What is SOC 2 Compliance? - SOC 2 Certification Explained 

Some people are surprised when I tell them that SOC 2 compliance is not a formal legal requirement, meaning the driver to reach compliance is commercial, not legal. Not every service provider will have completed SOC 2 meaning that, in competitive situations, SOC 2 compliance provides you with a distinct advantage. SOC 2 is also often mandated in contracts, making SOC 2 compliance a direct business enabler.

Unlike contemporary compliance standards, such as ISO 27001 , successfully meeting SOC 2 compliance does not come with a certificate! There’s no such thing as SOC 2 certification. Instead of a certificate, compliance is attested by a report that can only be provided by an AICPA-registered auditor. These reports include a detailed description of your systems, the results of the tests, and a management assertion on how well you meet the standard.