SOC 2
Compliance
SOC 2 Type II is an independent audit report evaluating security controls across five Trust Service Criteria — Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy — over 6 to 12 months of operation. Enterprise buyers require it for vendor approval. Securafy delivers SOC 2 readiness for Ohio SaaS companies and technology firms, from control implementation through auditor support and evidence management.
Enterprise clients increasingly require SOC 2 Type II before signing contracts. Securafy helps you get there and stay there.
What Is SOC 2?
SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2) is an auditing standard developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). It defines criteria for managing customer data based on five Trust Service Criteria (TSC): Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy.
A SOC 2 Type I report validates that your controls are suitably designed at a point in time. A SOC 2 Type II report — the standard enterprise clients and investors want — validates that your controls operated effectively over a period of time (typically 6–12 months). Type II is significantly more valuable and harder to achieve.
Unlike PCI DSS or HIPAA, SOC 2 is not prescriptive — it doesn't tell you exactly which controls to implement. Instead, it evaluates whether your controls meet the criteria outcomes. This flexibility is powerful, but it means your readiness program must be designed around your specific service, infrastructure, and risk profile.
"SOC 2 Type II is no longer optional for Ohio tech companies selling to enterprise — it's a vendor qualification requirement that closes (or blocks) deals."
SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria
Security (CC) is required in every SOC 2 examination. The other four criteria are optional and selected based on your service commitments to customers.
Security (Common Criteria — Required)
The foundation of every SOC 2 report. Covers logical access controls, physical security, encryption, change management, risk management, incident response, monitoring, and vendor management. All 33 Common Criteria must be addressed in every SOC 2 examination.
Availability (Optional)
System availability for operation and use as committed or agreed. Covers uptime commitments, infrastructure monitoring, incident and problem management, backup and recovery, and business continuity planning. Critical for SaaS and cloud service providers.
Processing Integrity (Optional)
System processing is complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized. Relevant for companies that process financial transactions, payroll, or other high-stakes data processing. Covers input validation, processing verification, and output completeness checks.
Confidentiality (Optional)
Information designated as confidential is protected as committed or agreed. Covers data classification, encryption of confidential data, NDA enforcement, and confidential data disposal. Often selected by companies handling sensitive business information.
Privacy (Optional)
Personal information is collected, used, retained, disclosed, and disposed of in conformity with commitments in the entity's privacy notice. Aligns closely with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations. Selected when processing significant volumes of personal data.
Selecting Your Criteria
Most Ohio tech companies start with Security only, then add Availability for SaaS, and Confidentiality if handling sensitive B2B data. Your selection should match what customers care about — and what's in your service agreements and privacy notices.
SOC 2 Type I vs Type II — The Difference
| Aspect | SOC 2 Type I | SOC 2 Type II |
|---|---|---|
| What it validates | Controls are suitably designed at a point in time | Controls operated effectively over an observation period |
| Observation period | A single date (point-in-time) | 6 months minimum, typically 12 months |
| Time to achieve | 3–6 months after readiness | 12–18+ months from start (includes observation period) |
| Market value | Demonstrates design intent — limited enterprise acceptance | The gold standard — required by most enterprise buyers |
| Auditor testing | Design review — no operating effectiveness testing | Samples of evidence tested for each control over the period |
| Typical audit cost | $20,000–$40,000 | $30,000–$80,000+ |
| Best for | Early-stage companies building toward Type II | Mature companies with enterprise clients or investor diligence |
Key Areas the Security Criteria Covers
The 33 Common Criteria (CC) under the Security Trust Service Criteria are organized into 9 categories. Every SOC 2 examination tests all of these.
CC1: Control Environment
Board oversight, organizational structure, code of conduct, background checks, talent management, and performance evaluation. Auditors assess whether management sets the right "tone from the top."
CC2: Communication & Information
Internal and external communication of security responsibilities, reporting channels, and stakeholder information. Includes security policies being communicated to all relevant personnel.
CC3: Risk Assessment
Risk identification, analysis, and response processes. Fraud risk consideration, change management risk, and vendor risk. Requires documented risk assessments conducted regularly.
CC4: Monitoring
Ongoing monitoring of controls, evaluation of control deficiencies, and communication of results to responsible parties. Includes internal audit functions and management review processes.
CC5: Control Activities
Selection and deployment of specific control activities including policies, procedures, and technology responses to risks. The "doing" of security.
CC6: Logical Access Controls
User provisioning/deprovisioning, MFA, privileged access management, password policies, remote access controls, and monitoring of access. Often the densest section of a SOC 2 audit.
CC7: System Operations
Vulnerability management, security event monitoring, incident response, backup and recovery procedures, and business continuity/disaster recovery testing.
CC8: Change Management
Infrastructure, data, software, and procedure changes are managed systematically. Change authorization, testing, documentation, and rollback capabilities.
CC9: Risk Mitigation
Vendor and business partner risk management, insurance, and other risk mitigation strategies. Requires vendor due diligence programs and contractual security requirements.
SOC 2 Readiness Built Around You
Securafy doesn't perform CPA audits — but we do everything needed to get you audit-ready and maintain your compliance posture throughout the observation period and beyond.
SOC 2 Readiness Assessment
We assess your current control environment against all applicable Trust Service Criteria, identify gaps, and produce a prioritized remediation roadmap with estimated timelines and costs — before you engage an auditor.
Policy & Procedure Development
We write your complete SOC 2 policy suite — information security policy, access control policy, change management procedures, incident response plan, vendor management policy, and all supporting documentation auditors expect to see.
Technical Control Implementation
We implement and manage the technical controls required by the Common Criteria — MFA, access logging, endpoint management, vulnerability scanning, SIEM, change management tooling, and backup/DR testing.
Evidence Collection & Management
SOC 2 Type II audits are evidence-intensive. We implement and manage evidence collection processes that automatically capture control operation evidence throughout the observation period — eliminating the pre-audit scramble.
Auditor Liaison Support
We work directly with your chosen CPA audit firm to respond to evidence requests, provide technical context for auditor inquiries, and facilitate efficient fieldwork — reducing your team's audit burden.
Continuous SOC 2 Monitoring
After your first report is issued, compliance doesn't stop. We maintain your controls, collect evidence continuously, and prepare you for your next annual audit — keeping your SOC 2 program active and current.
SOC 2 FAQ
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Securafy builds and maintains compliance programs for Columbus and Cleveland, businesses nationwide. Prevention-First. Compliance-Ready. Award-Winning.
Enterprise clients increasingly require SOC 2 Type II before signing contracts. Securafy helps you achieve and maintain SOC 2 compliance with documented controls.
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