What Is SOC 2?
Trust used to be a handshake. Today, it’s a data trail, an audit log, and a screenshot. Whether you’re a startup fighting for your first enterprise client or a scale-up negotiating procurement with a Fortune 500, the question isn’t “Do you care about security?” It’s “Can you prove it?”
That’s where SOC 2 comes in—not as a badge you hang on your wall, but as a forensic narrative that shows, step by step, how your systems think, act, and respond in real-time. This guide exists because most explanations of SOC 2 read like policy binders or shallow checklists. But SOC 2 isn’t a checklist. It’s a system of trust.
This is your blueprint—not just to understand SOC 2, but to use it: to align your internal processes, satisfy your customers, and walk into your next audit knowing you’ve architected the right controls from the ground up.
And we’re not going to drip-feed you vague concepts or abstract compliance theories. We’re going to walk through every phase—from concept to control, from framework to field evidence—so you not only “pass” SOC 2 but use it to dominate your market.
A Framework Born from Accountability
SOC 2 stands for Service Organization Control Type 2, and despite what many mistakenly claim, it is not a “certification.” You don’t get SOC 2 certified. You complete a SOC 2 attestation engagement, performed by a licensed CPA firm under the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) guidelines. That distinction is critical: a certificate implies a pass/fail outcome. An attestation is a nuanced opinion, a judgment based on your system’s design and performance.
What makes SOC 2 powerful isn’t the letterhead—it’s the rigor. It doesn’t prescribe specific controls like ISO 27001. Instead, it holds you accountable to Trust Services Criteria (TSC) and asks a simple, daunting question: Can you prove you meet them? It demands both design effectiveness (are the right controls in place?) and operating effectiveness (have they been running consistently over time?).
In other words, SOC 2 isn’t about what you say you do. It’s about what you can prove you’ve done.
SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3—What’s the Difference?
The “SOC” family includes three types, each designed for different assurance objectives:
- SOC 1: Focuses on financial reporting controls. Think payroll providers or financial SaaS platforms. This is the domain of auditors, accountants, and Sarbanes-Oxley.
- SOC 2: Covers operational trust—security, availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy. It’s the dominant framework for cloud-based services, SaaS, data processors, and API-first businesses.
- SOC 3: A public-facing summary of SOC 2, intended for marketing or general distribution. Less detailed, but still governed by AICPA.
In practical terms, if your customers are asking “how do you protect our data?”—you’re in SOC 2 territory.
Who Performs SOC 2 Attestations?
Only a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firm can issue a SOC 2 report.
These firms must follow attestation standards (AT-C 105 and AT-C 205) defined by the AICPA. The process includes a detailed evaluation of your system, documented walkthroughs of control execution, review of your internal policies, and testing evidence collected over a defined period.
This external nature is crucial—it provides third-party validation that your controls are more than internal aspirations. They are auditable realities.
Some CPA firms specialize in SOC 2 for startups, offering readiness assessments, testing, and even bundled GRC tooling. Others expect you to arrive with systems and evidence already in place. Either way, the end goal is the same: an attestation report that confirms your system is secure, structured, and operating effectively.
ISMS.online provides a streamlined compliance platform that transforms SOC 2 from a manual burden into a streamlined, evidence-driven process. By consolidating control tracking, real-time monitoring, and audit-ready documentation in one centralised location, ISMS.online accelerates your path to achieving—and maintaining—SOC 2 attestation with clarity and confidence.
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Why SOC 2 Matters
Trust Isn’t Just a Value. It’s a Proof Obligation.
In a world where data breaches have become a weekly headline, trust is no longer a marketing slogan—it’s a contractual requirement. If you sell to other businesses, especially in regulated industries or large enterprises, SOC 2 isn’t optional. It’s the starting point for any serious conversation.
But here’s the kicker: many organizations still think SOC 2 is just a hurdle. Something to “get out of the way” for sales enablement. That mindset guarantees you’ll suffer through the process and miss the bigger opportunity.
Because SOC 2, when treated correctly, becomes something else: a systemized trust architecture. It forces you to define how your company actually operates when it comes to safeguarding data, responding to threats, and governing internal accountability.
When that architecture is real—documented, operational, and auditable—you’re no longer guessing at security. You’re proving it.
