SOC-2 compliance is not essentially a requirement for business but it is one of the best practices you can manifest. The compliance certificate can help you get customers that trust your systems and products because, the audit.
Getting this compliance certificate is not an easy task, though, there is a lot of work involved that goes on into the future. You can only get the certification once your business has demonstrated that it is worthwhile by getting a clean SOC-2 audit report. Here are tips on how to receive a clean SOC-2 audit.
Understanding the audit
The first step of getting a clean SOC-2 report is understanding it in detail and determining whether it is suitable for your business or not. Afterward, you should identify which type of audit you will go for between type 1 and type 2, depending on the business’ size. Type 1 audit checks the product to determine if controls are well-designed and if they are in place.
That type of audit generally applies to companies that have been in business for less than six months. The type 2 audit checks how effective controls are and that is where you need help from JupiterOne software security solutions that are trusted by the best DevOps teams around the world.
Getting to know the criteria better
Going through the trust criteria in detail will help you see what is in store for the business. The criteria details what controls, protocols, and procedures should be in place before the final audit that determines whether a business receives the compliance certificate.
You can gain access to the trust criteria from the AICPAs website that is available for your perusal and to plan a roadmap leading to the audit. Everything that needs to be sorted out should be included in the roadmap outlining what needs to be done and its timeframe.
Segregating duties
Companies generally do not focus much on segregating the duties of employees but it is very important in the SOC-2 compliance audit. The business should clearly draw boundaries for employees to prevent fraudulent activities. A single individual carrying out multiple key assignments in the business can lead to the company being under scrutiny.
Customers will not feel at ease when one employee has unlimited access to sensitive data. Hence, you should segregate the duties accordingly. The auditor will interview your employees to ensure that everything recorded in the company policies is being carried out.
Having all the documentation on-hand
The audit will be primarily be focused on all documents provided by the business so ensure that you have them ready. Your security program will be assessed according to what is outlined and provided in the documentation so take some time when drafting them. That includes company policies and other essential documents forming part of the final audit.
It is preferable to have all these documents from the start instead of making auditors constantly ask for missing information. Create a binder file specifically for the SOC-2 compliance audit and hand over the documents once and for all.
Preparing for the audit
Gathering all documents and following the established roadmap will set you off for a good start. It might be beneficial for the business to bring in an external auditor to assess how a company will do in the actual audit.
In that practice audit, you will identify areas where there is still room for improvement and fixing those issues early will guarantee a clean SOC-2 report. Once everything has been said and done, you should schedule the audit and prepare the entire staff for this important event.
