The SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria (TSC) define how auditors evaluate whether an organization’s controls protect data, manage risk, and support reliable operations.
- Security is mandatory in every SOC 2 examination, while Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy are selected according to the organization’s services and commitments.
- The nine Common Criteria (CC1–CC9) establish the foundation for evaluating governance, access management, monitoring, change management, and risk mitigation.
- Availability evaluates system reliability, uptime commitments, and recovery capabilities.
- Processing Integrity examines whether data is processed completely, accurately, and on time.
- Confidentiality focuses on protecting sensitive business information from unauthorized access or disclosure.
- Privacy evaluates how personal information is collected, used, retained, disclosed, and disposed of.
- Selecting the appropriate Trust Services Criteria helps organizations align their SOC 2 audit scope with business risks, contractual obligations, and customer expectations.
Introduction: Why SOC 2 Trust Principles Matter
Your ability to protect data is now as important as the product or service you deliver.
When customers, business partners, and investors evaluate a service provider, they are not simply asking whether its product works. They also want to know whether the organization can protect their information, manage security risks, and deliver services reliably.
These concerns have become increasingly important as businesses depend on cloud platforms, software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, and interconnected technology environments. A security incident, prolonged outage, or failure to process information accurately can damage customer relationships, interrupt operations, and create significant financial consequences.
For startups and small to mid-sized technology companies, demonstrating security maturity can also influence sales opportunities. Enterprise customers frequently request independent assurance reports before approving vendors, particularly when those vendors handle confidential business information or personal data.
SOC 2 has become an important way for service organizations to demonstrate that their controls have been independently evaluated against recognized trust criteria.
At the center of every SOC 2 examination are the Trust Services Criteria (TSC). These criteria provide the framework auditors use to evaluate controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
Understanding what these principles mean in practice helps organizations prepare the right documentation, implement effective controls, and build a more predictable compliance program.
This guide explains the five SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria, the nine Common Criteria under Security, the evidence auditors typically examine, and how to determine which criteria belong in your audit scope.
What Are the SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria?
The SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria are established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). They provide the basis for evaluating controls relevant to the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of information and systems.
Rather than prescribing one universal set of technical tools, the criteria establish control objectives that organizations address through policies, procedures, technology, and ongoing monitoring.
For example, an organization might use multifactor authentication (MFA), role-based access controls, and quarterly access reviews to restrict access to sensitive systems. Auditors examine whether those controls are appropriately designed, implemented, and supported by evidence.
There are five Trust Services Criteria:
- Security: Protects systems and information against unauthorized access, unauthorized disclosure, and damage that could compromise the achievement of the organization’s objectives.
- Availability: Addresses whether systems are available for operation and use as committed or agreed.
- Processing Integrity: Addresses whether system processing is complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized.
- Confidentiality: Protects information designated as confidential from unauthorized access or disclosure.
- Privacy: Addresses how personal information is collected, used, retained, disclosed, and disposed of in accordance with applicable privacy commitments and requirements.
Security is included in every SOC 2 examination. The other four criteria are optional and should be selected based on the nature of the service, contractual commitments, customer expectations, and the risks associated with the information being processed.
For example, a cloud platform with contractual uptime commitments may include Availability. A financial technology application that performs critical calculations may need Processing Integrity. An organization handling sensitive customer records may consider Confidentiality, Privacy, or both.
The objective is not to include every criterion automatically. It is to define an audit scope that provides meaningful assurance about the services and risks that matter to customers.
1. Security: The Mandatory Trust Services Criterion
Security is the foundation of every SOC 2 examination. It focuses on whether an organization has established appropriate controls to protect its systems and information against unauthorized access and other threats.
Under the Security criterion, auditors evaluate the organization’s control environment, risk assessment practices, access management, security monitoring, incident response, and change management procedures.
They typically examine whether:
- Access to systems and sensitive information is restricted to authorized users.
- Security risks are identified, assessed, and addressed.
- System activity and security events are monitored.
- Changes to applications and infrastructure are reviewed and authorized.
- Security incidents are investigated, documented, and resolved.
- Employees understand their security responsibilities.
- Control deficiencies are tracked and remediated.
Security is not simply a collection of technical safeguards. It is an operating framework that connects governance, people, processes, and technology.
