What is SOC 2?
Last updated: April 2026SOC 2 is a security framework developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). It defines criteria for managing customer data based on five Trust Services Criteria: Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy.
Why SOC 2 Matters for SaaS Companies
Enterprise buyers and their legal teams increasingly require SOC 2 compliance before signing contracts. A SOC 2 report proves that your systems and processes meet a recognised security standard — without it, you may lose deals to competitors who have it.
SOC 2 Type I vs Type II
There are two types of SOC 2 reports. A Type I report assesses whether your controls are suitably designed at a point in time. A Type II report assesses whether those controls operated effectively over a period of time (typically 6–12 months). Most enterprise prospects require Type II.
The 29 Trust Services Criteria
SOC 2 compliance is measured against 29 Trust Services Criteria (TSC) defined by the AICPA. These cover areas including logical access controls, encryption, audit logging, incident response, vendor management, and change management. ComplianceGuard maps evidence directly to all 29 criteria.
What Evidence Do Auditors Need?
Auditors need documented proof that your controls exist and work. This includes: password policy configuration, firewall rules, disk encryption status, user account reviews, audit logs, AWS security configurations, and incident response procedures. ComplianceGuard collects this evidence automatically from your machine and AWS environment.
How Long Does SOC 2 Take?
A SOC 2 Type I audit typically takes 4–8 weeks from starting evidence collection to receiving your report. A Type II audit requires an observation period of 6–12 months before the auditor can issue the report. Starting evidence collection early — before you need the report — is the most important thing you can do.
How ComplianceGuard Helps
ComplianceGuard automates the evidence collection step. Instead of manually running PowerShell scripts and copying output into spreadsheets, ComplianceGuard reads your OS and AWS environment directly and exports evidence in the exact format auditors accept. The free tier shows your readiness score in under 2 minutes.
Beyond SOC 2: ISO 27001 and HIPAA
If your clients are in Europe, they may require ISO 27001 certification instead of — or in addition to — SOC 2. If you work with healthcare data, HIPAA compliance is mandatory. ComplianceGuard now supports all three frameworks from the same evidence collection run. One scan, three reports.