SOC 2 Standards

What Are SOC 2 Standards?

SOC2 (Service Organization Control 2) is a set of standards developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) that assesses the controls a service organization has in place to protect its clients' data. These standards ensure that a service organization's systems and processes are designed and operating effectively to meet specific security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy criteria. SOC2 standards are commonly used by companies that provide services to other businesses, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), and data centers. These service providers may have access to sensitive client information, and SOC2 compliance provides assurance to clients that their data is being handled securely and appropriately.

SOC2 standards are an industry-recognized benchmark for managing and protecting sensitive data. Achieving SOC2 compliance demonstrates an organization's commitment to security and can be a key differentiator in winning new business in industries where data security is critical, such as healthcare and financial services.

Brief History Of SOC 2 Standards And Their Evolution

The SOC2 (Service Organization Control 2) standards were first introduced in 2010 by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to provide guidance on controls for service organizations that store, process, and transmit data on behalf of their clients. The SOC2 standard was developed as a successor to SAS 70, which was the previous standard for reporting on controls at service organizations.

The SOC2 standard was designed to address the limitations of SAS 70, which focused primarily on financial reporting controls and did not cover other areas such as security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. The SOC2 standard introduced these additional areas and was designed to be more flexible and adaptable to the needs of different organizations.

Since its introduction, the SOC2 standard has evolved to keep pace with changes in technology and the increasing importance of data security. In 2018, the AICPA introduced updates to the SOC2 reporting framework, including a new Trust Services Criteria for Privacy and a new mapping process to better align the SOC2 standards with the cybersecurity framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Today, SOC2 compliance has become an important requirement for organizations that provide services to other businesses and handle sensitive data. It is now considered a best practice for managing and protecting data, and many organizations require their service providers to undergo a SOC2 audit and provide them with a SOC2 report as part of their vendor management program.

Who Needs SOC 2 Standards?

There are a variety of organizations that require SOC2 compliance, but the most common are those that provide services to other businesses, including:

• Cloud Service Providers: Cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are required to comply with SOC2 standards as they provide computing resources and infrastructure to other businesses.

• Software as a Service (SaaS) Providers: SaaS providers that offer services such as customer relationship management (CRM), accounting, or marketing automation must comply with SOC2 standards to assure their clients that their data is being handled securely.

• Data Centers: Data centers that provide hosting and data storage services must also comply with SOC2 standards to ensure the security and availability of their clients data.

• Healthcare Providers: Healthcare providers, including hospitals, clinics, and health insurance companies, often need to comply with SOC2 standards to protect sensitive patient health information.

• Financial Services Providers: Banks, credit unions, and other financial services providers that handle financial data, including payment card information, must comply with SOC2 standards to ensure the security and integrity of their clients' financial data.

• Legal Services Providers: Law firms that handle sensitive legal information must comply with SOC2 standards to ensure the confidentiality and security of their clients' data.

In summary, any organization that provides services to other businesses and handles sensitive data should consider implementing SOC2 standards to ensure the protection of their clients' data and meet client expectations for data security.

SOC 2 Principles 

The SOC2 (Service Organization Control 2) standard is based on five Trust Services Criteria (TSC), which are a set of principles that define the key areas of control that must be evaluated during a SOC2 audit. The five TSCs are:

• Security: This principle requires that the service organization has established and maintained effective security controls to protect against unauthorized access, both physical and logical.

• Availability: This principle requires that the service organization's systems and services are available for operation and use as agreed upon with its clients. This includes ensuring that systems are resilient to disruptions and can be recovered in the event of a disaster.

• Processing Integrity: This principle requires that the service organization's processing is complete, accurate, timely, and authorized. This includes ensuring that data processing is not subject to errors, omissions, or unauthorized manipulation.

• Confidentiality: This principle requires that the service organization protects the confidentiality of the information it processes or maintains for its clients. This includes ensuring that sensitive information is only accessed by authorized personnel and is not disclosed to unauthorized parties.

• Privacy: This principle requires that the service organization's collection, use, retention, disclosure, and disposal of personal information are in accordance with its clients' privacy requirements. This includes ensuring that personal information is collected and used only for specified purposes and is not disclosed without the client's consent.

The SOC2 standard is designed to be flexible, allowing organizations to select the TSCs that are relevant to their specific business operations and risk profile. However, organizations must include at least one of the TSCs in their SOC2 report, and most organizations include all five.

Conclusion  

SOC2 standards are an essential framework for ensuring the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of data processed by service organizations. By complying with SOC2 standards, organizations can enhance their credibility, build trust with their clients, and demonstrate their commitment to data security and privacy.