SOC 2 Trust Services Compliance

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🏆 SOC 2 Compliance Excellence

Build customer trust with proven security controls! Our comprehensive SOC 2 implementation using Microsoft technologies ensures your service organization meets all Trust Services Criteria for security, availability, and data protection.

Achieve SOC 2 compliance with our comprehensive Trust Services implementation using integrated Microsoft technologies. Our expert team provides complete SOC 2 Type I and Type II audit preparation, evidence collection, and ongoing compliance management for service organizations.

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Microsoft for SOC 2 Compliance

Microsoft provides comprehensive SOC 2 compliant infrastructure:

  • Azure - SOC 2 Type II attested cloud platform
  • Microsoft 365 - SOC 2 compliant productivity and collaboration suite
  • Microsoft Defender - Comprehensive security controls and monitoring
  • Microsoft Purview - Data governance and evidence collection
  • Built-in SOC 2 compliance across Microsoft cloud services

SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria Overview

Trust Services Criteria Framework

SOC 2 examinations evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of controls relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data processed by service organizations.

SOC 2 Report Types

  • SOC 2 Type I - Design evaluation of controls at a specific point in time
  • SOC 2 Type II - Operating effectiveness evaluation over a specified period
  • Trust Services Criteria - Security (required) plus applicable additional criteria

Security Trust Services Criteria (Required)

Common Criteria 1.0 - Control Environment

Foundational controls supporting the effective operation of other trust services criteria.

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CC1.1 - The entity demonstrates a commitment to integrity and ethical values

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft Compliance Manager for ethics and compliance program management
  • Azure Policy for automated compliance enforcement
  • Microsoft 365 for code of conduct distribution and acknowledgment
  • Azure Active Directory for segregation of duties enforcement

Our Services:

  • Code of conduct and ethics policy development
  • Ethics training program implementation
  • Conflict of interest management procedures
  • Regular ethics assessment and monitoring

Control Implementation:

  • Documented code of conduct with annual acknowledgment
  • Ethics hotline and reporting mechanisms
  • Regular training on ethical behavior and compliance
  • Investigation procedures for ethics violations

CC1.2 - The board of directors demonstrates independence and exercises oversight

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft Teams for board communication and meeting management
  • SharePoint for board document management and security
  • Azure Information Protection for confidential board material protection
  • Microsoft 365 for secure board collaboration

Our Services:

  • Board governance framework development
  • Independent oversight procedure implementation
  • Board meeting documentation and management
  • Compliance reporting to board and audit committee

Control Implementation:

  • Board charter and committee structures
  • Independent director requirements and assessments
  • Regular board oversight of risk and compliance
  • Executive session procedures for independent discussions

CC1.3 - Management establishes structures, reporting lines, and authorities

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Azure Active Directory for organizational role definition and management
  • Microsoft 365 organization charts and directory services
  • Power Platform for workflow automation and approval processes
  • Azure Role-Based Access Control for system authority alignment

Our Services:

  • Organizational structure design and documentation
  • Authority matrix development and implementation
  • Reporting relationship definition and management
  • Delegation of authority procedures

Control Implementation:

  • Organization charts with clear reporting relationships
  • Job descriptions with defined authorities and responsibilities
  • Delegation documentation and approval processes
  • Regular review of organizational effectiveness

Common Criteria 2.0 - Communication and Information

Information systems and communication supporting trust services criteria.

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CC2.1 - The entity obtains or generates relevant information to support controls

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft Sentinel for comprehensive log collection and analysis
  • Azure Monitor for infrastructure and application monitoring
  • Microsoft Purview for data discovery and classification
  • Power BI for compliance reporting and dashboards

Our Services:

  • Information requirements analysis and documentation
  • Data collection and aggregation procedures
  • Reporting framework design and implementation
  • Information quality assurance processes

Control Implementation:

  • Identification of information needed for control operation
  • Data collection procedures from multiple sources
  • Information processing and analysis workflows
  • Quality reviews and validation procedures

CC2.2 - The entity internally communicates information to support controls

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft Teams for internal communication and collaboration
  • Yammer for organization-wide announcements and updates
  • SharePoint for policy and procedure publication
  • Microsoft 365 for email communication and distribution lists

