SOC 2 is a compliance framework that is used for assessing service organizations on their information security standards and practices. The certification was developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and is based on a thorough assessment of five different trust services criteria, which are security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
In order to get a SOC 2 report, businesses must undergo a voluntary audit which scrutinizes the security, availability, and processing integrity of the systems which the organization uses to process customer data. Data confidentiality and privacy standards are also assessed.
There are two different types of SOC 2 reports which are called “SOC 2 type I” and “SOC 2 type II”, respectively. Type II is generally considered to be more demanding, since it requires businesses to pass a 3-month observation period and show continuous effort and dedication to enhancing their security standards.
SOC 2 type I vs. SOC 2 type II
The main difference between SOC 2 type I and SOC 2 type II is that the latter assesses the security of systems and processes over an extended period of time, while type I evaluates system and process security at a single point in time.
In other words, a SOC 2 type I report checks whether a service organization’s systems are designed to ensure safe data processing. A SOC 2 type II report takes the assessment one step further by evaluating whether the implemented control mechanisms work as intended.