What Are the 5 Pillars of SOC2?

Last updated: September 18, 2025

Table of Contents

• What is SOC Compliance?
• What is SOC 2?
• Why Do I Need SOC 2 Compliance?
• What is the SOC 2 Framework?
• What is the SOC 2 Audit Process?
• What are SOC 2 Audits Used For?
• What are the 5 Trust Service Principles of SOC 2?
• Are All SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria Required?
• What are the Areas of the SOC 2 Report?
• Ensure Your SOC 2 Compliance with Trava
• Frequently Asked Questions About SOC 2

What are the 5 Pillars of SOC 2?

In the ever-evolving landscape of software as a service (SaaS), compliance is paramount for businesses as well as their customers. For many businesses, navigating the world of data security and privacy is stressful and can even be overwhelming.

That’s why adhering to standards like the SOC 2 framework is so essential. More specifically, understanding the five pillars of SOC2 is crucial for SaaS providers aiming to safeguard their own data and assets while building trust and credibility with their clients. SOC 2 is a compliance standard that helps SaaS companies protect customer data and demonstrate the company has strong internal controls.

Compliance for SaaS and the SOC 2 framework are integral components of ensuring data protection and security for both businesses and their customers. Keep reading as we answer some of the most commonly asked questions about the SOC 2 framework and its key elements.

What is SOC Compliance?

SOC compliance shows that your company’s systems and processes meet rigorous industry standards for protecting sensitive data. “SOC” stands for System and Organization Controls, and SOC compliance means an organization’s access and security controls effectively meet industry standards.

While SOC compliance isn’t always mandatory, when an organization not only attests to their system controls but is also audited (and certified) by a qualified third-party. There are SOC 1 and SOC 2 controls, which mainly vary based on their scope

What is SOC 2?

SOC 2 is a compliance standard for service providers like SaaS and cloud computing companies. It defines how service organizations should manage customer data and outlines the five trust principles of assessing a company’s internal controls for data security and privacy. These principles include security, availability, confidentiality, privacy, and processing integrity.

SOC 2 was created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to help organizations comply with industry-standard data security protocols. For compliance, a business must be audited by an independent certified public account (CPA) firm that evaluates whether a company’s internal procedures meet the SOC 2 requirements.

After the assessment, the CPA firm can write two types of SOC 2 reports:

• SOC 2 Type 1 evaluates the effectiveness of a company’s data security and privacy measures at a specific time.
• SOC 2 Type 2 evaluates the effectiveness of an organization’s internal data security and privacy controls over some time.

Why Do I Need SOC 2 Compliance?

SOC 2 compliance is essential for organizations that store, process, or transmit data. By meeting SOC 2 compliance requirements, companies protect their own data, systems, and assets—as well as their customers’ sensitive data—from unauthorized access.

Especially as customers continue to grow more security-minded and concerned with how companies protect their data, demonstrating SOC 2 compliance is an important step for any organization to take. It shows that the organization takes security seriously, which builds customer trust.

What is the SOC 2 Framework?

The SOC 2 framework categorizes SOC 2 requirements into five key areas, better known as the Trust Services Criteria. These criteria were jointly created by the Assurance Services Executive Committee (ASEC) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) organization, and provide a repeatable structure for SOC 2 audit preparation.

What is the SOC 2 Audit Process?

The SOC 2 audit process is how a company demonstrates that its security and privacy controls are effective. For SaaS companies, it’s a critical step in building customer trust as it is a requirement for the attestation report.

The process has three core steps:

1. Readiness and Preparation: This phase is all about getting ready for the auditor. You define the scope of your audit and conduct a self-assessment to find and fix any security gaps.

2. The Audit: An independent CPA firm assesses your controls. The main difference is between a Type 1 report and a Type 2 report. A Type 1 report shows your controls at one moment. In contrast, a Type 2 report proves your controls worked well over 3 to 12 months.

3. Reporting & Maintenance: The auditor issues a final report with their opinion. Your work isn’t done yet. To stay compliant and build trust, keep monitoring your security controls for the next audit.

What are SOC 2 Audits Used For?

SOC 2 Type II audits assess the effectiveness of an organization’s controls over a specified period. Common criteria evaluated during these audits align with the five Trust Services Criteria of SOC 2, ensuring that not only are controls in place, but that they are working effectively as well.

Learn more about how we guide companies through their SOC 2 compliance journeys.

What are the 5 Trust Service Principles of SOC 2?

Five trust principles make up SOC 2. This includes security, confidentiality, availability, privacy, and processing integrity. The principles are an outline of criteria for evaluating an organization’s systems and processes.

1. Security

This principle focuses on an organization’s ability to protect its system and data from unauthorized access by outsiders. It uses strong security measures, like access controls and encryption, to stop intrusions and data theft.

An example of this is a CRM platform using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access. This ensures that only authorized employees can access customer data.

Best Practices:

• Enforce strong passwords and MFA.
• Conduct regular penetration tests.
• Implement network segmentation and firewalls.
• Continuous monitoring and real-time alerts for suspicious activity.
• Keep software up to date with patches and vulnerability fixes.

2. Confidentiality

Confidentiality involves safeguarding sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure. This principle keeps confidential information safe. It allows access only for authorized individuals in an organization. Also, it protects data based on an agreement between two parties.

An example of this principle is a cloud collaboration tool that keeps client data anonymous in reports shared externally.

Best Practices:

• Encrypt sensitive data both in transit and at rest.
• Limit access using role-based access control (RBAC).
• Create data handling and sharing policies for employees.
• Require NDAs for contractors and third-party vendors.

3. Availability

This SOC 2 principle addresses a SaaS company’s commitment to ensuring that its systems and services are available as agreed upon in a contract. It emphasizes reducing downtime and maintaining reliable access to services.

