Certification
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a compliance reporting standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
It is designed to evaluate and report on an organization’s controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data.
What is the SOC 2 Standard?
The SOC 2 standard was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) as part of its Trust Services Criteria, to facilitate auditing and reporting on the internal controls implemented by service organizations to safeguard customer data.
SOC 2 reports assess an organization’s controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. These reports verify whether the controls in place meet one or more of the five SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria. Data compliance certifications such as SOC 2 are often required as prerequisites or contractual obligations when engaging with clients or partners.
SOC 2 Type II compliance is specifically designed for service organizations. It includes principles covering security, availability, confidentiality, privacy, and processing integrity of transactions. The “Type II” designation indicates that the audit has been conducted over a defined period of time, typically six months, to evaluate the operational effectiveness of the controls.
These standards are critical to ensuring robust information security (InfoSec) across vendors’ IT systems and to uphold contractual requirements between vendors and their clients.
Third-party risk management is a vital component of any organization’s security strategy.
SOC 2 provides a structured framework to evaluate whether a service organization has implemented and is maintaining an effective information security management system, and whether it can prevent and respond to security incidents.
Many organizations rely on SOC 2 to assess third-party vendors, ensuring their security posture aligns with the organization’s required level of data protection.
Certification
What is the SOC 2 Standard?
The SOC 2 standard was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) as part of its Trust Services Criteria, to facilitate auditing and reporting on the internal controls implemented by service organizations to safeguard customer data.
SOC 2 reports assess an organization’s controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. These reports verify whether the controls in place meet one or more of the five SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria. Data compliance certifications such as SOC 2 are often required as prerequisites or contractual obligations when engaging with clients or partners.
SOC 2 Type II compliance is specifically designed for service organizations. It includes principles covering security, availability, confidentiality, privacy, and processing integrity of transactions. The “Type II” designation indicates that the audit has been conducted over a defined period of time, typically six months, to evaluate the operational effectiveness of the controls.
These standards are critical to ensuring robust information security (InfoSec) across vendors’ IT systems and to uphold contractual requirements between vendors and their clients.
Third-party risk management is a vital component of any organization’s security strategy.
SOC 2 provides a structured framework to evaluate whether a service organization has implemented and is maintaining an effective information security management system, and whether it can prevent and respond to security incidents.
Many organizations rely on SOC 2 to assess third-party vendors, ensuring their security posture aligns with the organization’s required level of data protection.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a compliance reporting standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
It is designed to evaluate and report on an organization’s controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data.
Our Approach to
SOC 2
A strong and proactive security approach is essential in an era marked by the rise of cyberattacks. Threats such as ransomware and phishing attacks continue to challenge businesses of all sizes and across all industries. Moreover, supply chain attacks have emerged as a serious concern.
GERICO supports companies through the process of implementing a robust security framework, with the aim of first establishing and then reducing risk levels, while also improving overall operational effectiveness.
What We Offer
GERICO guides clients through the full application of the SOC 2 framework. The resulting SOC 2 compliance report includes the five Trust Services Criteria, also known as trust principles. Security is mandatory, while the other criteria may vary depending on the specific industry or business model.
Each of these criteria determines the requirements for different types of controls.
Security: This is the most fundamental and essential Trust Services Category for SOC 2 compliance.
Availability: This is particularly important for service providers with strict SLAs to meet for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), or Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) products. When the IT service is considered mission-critical for clients, data availability becomes essential.
Processing Integrity: This applies to services that process transactions for financial institutions or e-commerce clients.
Confidentiality: When the data processed on behalf of clients is sensitive—such as intellectual property—this becomes a key pillar of SOC 2 Type II compliance.
Privacy: Not to be confused with confidentiality, this principle focuses on Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as medical records.