Understanding the Nine SOC 2 Common Criteria
The Security criterion incorporates nine Common Criteria, identified as CC1 through CC9. These criteria help auditors evaluate the organization’s control environment and how it manages risks affecting its systems and information.
| Criterion | Focus Area | What Auditors Evaluate | Examples of Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC1 | Control Environment | Management oversight, ethical values, accountability, and organizational responsibilities | Code of conduct, organizational charts, assigned security roles, management reviews |
| CC2 | Communication and Information | How relevant control responsibilities, policies, and security information are communicated | Security policy acknowledgments, training records, incident reporting procedures |
| CC3 | Risk Assessment | How risks are identified, evaluated, and addressed | Risk register, documented assessments, vulnerability reports, risk treatment plans |
| CC4 | Monitoring Activities | Whether controls are monitored and deficiencies are identified and addressed | Control reviews, monitoring reports, remediation records, management reporting |
| CC5 | Control Activities | How control activities are selected and implemented to mitigate identified risks | Approval workflows, documented procedures, separation of duties, technology controls |
| CC6 | Logical and Physical Access Controls | How access to systems, facilities, and information is authorized and restricted | MFA configurations, access reviews, approval records, physical access logs |
| CC7 | System Operations | How security events, vulnerabilities, and incidents are detected and managed | Security alerts, vulnerability management records, incident logs, response plans |
| CC8 | Change Management | How system changes are authorized, tested, approved, and documented | Pull request reviews, testing results, change tickets, deployment logs |
| CC9 | Risk Mitigation | How risks arising from business relationships and other factors are managed | Vendor risk assessments, continuity plans, disaster recovery tests, mitigation records |
These criteria work together to establish a structured control environment. Auditors evaluate the controls relevant to the organization’s circumstances rather than assuming that every company must use identical tools or procedures.
Examples of Well-Defined Security Controls
The following examples illustrate how organizations can document controls in a way that identifies responsibilities, frequency, and evidence. They should be adapted to the organization’s actual operating practices.
CC1 – Security Governance and Code of Conduct
Management maintains an approved Code of Conduct and Information Security Policy that defines employee responsibilities and expected security practices. Employees and contractors acknowledge the applicable policies upon onboarding and periodically thereafter. Policy exceptions are documented and escalated to designated management.
CC2 – Security Awareness Training
Employees and relevant contractors complete security awareness training during onboarding and at defined intervals. Training covers phishing, acceptable use, secure data handling, and incident reporting. Completion records are maintained, and outstanding training is followed up by the responsible team.
CC3 – Risk Assessment
Management conducts documented risk assessments at planned intervals and when significant organizational or technology changes occur. Identified risks are evaluated according to their likelihood and potential impact, assigned owners, and tracked through documented mitigation plans.
CC4 – Control Monitoring
The designated compliance or control owners periodically evaluate whether key controls are operating as intended. Deficiencies are documented, assigned remediation owners, and tracked until resolution. Significant issues are communicated to appropriate management.
CC5 – Segregation of Duties in Production Deployments
Production changes require documented review and approval by authorized personnel in accordance with the organization’s change management policy. Access to production environments is restricted, and deployment approvals are retained as evidence.
CC6 – User Access Reviews
System owners review access rights at defined intervals and when relevant employment or role changes occur. Access is adjusted or revoked when no longer appropriate, and completed reviews are documented.
CC7 – Security Event Monitoring
Security events from critical systems are monitored through defined processes. Alerts are investigated according to established severity and response requirements, and investigation outcomes are recorded in the incident management system.
CC8 – Formal Change Management
Changes to production systems are documented, assessed, tested, and approved before implementation in accordance with established procedures. Emergency changes follow a documented exception process that includes appropriate review and retrospective documentation where applicable.
CC9 – Vendor Risk Management
Vendors are assessed according to their risk and the sensitivity of the information or services they support. Relevant due diligence, contractual safeguards, and available independent assurance reports are reviewed. Identified risks are documented and addressed through an appropriate approval and mitigation process.
These examples are illustrative rather than universal requirements. The appropriate frequency, response deadlines, and approval steps depend on the organization’s risk assessment, control design, contractual obligations, and applicable criteria.
What Security Evidence Do Auditors Expect?
Auditors generally need more than a written policy stating that a control exists. They examine evidence appropriate to the control and the audit period.
For example, a policy requiring quarterly access reviews should be supported by records showing that the reviews were performed, exceptions were identified, and necessary changes were completed.
Similarly, a documented incident response plan should be supported by relevant incident records, exercises, or other evidence appropriate to the organization’s environment.
If security controls are inconsistent, undocumented, or not operating as described, auditors may identify exceptions or control deficiencies. This can affect the conclusions in the SOC 2 report.