Competitive Pressure Is Already Here
More than 70% of procurement checklists in mid-to-large enterprises now include SOC 2 or an equivalent attestation requirement. If you’re a SaaS company hoping to close six-figure deals or expand into sectors like fintech, healthcare, or enterprise IT, lack of SOC 2 can disqualify you outright.
And it’s not just enterprise buyers. Increasingly, startups themselves are requesting SOC 2 from their vendors. In a zero-trust ecosystem, every link matters.
You’re not competing with the company down the street anymore—you’re competing with the next most compliant version of you.
Internal Clarity, External Confidence
The biggest, least-discussed benefit of SOC 2? It forces you to clarify your internal processes.
When was the last time your engineering team reviewed access rights across all systems?
Do you have a documented backup and disaster recovery strategy?
Are incidents being tracked, reviewed, and fed into continuous improvement cycles?
SOC 2 puts structure to these questions—and in doing so, it creates a system of operational maturity that goes far beyond audits. It’s a tool for growth. For governance. For continuity.
SOC 2 compliance is not the cost of doing business. It’s the framework that enables you to do better business.
Trust Services Criteria (TSC): The Pillars of SOC 2
The Five Criteria That Define Operational Trust
SOC 2 is based on the Trust Services Criteria (TSC), developed by the AICPA to assess five dimensions of trust in technology-driven service organizations:
- Security (Required) – The system is protected against unauthorized access, both physical and logical.
- Availability – The system is available for operation and use as committed or agreed.
- Processing Integrity – System processing is complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized.
- Confidentiality – Information designated as confidential is protected as committed or agreed.
- Privacy – Personal information is collected, used, retained, and disclosed in conformity with commitments.
These aren’t just abstract ideals. Each criterion is supported by a framework of Common Criteria (CC1–CC9) and Points of Focus (POFs)—specific, testable principles such as logical access control, incident response, change management, and risk assessments.
Think of the TSC as the architectural blueprint. The Common Criteria are the structural load-bearing beams. Your controls? They’re the bricks and steel.
Security: The Non-Negotiable Core
Every SOC 2 engagement must cover the Security criterion, which maps directly to all Common Criteria. This ensures a baseline level of trust and allows you to build additional criteria (e.g., Availability, Privacy) based on your business model and customer requirements.
Security covers areas like: – User access provisioning and revocation – Encryption at rest and in transit – Incident detection and response – Network monitoring and perimeter controls
This isn’t just technical—it’s cultural. Do your people know how to report incidents? Are your vendors assessed? Are your policies actually followed?
Optional Doesn’t Mean Irrelevant
While only Security is mandatory, you should treat the remaining TSCs as strategic leverage:
- Availability is essential for SaaS platforms with uptime SLAs.
- Processing Integrity matters in any system where data transformation occurs—think billing engines or logistics apps.
- Confidentiality should be addressed if you manage customer data with NDAs or contracts in place.
- Privacy is increasingly necessary if you touch PII, especially with GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA intersecting compliance landscapes.
Choosing your TSC scope isn’t about ticking boxes—it’s about aligning what your system does with how you prove trust.
The next step is understanding how to structure your attestation itself—Type 1 vs Type 2, and which one gives you the advantage depending on your growth stage.
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A Tale of Two Audits
Understanding the difference between SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 is crucial—not just for choosing your audit path, but for aligning your internal maturity to the expectations of your buyers and auditors. These two formats serve very different strategic purposes, and confusing them leads to one of the most common missteps in early-stage compliance.
A Type 1 attestation evaluates whether your control design is sound and in place as of a single point in time. It answers a focused question: Do you have the right controls in place today to meet the Trust Services Criteria? This makes Type 1 ideal for companies that are just formalizing their controls or preparing for larger clients, as it provides a “readiness signal” to the market.
A Type 2 attestation, however, takes things to another level. It evaluates the operating effectiveness of your controls over a defined observation period, typically ranging from three to twelve months. Type 2 tells a story of consistency. It’s not about what you say you do—it’s about what your audit logs, walkthroughs, screenshots, and incident reports show you’ve done repeatedly.
Type 1: The Starting Line
If your company is early-stage, doesn’t yet have all policies enforced, or is rolling out key systems (like identity management or monitoring), a Type 1 attestation gives you a tactical foothold. It enables you to say to customers and stakeholders: “We’ve architected trust—we’re ready to prove it.”
