SOC 2 and Third-Party Vendor Risk Management: A Comprehensive Guide for Decision-Makers

While outsourcing can drive efficiency and innovation, it also introduces significant risks, particularly concerning data security and compliance. Many security frameworks have taken up the responsibility of helping organizations manage threats in this context, and SOC 2 is no different.  This article explores the intersection of SOC 2 compliance and third-party vendor risk management, providing… Read More

Data Compliance and Governance: A Professional Guide

In today’s data-driven world, organizations handle vast amounts of sensitive information daily. Data compliance and robust governance are crucial for maintaining data integrity, confidentiality, and availability while avoiding the pitfalls of a privacy breach or noncompliance.  This article discusses what it means to implement data governance policies for data compliance across several different (privacy-centric) frameworks. … Read More

An In-Depth Guide to SOC 2 Security Common Criteria

While typically not mandatory outside financial sectors, SOC 2 is a reliable security compliance model that any organization can follow. This can be seen in its security assessments, which include a robust list of “Common Criteria,” or broad areas of focus that any secure organization should follow. The recent revision of these criteria in 2023… Read More

Evaluating Vendors for SOC 2 Compliance

Modern enterprise relies increasingly on a complex network of vendors and service providers to handle their infrastructure. From security and cloud computing to applications and logistics, these providers will often take the most important data that the enterprise generates or processes.  That’s why organizations must look at their vendors with more scrutiny. For example, getting… Read More

Implementing SOC 2 Requirements for Cloud Environments

SOC 2 compliance provides a structured approach to ensuring data security, availability, and processing integrity, among other aspects. This article will dive into the specifics of SOC 2 and its impact on cloud security, shedding light on the technical controls, best practices, and the vital role of third-party attestations in bolstering trust between service providers… Read More

CPAs and CISAs: Choosing the Right SOC 2 Auditor

In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, our central concern revolves around safeguarding data security and privacy. As businesses increasingly depend on cloud services and third-party vendors to manage their data, it becomes crucial to ensure these service providers adhere to stringent security standards.  A prominent standard in this domain is the Service Organization Control 2, or… Read More

What is the Structure of a SOC 2 Report?

Understanding the structure of a SOC 2 report is essential for both businesses and service providers who are thinking ahead to their audit and attestation. It will serve as the “story” of an organization’s SOC 2 journey, covering the evaluation of their adherence to the Trust Services Criteria (TSC)–security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. … Read More

What Are Carve-Out and Inclusive Auditing Methods for SOC Reporting?

SOC audits are some of the most common non-regulatory audits in the U.S. These attestations provide companies with a way to demonstrate their dedication to transparent and secure financial reporting and protecting consumer information. Accordingly, SOC reporting can become an in-depth and complicated task that is rendered even more complicated when factoring in subservice providers. … Read More

What Are SOC 3 Reports?

The Service Organization Control (SOC) standard is a well-known, but often misunderstood, approach to cybersecurity. It’s not mandatory, it has several methods, and some attestations involve different types of reports and assessments.  Sometimes, the most difficult challenge is understanding the breakdown between reports. While SOC 2 is the most well-known and deployed assessment on the… Read More

Survival Guidance! Resource for SSAE 16 SOC 2 Readiness Audits

Survival Guidance! MichaelPeters.org and LazarusAlliance.com is making our auditor’s resource for assessing the procedural and technical controls free. This is a resource based on the SSAE 16 SOC 2 framework you may freely use to conduct your organization’s readiness audits. Your results are private and the output is sent to you without charge. It’s just… Read More