Security therefore provides the foundation for evaluating the other Trust Services Criteria. Availability relies on effective system operations, Processing Integrity depends on controlled processing and changes, Confidentiality requires appropriate restrictions on sensitive information, and Privacy depends on disciplined data governance.
2. Availability: Keeping Services Reliable
Security demonstrates how an organization protects its systems. Availability addresses whether those systems remain operational and accessible in accordance with applicable commitments.
The Availability criterion is particularly relevant to cloud service providers, SaaS platforms, infrastructure vendors, and organizations whose customers depend on continuous or predictable access.
It may be appropriate to include Availability when an organization:
- Makes uptime commitments in service-level agreements (SLAs).
- Provides business-critical applications or infrastructure.
- Depends on reliable access to systems for customer operations.
- Needs to demonstrate its ability to respond to outages and recover from disruptions.
Auditors do not expect every service to operate without interruption. Instead, they evaluate whether the organization has defined availability objectives, implemented suitable controls, and established processes for managing disruptions.
What Availability Controls Do Auditors Evaluate?
| Control Area | What It Covers | Examples of Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity Management | Whether infrastructure can support expected workloads and performance requirements | Resource monitoring, capacity plans, threshold alerts, performance reviews |
| Backup and Resilience | Whether systems and information can be protected against loss or disruption | Backup configurations, backup logs, restoration test results, redundancy documentation |
| Recovery and Continuity | Whether the organization can restore critical services following a disruption | Disaster recovery plans, recovery objectives, failover tests, continuity exercises |
These examples represent practical control areas associated with Availability. The precise controls in scope depend on the system, risks, and applicable Trust Services Criteria.
Examples of Well-Defined Availability Controls
Capacity Management
Production infrastructure is monitored against defined capacity and performance thresholds. Engineering reviews trends at planned intervals, evaluates anticipated demand, and documents corrective actions when capacity risks are identified.
Backups and Resilience
Critical production data is backed up according to documented requirements. Backup access is restricted, and restoration tests are performed periodically to verify that information can be recovered. Relevant infrastructure resilience controls are evaluated based on the organization’s hosting arrangements.
Disaster Recovery Testing
A documented disaster recovery plan identifies recovery responsibilities and objectives for critical systems. Recovery exercises are conducted at planned intervals, and results, identified gaps, and remediation activities are documented.
How Auditors Evaluate Availability
Auditors look for evidence that reliability is actively managed rather than assumed.
They may examine monitoring records, backup completion reports, recovery test results, outage records, incident reviews, and documentation supporting stated service commitments.
An organization that promises high availability but cannot demonstrate effective monitoring or recovery procedures may have difficulty supporting its commitments with sufficient evidence.
Strong Availability controls help demonstrate that the service is designed to withstand foreseeable disruptions and recover in a controlled manner.
3. Processing Integrity: Ensuring Accurate and Timely Results
Processing Integrity focuses on whether a system processes information completely, accurately, in a timely manner, and in accordance with applicable authorization requirements.
This criterion is important when customers rely on a service to calculate amounts, process transactions, generate reports, transform information, or automate business decisions.
For example, a financial technology platform may need to demonstrate that transactions are recorded accurately. A data analytics service may need controls that detect incomplete imports, processing failures, or incorrect report outputs.
Auditors evaluate whether the organization has controls to ensure that:
- Inputs are valid, complete, and authorized.
- Processing logic operates as intended.
- Errors and exceptions are identified and investigated.
- Outputs are complete and accurate.
- Information is processed within expected timeframes.
- Relevant changes to processing logic are tested and approved.
Processing Integrity Control Areas
| Control Area | What It Means | Examples of Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Input Validation | Data entering the system meets defined requirements | Required-field checks, format validation, range checks, rejection of invalid inputs |
| Processing Controls | Business logic operates according to documented requirements | Automated validations, reconciliations, approved processing rules, exception handling |
| Output Validation | Results are complete and accurate before delivery or use | Report validation, transaction reconciliation, completeness checks |
| Timeliness and Transmission | Processing and delivery occur within defined requirements | Processing-time monitoring, transmission logs, failure alerts, delivery confirmations |
| Data Integrity and Retention | Stored information remains reliable and is managed appropriately | Database constraints, integrity checks, access restrictions, documented retention procedures |
Examples of Well-Defined Processing Integrity Controls
Input Validation
Application controls validate incoming information against documented requirements before processing. Invalid or incomplete inputs are rejected or routed for review, and relevant exceptions are logged.