That signal can be invaluable in contract negotiations. Many customers will accept a Type 1 for the first year, as long as you’re actively working toward a Type 2.
But beware: Type 1 should never become a compliance dead-end. If you stop at Type 1 and never proceed to Type 2, buyers will begin to question whether your operations ever truly matured.
Type 2: The Proof That Wins Markets
When you enter Type 2 territory, the entire audit lens shifts. The CPA firm will review not just your policies but your evidence of operation over time. That includes:
- Change logs and access provisioning histories
- Incident response records with timestamps
- Risk assessments that are regularly reviewed
- Backup and recovery drill reports
Type 2 is where SOC 2 becomes a real differentiator. It shows you’re not just compliant in theory—you’re operationally aligned in practice. And for enterprise buyers, particularly in high-risk or regulated verticals, Type 2 has become table stakes.
A mature Type 2 attestation, repeated year after year, becomes more than a security badge. It becomes institutional credibility.
If Type 1 is the architectural blueprint, Type 2 is the inspection report that confirms the house won’t collapse under pressure.
Choosing the Right Path Forward
So which is right for you?
- Choose Type 1 if:
- You’re early-stage or in active readiness mode.
- You need to prove intent and direction fast.
You’re preparing for larger audits but aren’t ready to demonstrate sustained control operation.
Choose Type 2 if:
- You’ve already operationalized your key controls.
- Customers or partners require long-term trust validation.
- You want to use SOC 2 as a long-term competitive differentiator.
And remember: You can transition from Type 1 to Type 2 within the same year. Some firms do a Type 1 in Q1 and a Type 2 by Q4, aligning both the readiness signal and operational evidence with different points in the sales funnel.
SOC 2 Requirements & Controls: From Checklist to Command System
What Does SOC 2 Actually Require?
SOC 2’s beauty—and its challenge—is that it doesn’t tell you exactly which controls to use. Unlike ISO 27001, which includes a predefined set of controls (Annex A), SOC 2 expects you to define and implement controls that align to the TSC and match the context of your systems.
This gives you flexibility. But it also means vagueness can kill your audit.
That’s why clarity in your control structure is paramount. The auditor doesn’t care if your control is fancy or innovative. They care if it’s documented, implemented, monitored, and aligned to one or more Trust Services Criteria.
Here’s the nuance most miss: controls are not just configurations. They are evidence-backed stories of how your systems reduce risk and fulfill your promises.
Categories of Controls That Matter Most
While your specific controls will vary, SOC 2 attestation engagements usually rely on a consistent backbone of categories that track to the Common Criteria (CC1–CC9):
- Access Controls – Who has access to what, how it’s approved, revoked, and reviewed.
- Logical & Physical Security – MFA, firewalls, data center access, encryption protocols.
- System Operations – Monitoring, detection, change logs, performance audits.
- Risk Management – Risk registers, treatment plans, review logs.
- Vendor Management – SLAs, vendor reviews, due diligence.
- Incident Response – Response plans, breach logs, communication records.
- Change Management – Versioning, approvals, rollback plans.
- Backup & Recovery – Offsite storage, BCP/DR drills, restoration tests.
Each of these categories will contain multiple controls, some automated, some manual, all designed to align intent with proof.
In the SOC 2 universe, a “control” is not a checkbox. It’s a narrative node—a unit of trust between you, your systems, your auditor, and your market.
From Control to Audit-Ready Evidence
So what makes a control “good”? Two things:
- Traceability: You can map it clearly to one or more Trust Services Criteria and, optionally, to Points of Focus.
- Provability: You can demonstrate it was operational during the observation window—backed by logs, screen captures, process walkthroughs, or tooling exports.
For example: – A control might state: “All production access requests require managerial approval via Jira Service Desk.” – The auditor will expect: – A list of requests – Approvals via the system – Timestamps – Retention period enforcement – Screenshots or CSV exports
Without evidence, a control is a story without a plot.
That’s why modern organizations are turning to ISMS.online, our platform allows you to define controls, map them to TSC, and link live evidence artifacts with full audit traceability.
This turns your control framework into a living, auditable map—not a spreadsheet graveyard.
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From Planning to Attestation: A Realistic Timeline
One of the greatest hidden threats to successful SOC 2 is timeline misalignment. Founders often assume they can “get SOC 2” in a few weeks. But a real attestation—especially Type 2—demands structured planning and cross-functional coordination.
