SOC 2 Compliance: Trust Services Criteria Explained

What is SOC 2?

SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a technical audit standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). It evaluates how well service organizations handle customer data and ensure the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of that data.

Five Trust Services Criteria

The SOC 2 framework consists of five Trust Services Criteria that service organizations can be audited against:

Security: Controls to protect the system and data from unauthorized access, use, or modification

Availability: Controls to ensure the system is available for operation and use as committed or agreed

Processing Integrity: Controls to ensure the completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of system processing

Confidentiality: Controls to protect the confidentiality of data designated as confidential

Privacy: Controls to ensure the collection, use, retention, and disposal of personal information adheres to privacy principles

Organizations must be audited for the Security criterion, and can optionally include any combination of the other four criteria.

Type I vs Type II Reports

SOC 2 audits can result in two types of reports:

Type I: Evaluates the design of controls at a specific point in time

Type II: Evaluates both the design and operational effectiveness of controls over a minimum 6-month period

Type II reports are more comprehensive and provide greater assurance, as they demonstrate the consistent operation of controls over time.

What Do Auditors Test?

During a SOC 2 audit, the independent auditing firm will evaluate the service organization's controls across the selected Trust Services Criteria. This includes:

Inspecting policies, procedures, and system documentation

Interviewing personnel

Observing operations

Testing a sample of transactions

The auditor will then issue a report attesting to the design and/or operational effectiveness of the controls.

The AICPA Attestation Process

The SOC 2 attestation process follows these general steps:

The service organization engages an independent AICPA-certified auditor to perform the assessment.
The auditor gathers evidence and evaluates the service organization's controls.
The auditor issues a report expressing an opinion on the controls.
The service organization can then share the SOC 2 report with customers and prospects to demonstrate compliance.

How GeniSec AI Accelerates SOC 2

GeniSec AI's compliance automation platform can significantly streamline the SOC 2 compliance process. By mapping the SOC 2 criteria to specific controls and tasks, GeniSec automatically generates a comprehensive compliance program and guides the organization through implementation.

The platform also facilitates continuous monitoring, evidence collection, and policy scanning to maintain audit-ready status. With GeniSec, organizations can achieve and sustain SOC 2 compliance more efficiently, freeing up resources to focus on core business objectives.