Processing Logic
Business rules governing critical processing activities are documented and maintained. Changes to processing logic are reviewed, tested, and approved before deployment according to the change management process.
Output Validation
System-generated reports and transaction outputs are subject to appropriate completeness and accuracy checks. Exceptions are investigated and resolved according to documented procedures.
Data Transmission
Information transmitted between systems is protected using appropriate encryption and transmission controls. Failed transfers generate alerts or other notifications, and unresolved failures are investigated.
Data Integrity
Critical information is maintained within controlled environments using appropriate integrity protections. Procedures address data correction, retention, and deletion in accordance with documented requirements.
What Auditors Look for Under Processing Integrity
Auditors assess whether the organization can demonstrate that its systems produce dependable results.
Relevant evidence may include processing logs, validation rules, reconciliations, exception reports, test results, change approvals, and records of corrective action.
A platform can be operational and secure while still producing inaccurate outputs. Processing Integrity addresses this distinct risk by focusing on the correctness and completeness of processing activities.
For businesses that support financial reporting, analytics, billing, or automated transactions, these controls can be especially important to customer confidence.
4. Confidentiality: Protecting Sensitive Business Information
Confidentiality focuses on protecting information designated as confidential from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
Unlike Privacy, which addresses personal information and applicable privacy commitments, Confidentiality centers on information that an organization or customer expects to remain restricted because of its business value or contractual sensitivity.
Examples may include:
- Intellectual property and proprietary algorithms.
- Financial records and commercial information.
- Strategic plans and internal business documents.
- Product designs and technical specifications.
- Confidential customer records.
- Contractual information and business agreements.
An organization may handle confidential business information that does not qualify as personal information. In such cases, Confidentiality can be relevant even when Privacy is not included in the audit scope.
Confidentiality Control Areas
| Control Area | What It Covers | Examples of Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Identification and Protection | How confidential information is identified, classified, and protected | Data classification policies, encryption, role-based access, confidentiality agreements, access monitoring |
| Retention and Disposal | How information is retained and securely disposed of | Retention schedules, archival procedures, secure deletion, documented destruction records |
Examples of Well-Defined Confidentiality Controls
Confidential Information Protection
Confidential information is classified according to a documented data classification policy. Access is limited to authorized personnel based on business requirements, and access rights are reviewed at defined intervals. Appropriate safeguards protect information during storage and transmission.
Confidential Information Disposal
Confidential information is retained and disposed of according to documented requirements. Electronic records are securely deleted when eligible for disposal, subject to applicable retention obligations and technical limitations. Destruction of physical media is documented when relevant.
What Auditors Evaluate
Auditors examine whether the organization has clearly defined confidential information and established controls to protect it throughout its lifecycle.
Evidence may include classification records, access permissions, encryption configurations, contractual provisions, retention schedules, access review records, and disposal documentation.
Simply describing information as confidential is not sufficient. The organization should be able to demonstrate how that classification influences access, handling, sharing, retention, and disposal.
Strong Confidentiality controls provide customers with greater assurance that sensitive commercial information is handled according to documented commitments.
5. Privacy: Managing Personal Information Responsibly
Privacy focuses on the organization’s handling of personal information. It evaluates whether the collection, use, retention, disclosure, and disposal of that information align with stated privacy commitments and applicable requirements.
This criterion may be relevant to SaaS providers, digital platforms, healthcare technology companies, customer management systems, and other services that process information associated with identifiable individuals.
The central question for auditors is whether the organization’s actual data-handling practices align with its documented privacy commitments and applicable requirements.
Auditors may examine whether privacy practices are clearly communicated, supported by documented procedures, implemented consistently, and backed by verifiable evidence.
Privacy Control Areas
| Control Area | What It Covers | Examples of Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Notice and Communication | Explaining privacy practices and purposes for collecting information | Published privacy notices, documented reviews, relevant customer disclosures |
| Choice and Consent | Managing choices and consent where required | Consent records, preference settings, withdrawal procedures |
| Collection | Limiting collection to defined and appropriate purposes | Data minimization standards, approved data fields, collection procedures |
| Use, Retention, and Disposal | Managing how personal information is used and retained | Retention schedules, deletion procedures, documented purpose limitations |
| Access | Managing requests concerning personal information | Request intake procedures, identity verification, correction workflows |
| Disclosure and Notification | Managing third-party disclosures and required notifications | Vendor agreements, data-sharing reviews, breach notification procedures |
| Quality | Maintaining accurate and relevant information | Input validation, correction mechanisms, data quality reviews |
| Monitoring and Enforcement | Monitoring privacy compliance and addressing concerns | Privacy training, internal reviews, complaint handling, remediation records |
Examples of Well-Defined Privacy Controls
Notice and Communication
Management maintains a privacy notice describing the categories of personal information collected, purposes of processing, relevant disclosures, retention practices, and available individual rights. The notice is reviewed periodically and updated when material changes require it.
