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CyberAccord

SOC 2 Readiness and Renewal

SOC 2 readiness and renewal support

We get your controls, policies and evidence ready for a SOC 2 audit, then keep them in shape so each renewal is routine. An independent CPA firm performs the audit; we prepare you for it and work alongside them.

Book a free consultationor call +1 (832) 429-5665

At a glance

SOC 2 is an attestation report on a service organization's controls, measured against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. Companies that store or process customer data, especially SaaS providers, are asked for it by enterprise buyers. CyberAccord runs the gap assessment, closes the gaps, prepares evidence and coordinates with the independent CPA firm that performs the audit.

Who asks for it
Enterprise customers of SaaS and other service providers
Audited by
An independent CPA firm, not CyberAccord
Report types
Type I (a point in time) and Type II (over a period)
Criteria
AICPA Trust Services Criteria; Security is always in scope
Typical first-time readiness
A few months, depending on your starting point

Who needs SOC 2?

SOC 2 is not a law. It becomes a requirement when your customers ask for it, which is common for SaaS companies, managed service providers, data processors and any business that hosts or handles customer data.

The usual trigger is a deal: an enterprise prospect sends a security questionnaire, asks for your SOC 2 report, and the contract waits until you can provide one.

Type I vs Type II: which report do you need?

A Type I report states whether your controls are suitably designed and in place at a specific date. A Type II report also tests whether those controls operated effectively over an observation period, commonly somewhere between three and twelve months.

Many first-time companies start with a Type I to show progress quickly, then move to Type II, which is the report most enterprise buyers expect. We help you choose based on what your customers are actually asking for.

What are the Trust Services Criteria?

The AICPA Trust Services Criteria cover five categories. Security, also called the common criteria, is included in every SOC 2 report. The other four are optional and are added when they matter to your customers and your service.

  • Security: protection against unauthorized access and misuse
  • Availability: systems are available for operation as committed
  • Processing integrity: processing is complete, accurate and authorized
  • Confidentiality: information designated confidential is protected
  • Privacy: personal information is handled according to your commitments

What we do

For first-time reports, we assess where you stand, write the policies and procedures you are missing, help implement the technical and administrative controls, and organize evidence the way auditors expect to see it. Your engineers stay focused on the product while we carry the compliance workload.

For renewals, we keep controls and evidence current through the year, so the audit window is not a scramble. We do not issue SOC 2 reports; only a licensed CPA firm can. We prepare you and coordinate with your auditor from kickoff through fieldwork.

How it works

  1. 1

    Gap assessment

    We review your current controls, policies and systems against the criteria in scope and show you exactly what is missing.

  2. 2

    Close the gaps

    We write policies, help implement controls and set up evidence collection, prioritizing what auditors test first.

  3. 3

    Audit readiness and hand-off

    We run a readiness review, organize evidence and coordinate with the independent CPA firm you engage for the audit.

  4. 4

    Stay ready

    Between audits we monitor controls and keep evidence current so each Type II renewal is routine.

Questions, answered

Does CyberAccord perform the SOC 2 audit?

No. A SOC 2 examination must be performed by an independent licensed CPA firm. We prepare you for that audit and coordinate with the auditor, which keeps the preparation and the attestation properly separate.

Is there such a thing as SOC 2 certification?

Not formally. SOC 2 results in an attestation report with an auditor's opinion, not a certificate. People often say certified, but the deliverable your customers want is the report itself.

How long does SOC 2 readiness take?

For a first-time company it typically takes a few months, depending on how many controls are already in place. A Type II report then needs an observation period on top of that. The gap assessment gives you a realistic timeline for your situation.

Should we start with Type I or Type II?

If a customer needs something soon, a Type I can show that controls are designed and in place. Most enterprise buyers ultimately want a Type II, so we plan the path from one to the other from the start.

Will this pull our engineers off the roadmap?

We take on the policy writing, evidence organization and auditor coordination. Your engineers will still need to make some configuration changes, and we scope those tightly so the time they spend is predictable.

Can you help with our renewal if someone else did our first report?

Yes. We start with a review of your last report, any exceptions the auditor noted and your current evidence, then fix drift before the next observation period begins.

Related

Not sure where to start?

Book a free 20-minute consultation. We'll learn what's driving the need and recommend a scoped next step with a fixed quote.

Book a free consultation+1 (832) 429-5665