Data Security &
Outsourced Compliance
As organizations increasingly rely on outsourcing and third-party services, the need for robust assurance over operations, infrastructure, and services has grown significantly. At ProCogia, we help businesses navigate these complexities through tailored System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Assurance.
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SOC 2 Compliance
Outsourcing your SOC 2 compliance process to ProCogia ensures a seamless and efficient journey toward achieving compliance. Our expertise as a trusted third-party provider allows us to handle the entire assessment and reporting process, including working with an independent auditor to evaluate your company’s security controls related to data privacy and protection, as outlined by the AICPA’s Trust Services Criteria.
3 Success Steps
Assessment
ProCogia reviews your current security controls, identifies gaps, and helps implement necessary changes to align with SOC 2 requirements.
Audit Execution
We coordinate with an audit to test your controls and document findings during the SOC 2 audit.
Report Generation
ProCogia prepares a detailed SOC 2 report outlining audit results, including areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
Our SOC 2 Solution Workflow
Discover how our team of Data Engineering specialists can turn your data problems into data solutions.
Our experts help you prepare for the SOC 2 audit by following these critical steps:
- Define Your Objectives: Collaborate with ProCogia to clarify why SOC 2 compliance is essential for your organization, such as improving customer trust or meeting regulatory requirements.
- Understand the Trust Services Criteria: Gain insights into the five Trust Services Criteria—Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy—and determine which are most relevant to your operations.
- Identify the Type of SOC 2 Report You Need: Work with ProCogia to decide whether your organization requires a Type 1 Report (point-in-time audit) or a Type 2 Report (evaluation of controls over time).
- Determine the Scope: ProCogia helps identify which Trust Services Criteria and systems should be included in your SOC 2 report to ensure alignment with your business needs.
- Internal Communication and Collaboration: Establish clear communication channels with key internal teams, such as Human Resources, IT, and Administrators, who will contribute to achieving SOC 2 compliance.
- Conduct a Readiness Assessment: ProCogia performs a readiness assessment to evaluate your current state, identify gaps, and develop a plan to address areas needing improvement for SOC 2 compliance.
Leverage ProCogia’s expertise to streamline your journey to SOC 2 compliance, ensuring a smooth process and a strong security posture for your organization.
After scoping your SOC 2 report, the next step is implementing the required security controls. ProCogia can guide you through this process, ensuring all controls align with your organization’s needs and specific report requirements.
- Perform a Gap Analysis:Identify which SOC 2 controls are already in place and which ones need to be implemented. ProCogia can assist with tools and expertise to streamline this process.
- Identify Specific Controls:Create a detailed list of controls to address gaps uncovered during the analysis.
- Assign Owners:Ensure each control has a dedicated owner responsible for implementation to prevent delays or oversights.
- Implement Controls:ProCogia works with your team to implement and test each missing control effectively.
- Conduct a Readiness Assessment:Perform an initial SOC 2 readiness assessment to confirm you meet all necessary criteria before the audit.
With all controls implemented, ProCogia helps you prepare for the SOC 2 audit by following these critical steps:
- Collect Evidence:Gather all necessary documents and evidence required for the audit. ProCogia ensures you’re organized and fully prepared.
- Hire a SOC 2 Auditor:Work with an AICPA-accredited auditing firm to conduct your audit. ProCogia can recommend trusted partners if needed.
- Coordinate with the Auditor:Provide additional information or documentation as requested by the auditor to facilitate a smooth audit process.
Note: If you’re pursuing a SOC 2 Type 2 report, the audit process will be longer, requiring additional documentation, such as a statement detailing any system changes during the audit period.
After achieving SOC 2 compliance, ProCogia helps you establish a robust plan to maintain compliance long term:
- Set Up Continuous Monitoring:Use a trust management platform with continuous monitoring to detect changes and gaps in compliance proactively.
- Ensure Scalability and Visibility:Your continuous monitoring tools should compile documentation, integrate with workflows, notify you of broken or missing controls, and provide comprehensive visibility into your security infrastructure.
ProCogia ensures your SOC 2 compliance journey is seamless, from implementation to long-term maintenance, providing expert guidance and trusted solutions every step of the way.
FAQs
These SOC FAQs emphasize the critical factors to consider when designing and maintaining a SOC 2 compliance program, including efficiency, scalability, data quality, automation, monitoring, and security. Excelling in these areas ensures that your compliance processes are robust, scalable, and capable of supporting the evolving needs of modern businesses effectively.
