What Is Required for SOC 2 Compliance

What Is Required for SOC 2 Compliance | Sentant

If you’re searching for what is required for SOC 2 compliance, you’re probably feeling a mix of urgency and confusion. One customer wants a SOC 2 report before they sign. Another prospect asks if you’re “Type II yet.” And suddenly you’re in a world of trust criteria, controls, and audit timelines. The good news: SOC 2 isn’t magic. It’s a structured way to prove you protect customer data. Once you understand the requirements, the path gets a lot less intimidating.

This guide explains what SOC 2 compliance requires, how the audit works, and what most companies need to put in place. I’ll keep it practical, a little opinionated in a helpful way, and focused on what actually moves you toward a clean report.

Key Takeaways

• SOC 2 is based on the AICPA Trust Services Criteria, with Security always required
• You must document and operate controls that match your services and risks
• Type I evaluates design at a point in time, while Type II tests controls over months
• Evidence collection and consistency matter as much as the controls themselves
• Sentant helps teams scope, implement, and pass SOC 2 without chaos

What is SOC 2 

SOC 2 is an assurance report created by an independent CPA firm. It confirms that your organization has controls that protect customer data and systems. These controls are evaluated against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria (TSC): Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. 

Security is mandatory for every SOC 2 report. The other criteria are optional, chosen based on what your product does and what your customers expect. 

So when someone asks, “Are you SOC 2 compliant?” they’re really asking:
“Can you prove, with an auditor’s report, that you manage risk and protect data?”

What Is Required for SOC 2 Compliance, Exactly?

Let’s break it down into the three things auditors care about most: scope, controls, and evidence.

1. A clear scope

You must define what systems are in scope. That includes:

• your product or service
  
  
• supporting infrastructure (cloud, databases, CI/CD, endpoints)
  
  
• people and processes that touch customer data
  
  
• third-party vendors that support the service
  
  

A tight scope is your friend. Over-scoping leads to unnecessary controls and longer audits. Under-scoping leads to awkward audit findings. We want “right-sized.”

2. Controls aligned to the Trust Services Criteria

Auditors look for controls that match the criteria you selected. Most companies start with:

• Security only, or
  
  
• Security + Availability (common for SaaS)
  
  

The controls themselves vary by company, but you’ll almost always need coverage in these areas:

Access control

• least privilege
  
  
• MFA everywhere
  
  
• joiner/mover/leaver process
  
  
• regular access reviews
  
  

Change management

• tracked code changes
  
  
• approvals for production
  
  
• rollback plans
  
  
• separation between dev and prod
  
  

Security monitoring and incident response

• logging and alerting
  
  
• documented incident plan
  
  
• post-incident reviews
  
  

Risk management

• annual risk assessment
  
  
• vendor risk reviews
  
  
• policies that reflect how you operate
  
  

Business continuity

• backups
  
  
• restoration testing
  
  
• DR planning (especially if you claim Availability)
  
  

The AICPA criteria map closely to the COSO internal control framework, so auditors expect a full control environment, not just technical tools. 

3. Evidence that controls are operating

This is where teams stumble. Having a policy is not enough. You must show proof that the policy is followed.

Examples of evidence:

• screenshots of MFA enforcement
  
  
• access review tickets
  
  
• change approval records
  
  
• incident drill notes
  
  
• backup logs and test results
  
  
• security training completion reports
  
  

Auditors don’t need drama. They need receipts.

SOC 2 Type I vs Type II (and why customers care)

SOC 2 comes in two flavors:

Type I looks at whether controls are designed correctly and in place at a specific date. 

Type II tests whether those controls operate effectively over time, usually 3–12 months. 

Think of Type I as “we built the safety system.”
Type II is “we’ve been using it consistently, and it works.”

Most enterprise buyers prefer Type II, because it proves reliability instead of readiness. 