With most teams now working remote, we know how important it is to have seamless video conferencing. Video conferencing platforms use load balancing to manage usage spikes. This shows the availability principle in action.

Best Practices:

• Monitor system uptime with performance dashboards.
• Implement redundant servers and data centers.
• Maintain disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
• Schedule regular load testing to prevent outages.

4. Privacy

The privacy principle evaluates how well a service firm manages personal information according to its privacy policy and relevant regulations. It addresses data collection, use, retention, and disposal controls as data privacy laws require.

A real-world example of this is consent tracking. A customer support SaaS platform tracks consent and opt-ins for email communications. Limiting access to personal identifiable information (PII) and anonymizing analytics data is another example.

Best Practices:

• Maintain clear privacy policies aligned with GDPR, CCPA, or other applicable laws.
• Train employees on handling PII.
• Use data minimization — only collect what is necessary.
• Implement audit trails to track access to personal data.

5. Processing Integrity

As the name suggests, this principle focuses on the accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of data processing in an organization. It ensures internal data processing in a firm meets specified objectives.

A lot of us see this in action as SaaS analytics platforms perform data validation checks before generating reports for clients.

Best Practices:

• Implement automated validation and error checking in workflows.
• Perform periodic audits of processes and data outputs.
• Maintain version control and logging for critical processes.
• Monitor for anomalies with data integrity tools.

Are All SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria Required?

Security is essential for every SOC 2 report. The other four pillars are optional. Companies pick them based on their services and client demands.

The table below displays the required and optional pillars. It also notes when SaaS companies usually include them:

For example, a cloud storage SaaS might include Security, Availability, and Confidentiality. If the company doesn’t handle personal data, then the org skips Privacy. Organizations can choose the pillars that best fit their business. This way, they can focus their SOC 2 audits on the areas that matter most to their clients and services.

What are the Areas of the SOC 2 Report?

An unqualified SOC 2 report shows that your organization’s controls meet the Trust Service Criteria effectively. Here are the common SOC 2 report sections.

Management Assertion

This section includes a formal statement from the organization under audit. It outlines the internal controls put in place to ensure SOC 2 compliance. In this part of the report, the evaluated company asserts that its systems should operate effectively to meet a specific SOC 2 trust principle.

System Description

This section provides detailed information about an organization’s systems and the services it offers. It outlines relevant system processes and controls to meet particular trust services criteria.

Description of Criteria

This part of the report details the procedures used to test the effectiveness of your data safety measures. It also entails test results, including any identified deficiencies in a company’s internal controls.

Independent Service Auditor’s Report

This report summarizes the auditor’s conclusions regarding your organization’s SOC 2 internal controls. It shows whether your company passed the assessment. In this section, the auditor can give a qualified or unqualified opinion.

• Qualified opinion means the auditor has identified deficiencies or weaknesses in a firm’s SOC 2 internal controls
• An unqualified opinion means the auditor is satisfied with the effectiveness of an organization’s internal controls regarding data management and safety

Ensure Your SOC 2 Compliance with Trava

Maintaining SOC 2 compliance is essential for SaaS providers looking to thrive in today’s digital landscape. By embracing the five pillars of SOC 2 and integrating the Trust Services Criteria into their operations, organizations can enhance security, build trust, and drive success in an increasingly regulated environment.

You’re not in this alone. At Trava, we provide a wide range of cybersecurity services and solutions, including everything you need to prepare for a SOC 2 audit. 

We recommend checking out this blog post to learn more about how we guide companies through their SOC 2 compliance journeys, or schedule a call to learn more about our services.

Frequently Asked Questions About SOC 2

1. How long does SOC 2 certification take?

The timeline depends on whether a company pursues a Type I or Type II report.

• Type I: Evaluates controls at a specific point in time, typically taking 2–4 months, including readiness assessment and audit.
• Type II: Evaluates controls over a period (usually 3–12 months), taking longer due to ongoing testing of processes. Preparation time depends on how mature your internal controls are. It also relies on documentation readiness and the complexity of your SaaS systems.

2. Do startups need SOC 2?

Not all startups need SOC 2. But, many pursue it to meet client requirements. This is key for clients in regulated fields like fintech, healthcare, or cloud services. SOC 2 compliance can speed up sales cycles for startups targeting enterprise clients. It also shows that they have solid internal controls. Ultimately, the need depends on your industry, target customers, and regulatory requirements.

3. What happens if you fail a SOC 2 audit?

Organizations can remediate the issues highlighted in the audit report. You are then able to schedule a follow-up audit. SOC 2 aims to improve security and controls, not to punish companies.

4. How can fast-growing businesses achieve SOC 2 compliance efficiently?

Fast-growing companies can streamline SOC 2 compliance by:

• Conducting a readiness assessment to identify gaps early.
• Implementing scalable internal controls that grow with the organization.
• Leveraging automation tools for monitoring and reporting.
• Working with an experienced compliance partner, like Trava. Working with a compliance consultant helps with prioritizing controls, planning, managing GRC tools, and more. TL;DR: Let the pros handle it!

5. Which firms offer a 100% certification success rate for compliance?

Trava Security has a 100% certification success rate. Every Trava customer who need a SOC 2 attestation has achieved it. Learn more about the compliance services here.

6. What’s the fastest path to SOC 2 compliance for a health tech startup that’s already HIPAA compliant?

Startups with existing HIPAA compliance can reach SOC 2 readiness quicker than those starting from zero. For a HIPAA-compliant health tech startup:

1. Conduct a SOC 2 readiness assessment to map existing HIPAA controls to SOC 2 criteria.
2. Identify gaps in optional pillars (Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, Privacy).
3. Implement missing controls and document policies and procedures.
4. Schedule a Type I audit, then progress to Type II.