Here’s a breakdown of the typical timeline:
Phase 1: Internal Readiness (2–6 weeks)
- Define system scope
- Map systems, people, and data flows
- Draft and approve core policies
- Assign control owners
Phase 2: Control Implementation (1–3 months)
- Operationalize controls across teams
- Begin tracking logs, incidents, approvals
- Set up tooling (e.g. access management, backup automation)
Phase 3: Evidence Accumulation (Type 2 only, 3–12 months)
- Allow controls to operate within audit window
- Gather live artifacts and screenshots
- Monitor exceptions and incident resolution
Phase 4: Audit Execution (4–6 weeks)
- Auditor kickoff meeting
- Documentation submission
- Control walkthroughs and interviews
- Issue tracking and resolution
Phase 5: Report Finalization (2–4 weeks)
- Auditor prepares draft
- Management response to exceptions
- Final SOC 2 report delivery
Depending on scope and maturity, total time-to-attestation ranges from 2–9 months. Planning early is not optional—it’s the foundation of success.
How ISMS.online Accelerates the Process
One of the reasons companies use ISMS.online is because it dramatically compresses Phases 1–3. Instead of building control frameworks from scratch or drowning in spreadsheets, you can:
- Use prebuilt control libraries mapped to TSC
- Assign owners and evidence links in a shared workspace
- Auto-track milestones with built-in ARM methodology (Audit Readiness Milestones)
This turns compliance from a chaotic scramble into a predictable, manageable sequence. It also creates a single source of truth you can share with your auditor—no Google Drive nightmares, no email thread archaeology.
Further Reading
Evidence and Documentation: The Audit-Proof Narrative
Evidence Is the Currency of Trust
When auditors arrive, they don’t want your intentions. They want your proof. In SOC 2, every control you document becomes a claim—and every claim must be validated with evidence. If controls are the language of compliance, evidence is the syntax that makes them intelligible to your auditor.
But not all evidence is created equal. Screenshots taken weeks late, logs that don’t show timestamps, or policies that haven’t been acknowledged by your team won’t just slow your audit—they can jeopardize your attestation.
The deeper truth? Collecting good evidence isn’t a technical task. It’s a cultural discipline. A team that understands how to generate, timestamp, link, and narrate its evidence is a team that doesn’t just pass audits—it scales with confidence.
Types of Evidence SOC 2 Auditors Expect
To help you prepare, here’s a breakdown of the types of evidence most commonly requested during a Type 2 audit. Each example assumes the control exists—your job is to show it happened during the observation window.
| Evidence Type | Description & Use Case | |—————————–|————————| | Access Logs | Show who accessed systems and when (e.g. AWS CloudTrail, Okta logs). | | Policy Acknowledgements | Confirm employees have read and agreed to internal policies. | | Change Management Records | Tickets and approvals from tools like Jira or GitHub. | | Incident Reports | Timestamps, resolution actions, and lessons learned. | | Training Completion Records | Security awareness training completion by all staff. | | Backups and Recovery Tests | Logs from successful backup restores. | | Vendor Due Diligence | Contracts, SLAs, and security reviews for third-party providers. | | System Monitoring | Alert reports, escalation tracking, and resolution evidence. |
Most importantly: the auditor needs to see that these actions happened during the audit window. Anything retrospective or re-created post-fact will raise red flags.
What Makes Evidence Audit-Grade?
There are five characteristics that elevate internal documentation into what auditors consider “audit-grade evidence”:
- Timestamped – Clear indication of when the event occurred.
- Source-Verifiable – Links or exports from systems (not self-made documents).
- Control-Linked – Mapped explicitly to a documented control in your SOC 2 framework.
- Owner-Attributable – Shows who executed the task or signed off.
- Retained Securely – Stored in a version-controlled, permission-restricted system.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about credibility. A few strong evidence artifacts, clearly aligned to controls, are more powerful than a flood of unlinked screenshots.
Evidence Strategy = Time Strategy
The number one mistake teams make? Waiting until the end of the audit window to start collecting evidence.
This results in rushed screenshots, missing logs, and evidence gaps that are hard to close. The solution is operationalizing evidence collection as part of daily work:
- Train team leads to capture logs as actions happen.
- Build automated exports into your dev and security tooling.
- Use evidence prompts in sprint retros or project completions.
