What is SOC 2? A Complete Guide to the Security and Compliance Framework
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In an age where data breaches make daily headlines—whether it's Equifax, Facebook, or LinkedIn—ensuring the protection of sensitive customer data has never been more critical. For service organizations, especially in the SaaS and cloud service space, SOC 2® compliance has become a gold standard for demonstrating robust data security practices. But what exactly is SOC 2? Why does it matter? And how does it work? Let’s break it down. What is SOC 2? SOC 2 stands for System and Organization Controls 2 , a security framework developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in 2010. It sets criteria for how companies should manage customer data based on five core Trust Services Criteria (TSC) : Security Availability Processing Integrity Confidentiality Privacy SOC 2 is both a framework and an attestation audit that evaluates an organization’s internal controls related to these criteria, with the ultimate goal of establishing trust b...