Our Services:

  • Internal communication strategy development
  • Policy and procedure communication processes
  • Training and awareness program implementation
  • Feedback and reporting mechanism establishment

Control Implementation:

  • Communication channels for different types of information
  • Policy distribution and acknowledgment processes
  • Training programs for control-related responsibilities
  • Escalation procedures for control deficiencies

CC2.3 - The entity communicates with external parties about matters affecting controls

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft 365 for external communication management
  • Dynamics 365 for customer communication tracking
  • Azure Information Protection for external document protection
  • Microsoft Forms for feedback collection and surveys

Our Services:

  • External communication framework development
  • Customer notification procedures
  • Vendor and supplier communication processes
  • Regulatory reporting and compliance communication

Control Implementation:

  • External communication policies and procedures
  • Customer notification processes for control changes
  • Vendor and third-party communication requirements
  • Public reporting and transparency measures

Common Criteria 3.0 - Risk Assessment

Risk identification, analysis, and response supporting trust services objectives.

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CC3.1 - The entity specifies objectives to enable identification of risks

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft Compliance Manager for objective tracking and management
  • Azure Security Center for security objective monitoring
  • Microsoft 365 for objective communication and collaboration
  • Power Platform for objective tracking workflows

Our Services:

  • Business and compliance objective definition
  • Risk appetite and tolerance establishment
  • Objective measurement and monitoring procedures
  • Regular objective review and adjustment

Control Implementation:

  • Clear articulation of trust services objectives
  • Alignment with business strategy and operations
  • Measurable criteria for objective achievement
  • Regular monitoring and reporting on objective status

CC3.2 - The entity identifies risks to achieving objectives and analyzes risks

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft Defender for Cloud for threat and vulnerability identification
  • Azure Sentinel for risk analysis and correlation
  • Microsoft Purview for data-related risk assessment
  • Azure Monitor for operational risk monitoring

Our Services:

  • Risk identification methodology development
  • Risk analysis and evaluation procedures
  • Risk register development and maintenance
  • Threat modeling and scenario analysis

Control Implementation:

  • Systematic risk identification processes
  • Risk analysis considering likelihood and impact
  • Risk register with regular updates
  • Integration with business planning processes

CC3.3 - The entity responds to risks to achieve objectives

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Azure Policy for automated risk response and remediation
  • Azure Automation for response workflow execution
  • Microsoft Sentinel for automated incident response
  • Azure Key Vault for risk mitigation controls

Our Services:

  • Risk response strategy development
  • Risk treatment plan implementation
  • Control design and implementation
  • Risk monitoring and adjustment procedures

Control Implementation:

  • Risk response alternatives evaluation
  • Risk treatment decisions and documentation
  • Control implementation and testing
  • Ongoing monitoring of risk response effectiveness

Common Criteria 4.0 - Monitoring Activities

Ongoing and separate evaluations to determine control effectiveness.

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CC4.1 - The entity selects, develops, and performs ongoing or separate evaluations

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Azure Security Center for continuous security monitoring
  • Microsoft Compliance Manager for ongoing compliance assessment
  • Azure Monitor for infrastructure and application monitoring
  • Microsoft Sentinel for security operations monitoring

Our Services:

  • Monitoring strategy development and implementation
  • Continuous monitoring process design
  • Separate evaluation planning and execution
  • Monitoring tool implementation and configuration

Control Implementation:

  • Monitoring activities covering all trust services criteria
  • Ongoing monitoring procedures and automation
  • Separate evaluation schedules and procedures
  • Integration of monitoring results with risk assessment

CC4.2 - The entity evaluates and communicates control deficiencies

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft Sentinel for deficiency identification and alerting
  • Azure DevOps for deficiency tracking and remediation
  • Microsoft 365 for deficiency communication and reporting
  • Power BI for deficiency trending and analysis

Our Services:

  • Deficiency evaluation criteria development
  • Deficiency communication procedures
  • Remediation planning and tracking
  • Root cause analysis and corrective action

Control Implementation:

  • Deficiency evaluation and severity assessment
  • Timely communication to appropriate personnel
  • Remediation tracking and verification
  • Trend analysis and preventive measures

Common Criteria 5.0 - Control Activities

Policies and procedures supporting risk response and trust services objectives.