And above all—use a system that tracks this centrally.
Common Challenges & Mistakes (and How to Dodge Them)
The “We’ll Do It Later” Fallacy
SOC 2 is often postponed in the name of product development, fundraising, or growth hacking. But here’s the trap: the longer you wait, the harder it gets. Controls must be operational for months before they’re audited. Policies must be acknowledged in real time, not retroactively. Evidence cannot be created on demand.
Every month you delay is another month you push back a Type 2 report that could be unlocking sales right now.
Generic Controls = Failed Audits
If you copy-paste a control library from a compliance checklist without tailoring it to your systems, you’ve set yourself up for failure. Auditors aren’t grading your copywriting. They’re evaluating the alignment between what you say your system does and what your logs, tickets, and workflows confirm you’ve actually done.
A good control reads like an internal playbook: precise, actionable, and backed by execution.
Example: – ❌ “Access to systems is restricted to authorized users.” ← too vague – ✅ “All access to production servers is granted through Okta via SAML SSO with least-privilege roles, reviewed quarterly by the Security Lead.” ← auditable
Evidence Sinks
Another fatal mistake? Storing your evidence in scattered folders, disconnected spreadsheets, and outdated drives. This creates friction, introduces versioning confusion, and increases the chance that you’ll miss artifacts your auditor needs.
The fix is simple: use a system built for evidence management.
ISMS.online allow you to: – Link each control to its associated evidence (two-way binding) – Assign reviewers and owners for every task – Timestamp and lock evidence to audit windows – Generate export packages that align with your auditor’s report format
It’s not just about surviving your next audit. It’s about never being caught unprepared again.
How to Complete a SOC 2 Attestation Engagement
The Attestation Journey in Practice
Let’s bring everything together. You understand the TSC. You’ve designed your controls. You’ve implemented tooling. What now?
Here’s how a complete SOC 2 attestation engagement flows from kickoff to final report:
Step 1: Define Scope
- Choose which TSC categories you’ll include
- Map the system boundary: apps, infrastructure, APIs, people, and vendors
- Identify any carve-outs (e.g. third-party systems outside your control)
Step 2: Readiness Assessment
- Perform internal gap analysis
- Build control matrix and assign owners
- Draft policies and align to Points of Focus
Step 3: Evidence Window Begins
- Controls begin operating within defined observation period
- Teams log, track, and document actions aligned to controls
- Security awareness, DR testing, vendor reviews occur in real time
Step 4: Select an Auditor
- Choose a CPA firm with SOC 2 experience (especially in your vertical)
- Sign engagement letter and agree on testing period
Step 5: Fieldwork & Testing
- Auditor interviews stakeholders and evaluates controls
- System walkthroughs and artifact reviews
- Exceptions are flagged and clarified
Step 6: Draft & Management Letter
- Auditor prepares preliminary report and communicates findings
- Management responds to issues or provides missing evidence
Step 7: Final Report Delivery
- The SOC 2 Type 1 or Type 2 attestation report is issued
- Includes opinion, exceptions, and scope of testing
- Can now be shared under NDA with customers, partners, and prospects
Think of your SOC 2 journey as less of a sprint and more like a relay: your internal teams run the early laps, your tooling carries the baton, and your auditor finishes the race.
SOC 2 vs ISO 27001: The Framework Face-Off
Two Titans of Trust, One Strategic Choice
If you’re navigating the security and compliance ecosystem, you’ve likely heard these two names: SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Both are pillars of trust. But they aren’t interchangeable—and knowing the difference can save you time, money, and misalignment.
SOC 2 is an attestation issued by a CPA firm that validates your system’s alignment to Trust Services Criteria. It’s report-based, principle-driven, and largely focused on service organizations—especially SaaS and cloud-native businesses.
ISO 27001 is a certification issued by a third-party registrar that validates your organization’s implementation of an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It’s control-prescriptive, globally recognized, and widely adopted in Europe, APAC, and regulated verticals.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Dimension | SOC 2 | ISO 27001 | |———————-|———————————–|———————————-| | Type | Attestation (CPA) | Certification (Accredited body) | | Focus | Operational controls | Management systems | | Prescriptive? | No (criteria-based) | Yes (Annex A controls) | | Evidence Model | Observation-based (Type 2) | Documented + audited | | Use Case | US-centric, B2B SaaS | International + broader sectors | | TSC ↔ ISO Mapping | Partial via POF → Annex A | Supported but not identical |
Should You Pursue Both?
