SOC Readiness Assessments

Prepare for Your Upcoming SOC Report

Companies that contract with external vendors (service organizations) for data management services (Software as a Service (SAAS), payment processing, etc.) often require a systems and organization control (SOC) report to validate the effectiveness of internal control as it pertains to data processing and security governance. These external vendors that receive, manage, store, or update their client’s data are ideal targets for cybercriminals especially given the nature of company data – financial, healthcare, personally identifiable information (PII), or simply data deemed “confidential.” SOC reports can provide an increased level of confidence that the service organization can reasonably protect their client’s data from unauthorized exposure. For service organizations that have never undergone a SOC examination, the road to preparedness can seem daunting. In these cases, a SOC readiness assessment can be performed to ensure that sufficient controls and policies are in place prior to the start of the SOC examination process.

SOC Readiness Assessment

After an initial review of operations and processes, our team will take a risk-based approach to determine a proposed internal control design against the AICPA’s Trust Services Principles framework over control areas that may include security, confidentiality, availability, processing integrity, and privacy. Often, the size and complexity of the organization will dictate the intensity of the assessment, and areas of assistance could range from a general review of existing documentation and internal control to policy and procedure design and development.

The main objective is to uncover control gaps based on various risk factors and recommend remediation action plans all in an effort to best prepare the company for a SOC examination.

Why Windham Brannon?

Our team of professionals are seasoned consultants and auditors who have years of experience with assisting organizations to prepare and subsequently facilitate SOC examinations. Our industry expertise is broad and includes clients in technology, financial services, healthcare, state government, real estate, and manufacturing to name a few. Our Assurance practice plans among our engagement teams where we perform multiple attest services to ensure that we plan, facilitate fieldwork, and report taking a coordinated approach and thereby avoiding duplicate tasks, meetings, and procedures.