In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven business landscape, outsourcing is a common strategy for organizations seeking efficiency and scalability. Whether you’re outsourcing business operations, IT infrastructure, or related services, maintaining governance and accountability over these activities is critical. A System and Organization Controls (SOC) report ensures that third-party service providers effectively manage their operations and associated risks on your behalf, providing confidence and clarity in an increasingly interconnected business environment.
- SOC 1 reporting engagements provide assurance to user organizations about the controls implemented by service organizations that impact internal controls over financial reporting. These reports focus on evaluating the accuracy and completeness of financial data processing and information technology general controls, ensuring alignment with the user organization’s financial reporting needs. Tailored for financial executives, compliance officers, and financial statement auditors, SOC 1 reports offer transparency and confidence in managing financial reporting risks, making them an essential tool for organizations relying on outsourced services.
- SOC 2 reports address third-party risks beyond financial reporting, providing assurance over critical systems and sensitive data used in outsourced services. These reports are commonly used to satisfy vendor risk management requirements, particularly around security. SOC 2 reports assess the effectiveness of a service organization’s controls related to operations, using the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) categories: security, confidentiality, availability, processing integrity, and privacy. Their scope includes governance, operational, and IT general controls, and they can also incorporate additional frameworks like HITRUST or the HIPAA Security Rule. These reports are designed for IT executives, compliance officers, vendor managers, regulators, business partners, and other relevant stakeholders, providing robust insights for managing operational risks.
- SOC 1: Focuses on financial controls, assessing how an organization’s internal controls impact customer financial reporting. Ideal for companies that manage customer funds or sensitive financial data.
- SOC 2: Addresses broader controls related to data security, privacy, availability, processing integrity, and confidentiality. Essential for organizations handling customer data, especially in cloud-based environments.
At ProCogia, we understand that selecting the appropriate SOC report is not just about compliance—it’s about aligning with your business goals, customer expectations, and regulatory requirements. Selecting the right SOC report depends on your organization’s specific needs, objectives, and the level of assurance required by your stakeholders.
Type 1:
- Evaluates the design of controls at a specific point in time.
- Provides a snapshot, making it faster but less comprehensive.
A Type 1 report is suitable if:
- Time Sensitivity: You need a quick evaluation of your control design without a prolonged audit process.
- Initial Assessment: You’re in the early stages of implementing controls and want to validate that they are designed appropriately to meet relevant criteria.
- Limited Stakeholder Requirements: Your customers or partners only need a basic assurance of your control environment at a specific point in time.
- Budget Constraints: You are looking for a more cost-effective option for assurance reporting, as Type 1 requires less time and effort than Type 2.
Type 2:
- Assesses both the design and operational effectiveness of controls over a defined period (e.g., 6–12 months).
- Offers greater assurance and a deeper understanding of control reliability.
A Type 2 report is ideal if:
- Comprehensive Assurance: You want a thorough evaluation of both the design and operating effectiveness of your controls over a defined period (e.g., 6–12 months).
- Stakeholder Confidence: Your customers, partners, or regulators require a deeper level of assurance to trust your control environment.
- Regulatory or Contractual Obligations: You operate in industries with stringent compliance standards, such as financial services, healthcare, or cloud services, where ongoing control effectiveness is critical.
- Enhanced Security Posture: You aim to demonstrate robust governance and operational resilience, supporting a competitive advantage or improving vendor risk assessments.
A Type 1 report is suitable if:
- Time Sensitivity: You need a quick evaluation of your control design without a prolonged audit process.
- Initial Assessment: You’re in the early stages of implementing controls and want to validate that they are designed appropriately to meet relevant criteria.
- Limited Stakeholder Requirements: Your customers or partners only need a basic assurance of your control environment at a specific point in time.
- Budget Constraints: You are looking for a more cost-effective option for assurance reporting, as Type 1 requires less time and effort than Type 2.
A Type 2 report is ideal if:
- Comprehensive Assurance: You want a thorough evaluation of both the design and operating effectiveness of your controls over a defined period (e.g., 6–12 months).
- Stakeholder Confidence: Your customers, partners, or regulators require a deeper level of assurance to trust your control environment.
- Regulatory or Contractual Obligations: You operate in industries with stringent compliance standards, such as financial services, healthcare, or cloud services, where ongoing control effectiveness is critical.
- Enhanced Security Posture: You aim to demonstrate robust governance and operational resilience, supporting a competitive advantage or improving vendor risk assessments.
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(DataOps & MLOps)
ProCogia maximizes data value with operational excellence. We optimize workflows, ensure quality, and establish secure infrastructures for confident data-driven decisions.