Choice and Consent
Where consent is required, the organization obtains and records it through documented processes. Applicable systems enforce recorded preferences, and procedures address consent withdrawal where relevant.
Data Collection
Personal information is collected for defined business purposes and limited to what is reasonably necessary for those purposes. New data collection requirements undergo appropriate review before implementation.
Use, Retention, and Disposal
Personal information is used in accordance with documented purposes and applicable commitments. Retention schedules define how long information is kept, and approved procedures govern deletion or other permitted disposal methods.
Individual Access Requests
The organization maintains a process for receiving and handling applicable requests to access, correct, or delete personal information. Requests are authenticated, tracked, and addressed according to defined procedures and applicable deadlines.
Third-Party Disclosure
Personal information is shared with third parties through authorized processes and appropriate contractual safeguards. Relevant disclosures are documented, and vendors are assessed according to the risks they introduce.
Privacy Monitoring
Privacy-related concerns and incidents are logged, investigated, and addressed through defined procedures. Corrective actions are assigned and tracked to completion.
How Privacy Relates to Regulatory Compliance
The Privacy criterion can support and complement broader data protection efforts, including those related to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA).
However, a SOC 2 report is not, by itself, proof of compliance with every privacy law. Legal obligations depend on the organization, the information it processes, its activities, and the jurisdictions involved.
Organizations should therefore assess their legal obligations separately while using appropriate SOC 2 controls to demonstrate that privacy commitments are supported by documented and consistently applied practices.
Strong Privacy controls help establish accountability and show customers that personal information is managed deliberately rather than reactively.
SOC 2 Type 1 vs. Type 2: What Auditors Ultimately Evaluate
Understanding the Trust Services Criteria is only part of preparing for a SOC 2 examination. Organizations must also understand what the auditor is expected to conclude.
A SOC 2 report is an independent examination and attestation report, not simply a certification checklist. The auditor evaluates the applicable system description and controls against the relevant criteria and reports an independent opinion based on the engagement.
The two common report types address different questions.
| Area | SOC 2 Type 1 | SOC 2 Type 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Whether controls are suitably designed and implemented as of a specified date | Whether controls are suitably designed and operated effectively over a specified period |
| Evaluation timing | A point in time | A defined historical period |
| Evidence emphasis | Control design and implementation at the examination date | Control design, implementation, and operating effectiveness over the review period |
| Typical evidence | Policies, configurations, assigned responsibilities, implementation records | Policies, logs, recurring review records, test results, exceptions, remediation evidence |
| Main purpose | Demonstrating the control environment at a specific date | Providing evidence of control operation over time |
The review period for a Type 2 examination is defined by the engagement and may vary. Six to twelve months is common in practice, but it is not a universal requirement for every examination.
For either report type, auditors need sufficient, appropriate evidence to support their conclusions.
They may evaluate whether:
- Controls are documented and appropriately designed.
- Responsibilities are assigned to relevant personnel.
- Required activities are performed consistently.
- Exceptions are identified and addressed.
- Monitoring and review procedures operate as intended.
- Evidence supports the operation of controls during the applicable period.
A policy alone rarely demonstrates that a recurring control operated effectively. For example, an access review policy should be supported by the actual review records and evidence of follow-up when inappropriate access is identified.
Organizations should maintain reliable evidence throughout the year rather than attempting to recreate control records immediately before the audit.
How to Choose the Right SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria
Choosing the right Trust Services Criteria is a strategic scoping decision. The objective is to align the examination with the services delivered, the risks involved, and the commitments made to customers.
Security is included in every SOC 2 examination. The other criteria should be selected based on the organization’s circumstances.
Consider the following questions when determining scope:
1. Does your service make availability commitments?
If customers rely on your platform for continuous access or your contracts include uptime commitments, Availability may be appropriate.
2. Do customers depend on the accuracy of your system outputs?
If your service performs calculations, processes transactions, generates business-critical reports, or transforms data, consider whether Processing Integrity addresses relevant risks.
3. Do you handle confidential customer or business information?
If your platform stores proprietary documents, strategic information, intellectual property, or commercially sensitive records, Confidentiality may be relevant.
