
Your roadmap to compliance
A practical journey — not a bureaucratic checklist. Tackle these stages in order and you'll move from "we should look into this" to ready.
- 1
Pick the Trust Services Criteria that matter (Security is mandatory).
- 2
Run a readiness assessment.
- 3
Implement controls — access reviews, change management, vendor reviews, monitoring.
- 4
Collect evidence consistently across the audit window.
- 5
Engage a CPA firm for the audit and deliver the final report to customers under NDA.
Reality check
Common struggles (and how to fix them)
The struggle
Evidence collection is manual and painful.
The fix
Automate with a compliance platform or templated trackers from day one of the window.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
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