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SOC 2 Assessment
SOC 2 Reporting Built for Customer Scrutiny.
Your customers expect a SOC 2 report before they share data or sign contracts. Fortreum guides you from gap assessment through Type 1 and Type 2 examination.
The Cost of Being Unprepared
SOC 2 Is Not Mandatory. Your Customers Require It Anyway.
No law mandates System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2. But enterprise customers, partners, and procurement teams increasingly require a SOC 2 report before they will share data or sign contracts with a service provider. Without one, deals stall.
- Exceptions in your Type 2 report are permanent and visible to every customer who reads it
- Skipping gap assessment increases your chances of finding control failures during the audit, not before it
- A Type 2 report without a continuous monitoring strategy fails at the next renewal cycle
- Working with the wrong Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firm adds months and findings that a cybersecurity-focused assessor would have caught first.
How It Works
From Readiness Assessment to SOC Report. In the Right Order.
Built for technology companies, Software as a Service (SaaS) providers, and service organizations preparing for their first SOC 2 or improving on a previous result.
SOC Readiness Assessment
Fortreum identifies gaps in your current controls against your applicable trust service criteria, reviews your system boundary, and builds a SOC readiness roadmap. You know every roadblock to Type 2 before remediation work begins.
Program Development
Our readiness assessment results will help you build documentation, analyze controls, develop your risk management processes, and security, availability, and confidentiality safeguards your SOC 2 program requires.
SOC 2 Type 1 Examination
A Type 1 report examines the design of your controls at a point in time. It is the right starting point for organizations that need a SOC attestation but are not yet ready for a full Type 2 audit. Type 1 demonstrates your controls are suitably designed and sets the foundation for Type 2.
SOC 2 Type 2 Examination
A Type 2 report validates the operational effectiveness of your controls over a defined period, typically six to twelve months. It provides the highest level of assurance to customers and partners and is what most enterprise buyers require before sharing data.
Technical Foundation
How We Approach Every SOC Engagement
We Build in the Right Order.
Jumping to a Type 2 audit without a SOC Readiness Assessment risks exceptions in your report that are permanent and visible to every customer who reads it. Fortreum always begins with SOC Readiness Assessment, then Type 1 if needed, then Type 2. That sequence protects your report before we issue it.
Trust Service Categories Your Business Requires.
SOC 2 reports are built around the trust service criteria your business requires: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Fortreum identifies which categories apply to your organization and builds the audit program around them, not a generic template.
We Work with Your SOC Program.
Not all SOC programs are the same. Whether you have a traditional compliance program, use an automation tool, or use a GRC tool, we will work with the people and technology that you have in place to make the audit as seamless as possible.
Do You Need SOC 1?
Your Services May Require SOC 1.
SOC 1 applies when your services affect your clients’ financial statements. Fortreum can help you determine your SOC 1 objectives, as well as provide the same scoping guidance, readiness assessment, and Type 1 or Type 2 assessments as our SOC 2 offerings.
SOC FRAMEWORKS
A CPA Firm Behind a Report Your Customers Will Trust
SOC standards are developed by the AICPA and SOC reports must be issued by a licensed CPA firm. Fortreum Associates, a licensed, registered, and peer-reviewed CPA firm run by seasoned SOC expert Jeff Cook, CPA, provides the SOC assessment expertise that helps position your organization for a successful examination.
SOC 2 Is Built Around Five Trust Service Criteria.
The AICPA’s trust service criteria define what a SOC 2 report evaluates: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Security is required for every SOC 2 report. The other four criteria are selected based on your specific business commitments to customers. Fortreum identifies which criteria apply and scopes your program accordingly.
SOC Reports Require a CPA Firm.
SOC engagements were developed by the AICPA and SOC reports must be issued by a licensed CPA firm. Fortreum provides the cybersecurity assessment expertise, gap analysis, and program readiness work that positions your organization for a successful examination.
Trusted by Technology Companies and Service Organizations
Your Customers Read Your SOC Report. Make Sure It Holds Up.
Leadership Experience in SOC
15+ Years
In addition to leading every SOC engagement for Fortreum, our SOC Partner is on the SOC 2 working group for the AICPA, teaches the SOC school for the AICPA, is a SOC enhanced oversight reviewer, and has helped multiple firms in their quality control for SOC.
Three-Year Growth
154%
That growth rate reflects:
- Clients that come back year-over-year for their annual assessment based on the quality of our personnel and reporting
- New clients that understand our reputation for quality
- Fortreum’s clients of other frameworks that also trust our personnel for SOC
Across 11+Frameworks
Coordinated Assessments
Fortreum’s KOVR platform owns the patent on mapping across compliance frameworks. We ensure the fastest path to SOC, leveraging existing evidence and controls wherever possible.
FAQs
Before You Start Your SOC 2 Examination, Get These Answered.
What is an SOC 2 assessment and who needs one?
An SOC 2 assessment is an independent examination by a licensed CPA firm that validates your controls against the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Trust Service Criteria. No law requires it, but most enterprise buyers, SaaS customers, and cloud partners require an SOC 2 report before they’ll share data with you or sign a contract.
Why does an SOC 2 examination require a CPA firm?
SOC 2 examinations are governed by AICPA attestation standards, which require a licensed CPA firm to conduct the examination and issue the report. Not all CPA firms have the cybersecurity background to evaluate technical controls accurately. Working with a cybersecurity-focused CPA firm protects the quality and credibility of your final report.
How long does it take to get a SOC 2 Type 2 report?
A SOC 2 Type 2 examination is typically reported on an annual (12-month) basis. Organizations that complete a gap assessment and Type 1 first typically reach a clean Type 2 report faster and with fewer exceptions.
Can SOC 2 be pursued alongside other compliance frameworks?
Yes. SOC 2 trust service criteria overlap significantly with Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements. Organizations pursuing multiple frameworks can map shared controls, consolidate evidence collection, and reduce duplication across compliance programs. A multi-framework strategy planned before any single assessment begins saves significant time and cost.
INSIGHTS & RESOURCES
Research, Guidance, and Tools for Your Compliance Journey