4. Do you collect or process personal information?
Evaluate whether Privacy should be included based on your service, privacy commitments, applicable requirements, and customer expectations.
5. What do your customers and contracts require?
Review customer security questionnaires, contractual commitments, vendor requirements, and requests for independent assurance. These can help identify which criteria are commercially important.
Practical Examples of SOC 2 Scoping
| Organization or Service | Potentially Relevant Criteria | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS platform with uptime commitments | Security and Availability | Customers depend on reliable access |
| Platform storing confidential business documents | Security and Confidentiality | Sensitive commercial information requires protection |
| Financial transaction processing service | Security and potentially Processing Integrity | Accuracy, completeness, and authorization may be critical |
| Application handling personal information | Security and potentially Privacy | Personal data practices may need to be evaluated |
| Cloud platform handling sensitive data with service commitments | Security plus applicable additional criteria | Reliability, confidentiality, processing accuracy, or privacy may be important |
These are starting points, not automatic scoping rules. An organization may need several additional criteria, and the appropriate scope should be determined with an experienced SOC 2 auditor based on the service and its risks.
The best approach is to choose criteria that reflect genuine business and customer requirements rather than expanding the scope without a clear reason.
Preparing for a SOC 2 Audit: A Practical Checklist
Before beginning a SOC 2 examination, organizations can take several steps to reduce uncertainty and improve readiness.
- Define the system: Document the services, infrastructure, applications, personnel, and relevant third-party dependencies included in scope.
- Select the criteria: Identify which Trust Services Criteria align with customer commitments and material risks.
- Document controls: Establish clear policies, procedures, responsibilities, and control descriptions.
- Assess risks: Identify threats to the system and document appropriate mitigation activities.
- Review access: Verify that access rights are authorized, appropriately restricted, and periodically reviewed.
- Collect evidence: Maintain logs, approvals, monitoring records, training documentation, and other evidence required by relevant controls.
- Test operational processes: Evaluate incident response, change management, backup restoration, and other processes relevant to the selected criteria.
- Address deficiencies: Assign remediation owners, establish timelines, and retain evidence of corrective action.
- Coordinate with the auditor: Confirm the examination scope, evidence requirements, system description, and applicable review period.
Preparation should be treated as an ongoing operational discipline, not a short-term exercise undertaken immediately before the audit.
Assessing Your SOC 2 Readiness? Get Auditor Guidance With Decrypt Compliance
SOC 2 compliance can become difficult when organizations are uncertain about which criteria apply, what controls they need, or how to demonstrate that those controls operate effectively.
Decrypt Compliance helps technology companies navigate cybersecurity and compliance examinations through a structured, practical approach. By clarifying scope, identifying control gaps, and establishing evidence expectations, organizations can prepare for an audit with greater confidence and less disruption to day-to-day operations.
As a technology-focused audit and compliance firm, Decrypt Compliance supports startups and growing businesses pursuing SOC 2, ISO 27001, and other relevant assurance and compliance objectives.
About Decrypt Compliance
Decrypt Compliance is a Silicon Valley cybersecurity audit and compliance firm serving technology companies and high-growth organizations. Its mission is to help businesses demonstrate their security commitments, build customer confidence, and support growth through independent assessment and practical compliance guidance.
Decrypt Compliance is a licensed CPA firm in the State of California, California CPA Firm License #9491.
Ready to assess your SOC 2 readiness?
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About the Author
Raymond Cheng is the Founder and Managing Partner of Decrypt Compliance. He specializes in cybersecurity, privacy, and AI compliance audits for high-growth technology companies. His experience includes Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), as well as advising organizations on frameworks such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
Conclusion: Trust Must Be Demonstrated With Evidence
SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria provide a structured way to evaluate whether an organization’s controls support security, reliability, accurate processing, confidentiality, and responsible personal data handling.
Security establishes the required foundation. Availability addresses operational reliability. Processing Integrity focuses on dependable results. Confidentiality protects sensitive business information, while Privacy evaluates the handling of personal information.
Across all five criteria, the underlying principle remains the same: organizations must be able to demonstrate that their controls are appropriately designed, implemented, and supported by evidence.
The most effective SOC 2 programs do not treat compliance as a one-time project. They integrate risk assessment, monitoring, access management, incident response, and control reviews into everyday operations.
For growing technology companies, this approach can strengthen internal accountability, improve readiness for customer assessments, and provide a clearer basis for demonstrating trust.
SOC 2 provides the framework. Effective controls and reliable evidence provide the assurance.
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