Maintaining regulatory compliance—especially around the security of an organization’s data, assets, and systems—is one of the most important considerations for any modern SaaS company, particularly compliance for SaaS. Not only can data breaches be costly and disruptive—they can cause your customers to flee (often, right into the arms of a competitor).
For many companies, though, understanding the intricacies of SOC 2 compliance requirements can feel overwhelming—even while they acknowledge its importance. You shouldn’t fret, though, because you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll outline the specifics of SOC 2 compliance and provide insights into crafting an effective compliance checklist.
What Does SOC 2 Compliance Mean?
Before diving into the specifics of a SOC 2 compliance checklist, let’s first understand what SOC 2 compliance actually describes. Essentially, SOC 2 compliance means adhering to a set of standards outlined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). These standards are meant to ensure the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data for SaaS businesses.
What Is SOC 2 Compliance Checklist (and Why Do I Need One)?
Embracing SOC 2 best practices is a crucial component of maintaining trust and credibility with clients, and a SOC 2 compliance checklist serves as a guide to ensure that your organization meets all the necessary requirements for SOC 2 compliance.
This checklist can be custom-built for an organization’s needs, but businesses typically use SOC 2 compliance checklist templates to make sure they’re covering all aspects—such as security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
Following a SOC 2 compliance checklist template makes it easier for organizations to systematically assess their compliance status and identify areas for improvement. And once you’ve created your checklist or template, it can be used over and over—or easily updated as needs change.
How Do I Make a Compliance Checklist for SOC 2?
Crafting a compliance checklist, especially for SOC 2 compliance, requires careful consideration of all relevant factors. A SOC 2 Type 2 audit checklist is a useful tool for this purpose. This checklist outlines specific SOC 2 audit criteria and helps organizations ensure that they have implemented adequate controls and appropriate measures to meet SOC 2 compliance standards. From evaluating access controls to assessing data encryption practices, a SOC 2 Type 2 audit checklist covers all essential aspects of SOC 2 compliance.
What Are the Criteria for SOC 2 Compliance?
To achieve SOC 2 compliance, organizations must undergo a SOC 2 audit conducted by a qualified auditor. During the SOC 2 audit, the auditor assesses the organization’s adherence to the SOC 2 compliance criteria, including what are known as the 5 Trust Services Criteria:
- Security: A wide-ranging criteria category that includes everything from training personnel and managing vendor relationships to ensuring the effectiveness of firewalls and endpoint protection.
- Availability: Ensuring optimal uptime by minimizing security-based disruptions and downtime, and creating plans for restoring availability quickly after an outage.
- Processing Integrity: How is data being collected, stored, processed, and accessed? The more transparent these processes are, the easier they are to assess (and improve if needed).
- Confidentiality: Keeping private information private, through encryption and other measures like destroying confidential documents.
- Privacy: Keeping personal information private, especially as it relates to customers’ data.
By successfully completing a SOC 2 audit, organizations demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding customer data and upholding the highest standards of security and compliance.
With Trava, SOC 2 Compliance Is at Your Fingertips
Understanding and implementing SOC 2 compliance is essential for SaaS companies to earn the trust and confidence of their clients. By following SOC 2 compliance best practices and utilizing SOC 2 compliance checklists, organizations can ensure the security and integrity of their systems and data. If you’re ready to take the next step towards SOC 2 compliance, reach out to our team for expert guidance and support.