The SOC 2 Journey
A trusted IT firm handles the most valuable and sensitive assets a company has, its data. How do you know your vendor is using a high standard to protect your data and secure your infrastructure? It’s about “best practices”. It’s about controls. It’s about security standards. It’s about meeting or exceeding nationally [and internationally] recognized security standards through a rigorous compliance alignment and audit process that culminates in a security certification called SOC 2.
SOC 2 certification holds immense importance and significance. It signifies that the firm has successfully implemented robust controls and measures to ensure the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of all compute and storage capabilities. This certification is a testament to a company’s commitment to safeguarding sensitive information, and ensuring its availability, which is of paramount importance in this age of digital transformation.
Obtaining SOC 2 certification is no small feat. It involves a comprehensive auditing process conducted by an independent auditor. The pursuit of this certification requires dedication, time, and resources. The firm must demonstrate a strong understanding of SOC 2 requirements, implement appropriate security measures, and provide evidence of their effectiveness. This can include policies, procedures, system documentation, and evidence of security monitoring and incident response capabilities.
One of the significant challenges in pursuing SOC 2 certification is the high level of teamwork and whole firm buy-in required. It is not a task that can be achieved by a single department or individual. It demands collaboration across different teams and departments, such as IT, Security, Operations, Legal, and Human Resources. Each team plays a crucial role in implementing, monitoring, and maintaining the necessary controls.
Teamwork is essential for developing and implementing security policies and procedures, conducting risk assessments, and ensuring the proper training of employees to adhere to security protocols. Additionally, continuous monitoring and improvement practices are required to maintain SOC 2 compliance over time.
Company-wide commitment is necessary as SOC 2 certification involves not only the technical aspects of security but also the cultural aspects. It requires a focus on security first, with every employee understanding and [willingly] adhering to their responsibilities in maintaining data security. This cultural shift may involve changes to existing practices, employee training programs, and the establishment of a security-conscious culture throughout the organization.
The pursuit of SOC 2 certification is a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. It demonstrates to clients and stakeholders the company’s commitment to data security, availability, and compliance. Additionally, the certification distinguishes a company from its competitors who may not have undergone such rigorous security audits.
This blog series follows CloudSpace on its SOC 2 certification journey. From hiring our first Chief Information Security Officer (Chris Nicolaou) through the gap analysis and on through the organizational changes. The culmination of our journey is the audit process and final SOC 2 certification.