In a word: yes—but not always at the same time.
If you’re scaling into international markets, especially with European clients, ISO 27001 may be required. If you’re selling to US-based enterprise clients or dealing with highly sensitive data as a processor, SOC 2 Type 2 remains the gold standard.
The good news? These frameworks overlap heavily in intent, and when managed within a single platform—like ISMS.online—you can build once and report many times.
Compliance frameworks are not competing standards. They’re different lenses into the same core question: “Can we trust how your systems operate?”
SOC 2 Tools and Templates: Scaling with Systems, Not Spreadsheets
Tools Don’t Replace Process—They Reinforce It
As companies approach SOC 2 readiness, many turn to prebuilt templates, policy kits, or automated compliance tools. It makes sense: nobody wants to build everything from scratch. But while these tools offer speed, they also carry risk—especially when they become substitutes for strategic clarity.
Templates are accelerators, not replacements. They give structure to what you know you must build—but they can’t tell you why a control matters, or whether a piece of evidence is genuinely audit-ready. Tools are effective only when aligned with your actual operating reality.
The difference between a tool that helps and a tool that hinders lies in one word: context. Without it, templates become boxes you check. With it, they become scaffolding for trust.
What to Look For in a Compliance Platform
If you’re going to use tooling (and you should), choose a system that goes beyond automation. The right platform shouldn’t just help you get through your audit—it should help you build a repeatable, scalable compliance system that improves with every cycle.
Here’s what separates ISMS.online from checklist generators and spreadsheet toolkits:
TSC Control Libraries Prebuilt controls mapped to each Trust Services Criterion with editable fields, versioning, and embedded evidence prompts.
Evidence Mapping Engine Link controls to policies, approvals, screenshots, logs, and third-party attestations in real-time.
Audit Timeline Planner Built-in Audit Readiness Milestone (ARM) methodology to track implementation and evidence maturity across Type 1 and Type 2 timelines.
Policy Lifecycle Management Draft, approve, publish, and track team acknowledgment of internal policies in a central workspace.
Multi-Framework Support Align SOC 2 with ISO 27001, NIST CSF, HIPAA, and more—without duplicating effort.
Auditor Access & Exports Create CPA-friendly report packages with traceable evidence threads and permission-controlled auditor views.
The key differentiator? ISMS.online doesn’t just track your controls. It tells your compliance story with audit-grade fidelity, all while embedding those efforts into your operational muscle.
True compliance maturity is invisible to your team but visible to your auditor. It’s process, codified.
What Templates Can—and Can’t—Do
Templates can provide a great head start: – Policy drafts that match the language of modern frameworks. – Evidence checklists tailored to Trust Services Criteria. – Predefined control matrices with aligned Points of Focus.
But here’s what templates can’t do: – Tailor controls to your systems. – Document your actual workflows. – Capture real-time incidents or audit logs. – Replace cross-functional ownership and accountability.
Treat them as scaffolding—but don’t expect them to build your house.
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You’re Not Buying Compliance. You’re Building Infrastructure.
If you’re here, you’ve already realized SOC 2 is more than a hoop to jump through. It’s an operational narrative. It’s a trust engine. And it should be built on a platform that understands compliance isn’t a side project—it’s your company’s credibility, systematized.
That’s exactly what ISMS.online was built to deliver.
See How It Works
Book a personalized demo to see how you can:
- Map controls directly to Trust Services Criteria, with full evidence traceability.
- Track every step of your audit readiness journey using ARM methodology.
- Assign owners, review approvals, and link artifacts—all in one secure, collaborative workspace.
- Expand into ISO 27001 or NIST CSF without duplicating compliance effort.
- Export auditor-ready reports aligned to SOC 2 expectations and CPA workflows.
Ready to Operationalize Your Compliance?
ISMS.online isn’t a checkbox generator. It’s a control command center designed for compliance leaders who care about doing it right the first time—and making it easier every time after.
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Book a demoFrequently Asked Questions
Is SOC 2 a certification?
No. SOC 2 is not a certification—it’s an attestation engagement performed by a licensed CPA firm. The final deliverable is a report, not a certificate.
How long does a SOC 2 audit take?