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CC5.1 - The entity selects and develops control activities

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Azure Policy for automated control implementation
  • Microsoft Intune for endpoint control management
  • Azure Active Directory for identity and access controls
  • Microsoft Purview for data protection controls

Our Services:

  • Control activity design and selection
  • Control documentation and procedure development
  • Technology control implementation
  • Manual control procedure establishment

Control Implementation:

  • Control activities aligned with risk assessment
  • Technology controls leveraging Microsoft capabilities
  • Manual controls with clear procedures
  • Integration of preventive and detective controls

CC5.2 - The entity implements control activities through policies

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft 365 for policy distribution and management
  • Azure Automation for control execution and monitoring
  • SharePoint for procedure documentation and access
  • Microsoft Teams for control activity coordination

Our Services:

  • Control policy development and documentation
  • Control implementation guidance and training
  • Control testing and validation procedures
  • Control effectiveness monitoring

Control Implementation:

  • Written policies supporting each control activity
  • Procedures specifying control performance requirements
  • Training for personnel responsible for controls
  • Regular testing and validation of control effectiveness

Additional Trust Services Criteria

Availability Criteria

Ensuring system and service availability to meet commitments and agreements.

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A1.1 - The entity maintains availability commitments through system design

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Azure high availability and disaster recovery capabilities
  • Azure Site Recovery for business continuity planning
  • Azure Traffic Manager for load distribution and failover
  • Azure Backup for data protection and recovery

Our Services:

  • Availability requirements analysis and documentation
  • High availability architecture design and implementation
  • Disaster recovery planning and testing
  • Service level agreement development and monitoring

Control Implementation:

  • System architecture supporting availability requirements
  • Redundancy and failover mechanisms
  • Disaster recovery procedures and testing
  • Monitoring and alerting for availability metrics

A1.2 - The entity monitors system availability and addresses issues

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Azure Monitor for comprehensive availability monitoring
  • Application Insights for application performance monitoring
  • Azure Service Health for service status and incident management
  • Microsoft Sentinel for availability-related security events

Our Services:

  • Availability monitoring strategy development
  • Alerting and incident response procedures
  • Performance baseline establishment and tracking
  • Capacity planning and resource management

Control Implementation:

  • Real-time monitoring of system availability
  • Automated alerting for availability issues
  • Incident response procedures for outages
  • Regular reporting on availability performance

Confidentiality Criteria

Protecting confidential information as committed or agreed.

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C1.1 - The entity identifies and maintains confidential information

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Microsoft Information Protection for data classification and labeling
  • Azure Information Protection for document and email protection
  • Microsoft Purview for sensitive data discovery and governance
  • Azure Key Vault for encryption key management

Our Services:

  • Confidential information identification and classification
  • Data protection strategy development and implementation
  • Encryption and access control deployment
  • Confidentiality training and awareness programs

Control Implementation:

  • Confidential information identification and labeling
  • Access controls based on confidentiality requirements
  • Encryption for confidential data at rest and in transit
  • Regular review of confidentiality controls effectiveness

C1.2 - The entity restricts access to confidential information

Microsoft Implementation:

  • Azure Active Directory for identity-based access controls
  • Microsoft 365 Data Loss Prevention for content-based restrictions
  • Azure Role-Based Access Control for resource-level permissions
  • Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps for cloud application security

Our Services:

  • Access control framework design and implementation
  • User access review and certification procedures
  • Data loss prevention policy development
  • Privileged access management

Control Implementation:

  • Role-based access controls for confidential information
  • Regular access reviews and certifications
  • Data loss prevention controls and monitoring
  • Audit logging for confidential data access

SOC 2 Audit Preparation and Support

Pre-Audit Readiness

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SOC 2 Readiness Assessment:

  • Current state evaluation against Trust Services Criteria
  • Control design review and gap identification
  • Evidence collection capability assessment
  • Remediation planning and timeline development

Microsoft Tool Integration:

  • Leverage Microsoft Compliance Manager for readiness tracking
  • Use Azure Security Center for control effectiveness measurement
  • Implement Microsoft Purview for evidence collection automation

Trust Services Control Deployment:

  • Technical controls using Microsoft security capabilities
  • Administrative controls through policies and procedures
  • Physical controls coordination with facility management
  • Monitoring controls via Microsoft security operations tools

Implementation Approach:

  • Phased rollout aligned with audit timeline
  • Integration with existing Microsoft infrastructure
  • Change management and user adoption support

Type I Audit Support

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Control Design Evidence:

  • System description - Infrastructure, software, people, procedures
  • Control descriptions - Detailed control design documentation
  • Trust Services - Mapping controls to applicable criteria
  • Complementary controls - Entity and subservice organization controls

Documentation Management:

  • Centralized documentation repository in SharePoint
  • Version control and change management procedures
  • Review and approval workflows for documentation updates

Control Design Evaluation:

  • Walkthrough procedures - Control process documentation and testing
  • Design effectiveness - Assessment of control design adequacy
  • Exception identification - Gap analysis and remediation planning
  • Management response - Corrective action plans for identified issues

Testing Support:

  • Coordinate with auditors for control walkthroughs
  • Provide evidence and documentation as requested
  • Support design effectiveness evaluation procedures

Type II Audit Support

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Control Testing Evidence:

  • Population definition - Identification of control instances during examination period
  • Sample selection - Support for auditor sampling procedures
  • Testing procedures - Execution of control testing as designed
  • Exception analysis - Investigation and documentation of control failures

Evidence Collection:

  • Automated evidence collection using Microsoft tools
  • Manual evidence gathering and documentation
  • Exception investigation and root cause analysis

Ongoing Control Monitoring:

  • Real-time monitoring - Continuous assessment of control effectiveness
  • Trend analysis - Identification of control performance patterns
  • Proactive remediation - Early identification and correction of issues
  • Management reporting - Regular updates on control performance

Monitoring Framework:

  • Microsoft Sentinel for security control monitoring
  • Azure Monitor for infrastructure control monitoring
  • Microsoft Compliance Manager for overall compliance tracking

SOC 2 Service Packages

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Basic SOC 2 Implementation:

  • Gap assessment and remediation planning
  • Core Trust Services criteria implementation
  • Microsoft tool configuration for compliance
  • Type I audit preparation and support
  • Evidence collection procedures and training

Suitable for small to medium service organizations Timeline: 6-12 months to Type I audit readiness

Comprehensive SOC 2 Management:

  • Full Trust Services criteria implementation
  • Advanced Microsoft integration and automation
  • Type I and Type II audit support
  • Continuous monitoring and improvement
  • Ongoing compliance management and support

Suitable for medium to large service organizations Timeline: 9-15 months to Type II audit completion

Strategic SOC 2 Partnership:

  • Multi-location SOC 2 implementation
  • Advanced automation and integration
  • Dedicated compliance team and support
  • Continuous improvement and optimization
  • Strategic consulting and advisory services

Suitable for large enterprises and complex organizations Timeline: 12-18 months to full SOC 2 maturity

SOC 2 Benefits and Value

Business Benefits

  • Customer trust - Demonstrated commitment to security and data protection
  • Competitive advantage - Differentiation through third-party validation
  • Risk management - Systematic approach to operational risk
  • Vendor qualification - Meeting customer due diligence requirements

Operational Benefits

  • Process improvement - Standardization of security and operational procedures
  • Incident reduction - Proactive control implementation and monitoring
  • Efficiency gains - Automation and optimization of control activities
  • Compliance integration - Foundation for other compliance frameworks

Microsoft Integration Advantages

  • Built-in compliance - Native SOC 2 compliance across Microsoft services
  • Automated evidence - Technology-enabled evidence collection and retention
  • Continuous monitoring - Real-time control effectiveness assessment
  • Scalable architecture - Cloud-native infrastructure supporting growth
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Achieve SOC 2 Compliance with Microsoft

Implement comprehensive Trust Services controls while leveraging Microsoft technologies for efficient, automated compliance management and evidence collection.

Schedule your SOC 2 readiness assessment to identify opportunities and develop a roadmap for audit success.