SOC 2 Compliance Certification is an auditing process that demonstrates that your business manages customer data securely and in a comprehensive way that protects your customers’ privacy and the privacy of the business.
Developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), SOC 2 audits use five “trust service principles” to examine the way your business manages customer data:
SOC 2 Compliance Certification audits are performed by a third-party auditor (a certified public accountant) who will then issue the compliant business one of two types of certification:
Type I Certification – Typically the first step organizations might take, Type I is an attestation of compliance with SOC 2 controls at a specific point in time. This demonstrates that an organization has established proper security and privacy hygiene.
Type II Certification – an attestation of compliance with SOC 2 controls over a period of time (at least 6 months). This demonstrates that not only has an organization established proper security and privacy hygiene, but it is also continuously maintaining it. Type II certifications typically take six to 12 months to complete the independent audit.
Columbia Advisory Group’s monitoring services provide continuous compliance and security control effectiveness tracking via our Security Operations Center (SOC) to ensure you maintain the proper ongoing controls. We manage the entire process and act as your security and compliance department during the assessment, audit, examination, and certification.
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