It depends on your readiness: – Type 1: Typically 1–2 months. – Type 2: 3–12 months, depending on the observation window and maturity of your control implementation.
Do I need a readiness assessment before I engage an auditor?
Not required, but highly recommended. A readiness phase helps identify control gaps, policy weaknesses, and evidence issues that could derail the attestation later.
What does a SOC 2 engagement cost?
Costs vary: – Readiness (internal or consultant): $5,000–$20,000 – Attestation (CPA firm): $12,000–$60,000 – Tooling and internal effort: Variable depending on your systems, staffing, and processes
Can I get both Type 1 and Type 2 in the same year?
Yes. Many companies begin with a Type 1 to satisfy early-stage procurement needs, then proceed to a Type 2 after systems mature and evidence accumulates.
What frameworks can I align with SOC 2?
SOC 2 aligns well with: – ISO 27001 (Annex A control mapping) – NIST Cybersecurity Framework – HIPAA (when handling PHI) – GDPR/CCPA (when dealing with PII)
Tools like ISMS.online allow you to build controls once and report across multiple frameworks—saving time and improving traceability.
What happens if I fail a SOC 2 audit?
You don’t “fail” SOC 2 in the binary sense. If your auditor finds exceptions, they’ll include them in the report with narrative context. Minor issues may not affect your trust posture. Severe control failures or gaps may require remediation and a follow-up review.
Is ISMS.online compatible with any auditor?
Yes. ISMS.online is auditor-agnostic and designed to produce evidence outputs compatible with all licensed CPA firms performing SOC 2 engagements.
SOC 2 doesn’t start with an auditor. It starts with a decision: to build trust before you need it.
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Do I need a readiness assessment before I engage an auditor?
Technically, no. But strategically? Yes—absolutely. Engaging a CPA firm for a SOC 2 audit without conducting a readiness assessment is like showing up to a marathon with no training, no water, and no understanding of the terrain. You might survive it, but you’ll suffer—and the result will likely fall short of what your customers, stakeholders, and procurement teams expect.
A readiness assessment is a structured internal (or third-party guided) evaluation of your organization’s current policies, controls, and systems, specifically measured against the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) that define SOC 2. Its purpose is to identify what you already have in place, what’s missing, and—most critically—what needs to be remediated before an external auditor is brought in.
Skipping this step often leads to some of the most expensive and painful outcomes in the SOC 2 journey: – Surprising control failures during fieldwork – Gaps in evidence collection (e.g. missing timestamps, lack of ownership, or inaccessible logs) – Misaligned controls that don’t trace back to the TSC – Poorly written policies that auditors reject or challenge
What makes the readiness assessment so valuable isn’t just the checklist—it’s the narrative clarity it forces your organization to establish. You begin to ask foundational questions: – What systems are actually in scope for the audit? – Have we assigned clear owners for every control? – Do we have audit-grade evidence for how this control has operated over time? – Are our policies not only written—but acknowledged and enforceable?
Without this step, even well-intentioned companies find themselves scrambling to implement controls, retroactively generate evidence, and rewrite policy language—all while the audit clock is ticking. That’s not just stressful—it’s expensive.
The good news? A readiness assessment doesn’t need to be months of consultant meetings. Modern compliance platforms like ISMS.online offer streamlined readiness mapping, where your systems, people, and policies are aligned to TSCs, gaps are flagged, and implementation timelines are created. This turns what used to be a manual discovery phase into a structured, collaborative audit prep sprint.
Think of your readiness assessment as your audit insurance policy. It’s not technically required—but it’s the difference between surviving your audit and owning it. The organizations that complete readiness assessments don’t just pass their SOC 2—they position themselves as audit-ready businesses long before the fieldwork begins.
What does a SOC 2 engagement cost?
SOC 2 is often referred to as the “price of admission” to serious B2B markets—and like any meaningful investment in trust, the cost varies based on how prepared you are, how complex your environment is, and how much help you need. Unfortunately, many teams go into the process expecting a flat fee or standardized quote, only to discover the real cost of SOC 2 comes from decisions made long before the invoice is generated.
Let’s break this down into three major categories of cost:
1. Readiness Phase (Optional, but Essential)
If this is your first SOC 2 attestation, you’ll likely need a readiness assessment, as covered in the previous FAQ. This might be performed by a consultant, internal compliance lead, or through a platform like ISMS.online.
