Free guide · Plain English · No security background needed
Your First 5 SOC 2 Moves
Five plain-English moves to get audit-ready — before you spend twenty thousand dollars on a platform, a consultant, and an audit.
Move 1 — Understand what SOC 2 actually is
What it is
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is an independent report on how well your controls meet a set of Trust Services Criteria (TSC) — security first, and optionally availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy.
Why it's first
Teams panic because they picture a mysterious exam. It's not. It's an auditor checking that you do the sensible security things, consistently, and can show it. Knowing that reframes everything that follows.
Do this
Learn the basics: Type I (your controls at a point in time) versus Type II (that they worked over a period, usually three to twelve months). Most customers want Type II — so plan for an observation window.
Move 2 — Scope it before you build anything
What it is
Deciding which Trust Services Criteria you'll include and which systems and data are in scope.
Why it matters
Scope decides how much work the audit is. Too broad and you've signed up for months of needless effort; too narrow and the report won't satisfy your customers.
Do this
Start with the Security criteria (required) and add others only if customers ask. Draw a simple boundary: which product, which systems, which data. Write it down — it's the backbone of the whole project.
Move 3 — Turn on the controls auditors always check
What it is
The handful of basic safeguards that show up in nearly every SOC 2.
Why it matters
A few controls account for most early findings. Turning them on now removes the most common gaps before an auditor ever looks.
Do this
Turn on two-step login (multi-factor authentication, or MFA) everywhere, run access reviews, encrypt data in transit and at rest, enable logging, and require code review and background-checked onboarding. None of these need a platform to start.
Move 4 — Write the handful of policies you'll be asked for
What it is
The short set of written policies auditors expect to see.
Why it matters
SOC 2 is partly "say what you do, then do what you say." Auditors will ask for written policies — and a customer's security reviewer often will too.
Do this
Draft the core set: information security, access control, change management, incident response, vendor management, and business continuity. Keep them short and true to what you actually do — a policy you don't follow is worse than none.
Move 5 — Start collecting evidence now, not the week before
What it is
Quietly keeping the records that show your controls are working.
Why it matters
A Type II audit looks back over months. If you start collecting evidence the week before, you can't recreate the past — so the audit slips. Starting early is the single biggest time-saver.
Do this
Begin saving the proof now: access-review records, onboarding and offboarding tickets, change approvals, incident notes. Pick where it lives and keep it current — your future self will thank you.
Where to go from here
The free SOC 2 readiness check shows you where your business stands in about five minutes — and it runs entirely in your browser, so we never see your answers.
When you're ready to turn that snapshot into a plan with the templates to carry it out, the Full Edition lays it all out — one-time purchase, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Go deeper on the blog: Do you actually need SOC 2 yet? and SOC 2 or ISO 27001 — which one does your customer actually want? — the long-form pieces behind this guide, free.
This guide provides general guidance and recommended security practices drawn from widely recognised standards. It is not a professional security audit and not legal advice, and it does not guarantee security or prevent any particular breach. Responsibility for your business's security remains with you. © 2026 Sylvan Assurance, LLC.