SOC 2 Overview

By the end

What you'll build

• Describe what a SOC 2 report contains and who is entitled to issue one
• Distinguish an attestation report from a certificate, a compliance badge and an individual qualification
• Explain the difference between a Type 1 and a Type 2 report and what each can reasonably support
• Outline the phases an organisation moves through from gap assessment to a first report
• Ask informed questions when a customer, prospect or supplier raises SOC 2 in a conversation

Curriculum

What's inside

5 modules · 25 lessons

1. 01

   The Shape of SOC 2

   5 lessons
   • Why Customers Ask For a SOC 2 Report
   • Attestation, Assurance and Audit: Three Words People Mix Up
   • The Independent Practitioner and Why Independence Matters
   • Inside a Report: Sections, Description and Opinion
   • Say it accurately: the words around a SOC 2 reportmatch pairs
2. 02

   Criteria and Scope

   5 lessons
   • Choosing Which Trust Services Criteria Categories Apply
   • Security as the Common Baseline
   • Drawing the System Boundary Honestly
   • Subservice Organisations, Inclusive and Carve-Out Methods
   • Categories in, boundary drawnfill blank
3. 03

   Type 1 Versus Type 2

   5 lessons
   • Point in Time or Over a Period: What Each Report Can Support
   • Observation Windows and Why Their Length Matters
   • Bridge Letters Between Report Periods
   • Reading an Opinion, Including a Qualified One
   • Covering the gap after a period endssequence order
4. 04

   The Readiness Journey

   5 lessons
   • From Gap Assessment to First Report: A Realistic Timeline
   • Gap Assessment, Remediation and Prioritisation
   • Evidence Collection During the Observation Window
   • Living With the Report: Maintenance, Not a Finish Line
   • The access review with no tracescenario
5. 05

   Practice and check

   5 lessons
   • Report types and criteria categoriesmatch pairs
   • From nothing to a first reportsequence order
   • Answering a buyer accuratelyfill blank
   • The buyer asks for your SOC 2scenario
   • Course quizquiz

The shape of it

How this course works