- Cost Range: $5,000 – $25,000
- Factors:
- Number of Trust Services Criteria (TSC) in scope
- Whether control documentation and policies already exist
- Internal compliance experience
Organizations that skip this step often incur higher costs later—either through failed fieldwork, rushed remediation, or the need to re-engage their auditor after fixing material control gaps.
2. Auditor Fees (Non-Negotiable)
Your SOC 2 report must be issued by a licensed CPA firm. These firms typically offer fixed-fee engagements, but rates vary significantly based on audit scope, type (Type 1 vs. Type 2), and system complexity.
- Type 1: $10,000 – $25,000
- Type 2: $20,000 – $60,000+
- Factors:
- Size of your environment (number of apps, teams, vendors)
- Length of the observation period (Type 2 only)
- Industry (regulated sectors often require deeper review)
Enterprise vendors or firms with aggressive procurement requirements may require a 12-month Type 2 attestation. If so, expect to be at the upper end of this range.
3. Tooling, Internal Time, and Opportunity Cost
SOC 2 isn’t just a document—it’s a cross-functional effort that touches Engineering, DevOps, HR, Security, and Legal. That means internal time is one of the largest hidden costs. Without proper systems in place, you’ll spend weeks chasing evidence, rewriting policies, and reconciling spreadsheets.
Platforms like ISMS.online reduce this dramatically by: – Offering pre-mapped TSC-aligned control libraries – Automating evidence collection and reminders – Centralizing review and audit exports
Depending on your team structure, that’s dozens of hours saved per month, not to mention the reduction in rework, versioning errors, and audit-day stress.
Total Cost Summary:
| Component | Low Estimate | High Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Readiness Phase | $5,000 | $25,000 |
| Auditor Engagement | $10,000 | $60,000+ |
| Tooling & Platform | $2,000/year | $15,000/year |
| Internal Effort | Variable | Variable |
In short: the average SOC 2 engagement ranges from $15,000 to $100,000, depending on your maturity, complexity, and preparation level. But with the right systems, the right team, and a clear narrative, you can control those costs—not the other way around.
Can I get both Type 1 and Type 2 in the same year?
Yes—you absolutely can, and in many cases, it’s the most strategic move you can make if you’re balancing time-to-market pressure with long-term trust-building. Completing both a SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 attestation in the same calendar year is not only feasible—it’s a common approach for companies scaling into enterprise sales or regulated industries who need to satisfy buyer due diligence as quickly as possible.
Let’s break this down with clarity and intent.
What’s the Difference Again?
SOC 2 Type 1 assesses whether your controls are properly designed and in place at a single point in time. It answers the question: “Is this company theoretically prepared to protect data today?”
SOC 2 Type 2 takes things further. It evaluates the operational effectiveness of those controls over a period of time—usually between 3 and 12 months. It answers the question: “Has this company actually followed through on those controls over time?”
The Strategy Behind Doing Both
Here’s the reality for growth-stage SaaS teams: you can’t wait a full year to prove maturity, but you also don’t want to stall long-term credibility by stopping at Type 1. That’s why many teams: 1. Complete a Type 1 in Q1 or Q2, signaling to customers and procurement teams that foundational controls are in place and the company is serious about compliance. 2. Begin their Type 2 observation period immediately after Type 1, using the same controls and evidence engine to track ongoing performance and reinforce maturity.
This approach satisfies short-term sales blockers (via Type 1) and positions you to win longer sales cycles (via Type 2). And yes—many auditors will bundle these engagements, sometimes with discounts or shared evidence cycles.
Operational Requirements to Make This Work
You’ll need to ensure: – Your controls are live and operational before the Type 1 audit wraps. – Your evidence collection processes begin immediately after the Type 1 attestation is issued. – You communicate clearly to your auditor that Type 2 will follow, so testing windows and report timelines can be scheduled efficiently.
This is where ISMS.online’s platform offer a massive advantage. Because controls, evidence, policies, and audit logs are centralized, you don’t need to “start over” for Type 2. You simply continue collecting real-time artifacts and assign audit milestones based on the observation window.
Final Thought
Think of it like this: Type 1 builds the frame. Type 2 fills in the structure. Completing both in the same year shows the market that you’re not just checking boxes—you’re operationalizing trust and iterating fast. For fast-growth companies, it’s not just a possibility. It’s a playbook.
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