The Soc 2 Requirements Checklist Most SAAS Companies Face

Here’s a practical list of what you’ll likely need to pass a first SOC 2:

Policies and governance

• information security policy
  
  
• acceptable use policy
  
  
• incident response policy
  
  
• change management policy
  
  
• vendor risk policy
  
  
• business continuity policy
  
  

Auditors expect these to be approved, versioned, and actually used.

Security foundation

• MFA for all critical tools
  
  
• SSO or centralized IAM
  
  
• endpoint protection
  
  
• encrypted data at rest and in transit
  
  
• vulnerability management process
  
  
• secure SDLC practices
  
  

People processes

• background checks were relevant
  
  
• onboarding/offboarding controls
  
  
• security awareness training
  
  
• role definitions for security ownership
  
  

Vendor and cloud controls

• vendor due diligence
  
  
• signed DPAs where needed
  
  
• shared responsibility clarity
  
  
• monitoring for cloud misconfigurations
  
  

Audit-ready evidence

• consistent ticketing
  
  
• logs stored and searchable
  
  
• scheduled reviews on the calendar
  
  
• proof of follow-through
  
  

You don’t need to be perfect. You need to be consistent, documented, and risk-aware.

Common SOC 2 Pitfalls (so you can dodge them)

Pitfall 1: Treating SOC 2 like a one-time project
SOC 2 is a living program. If your controls vanish after the audit, Type II will hurt.

Pitfall 2: Buying tools instead of designing processes
Tools help, but auditors test processes. A shiny dashboard can’t replace an access review.

Pitfall 3: Weak evidence cadence
You can’t backfill six months of missing reviews a week before a Type II audit. Ask me how I know. (Okay, don’t. Just trust this one.)

Pitfall 4: Over-scoping early
Start with what matters to customers. Expand criteria later if needed. Security first, always. 

How Long Does SOC 2 Compliance Take

There’s no universal clock, but the pattern is pretty stable:

1. Scoping + gap assessment (find what’s missing)
   
   
2. Control implementation (policies + technical fixes)
   
   
3. Evidence runway
   
   
   
   • For Type I: short runway
     
     
   • For Type II: months of operating evidence
     
     
4. Audit and report
   
   

If your startup is early, Type I is usually step one. If you already run mature controls, you may go straight to Type II.

Why Sentant Makes SOC 2 Easier

SOC 2 is achievable, but it can swallow your calendar if you DIY it without a plan. OChelps you:

• scope correctly the first time
  
  
• map controls to the exact Trust Services Criteria you need
  
  
• build evidence workflows that don’t rely on heroics
  
  
• prep cleanly for Type I or Type II
  
  
• stay audit-ready year-round
  
  

In short, we make “compliance” feel like a business advantage instead of a recurring disaster.

Ready to Stop Asking What Is Required for SOC 2 Compliance?

If you’re still wondering what is required for SOC 2 compliance, that’s your signal to get support early. The sooner you scope and build controls, the faster you can satisfy customer demands and close deals.

Talk to Sentant today. We’ll assess your current posture, design a SOC 2 plan that fits your product, and guide you to a report you can hand to buyers with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What are the core requirements for SOC 2 compliance?

You must meet the AICPA Trust Services Criteria, with Security required and evidence showing controls operate effectively. 

2. Is SOC 2 compliance mandatory for SaaS companies?

It’s not legally mandatory, but many enterprise customers require it before signing.

3. How is SOC 2 Type I different from Type II?

Type I checks control design at a point in time. Type II checks control performance over 3–12 months. 

4. Which Trust Services Criteria should we choose?

Security is always required. Add Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, or Privacy based on your service and customer expectations. 

5. How long does it take to get SOC 2 compliant?

Type I can be done once controls are in place. Type II needs months of evidence to prove consistency. 

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‍Will Pizzano, CISM is Founder of Sentant, a managed security and IT services provider that has helped dozens of companies achieve SOC 2 compliance. If you’re interested in help obtaining SOC 2 compliance, contact us.