SOC 2 Certification Requirements Guide

Quick Answer: SOC 2 certification requires you to meet the AICPA's Trust Services Criteria across up to five categories: Security (mandatory), Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. You choose which categories apply to your business, then implement and document controls that an independent auditor evaluates to issue your report.

SOC 2 certification requirements are defined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and organized around five Trust Services Criteria. Security is required for every SOC 2 report. The remaining four criteria are optional but often expected by enterprise clients.

Meeting these requirements means building, documenting, and consistently operating security controls across your entire organization, and that process is more involved than most companies anticipate. This guide covers what the requirements actually include, where organizations typically get stuck, and what your options are for getting it done.

Key Takeaways

• SOC 2 certification is built on five Trust Services Criteria, with Security being mandatory and the other four selected based on your business's service commitments.
• The biggest challenge most organizations face is the volume of evidence collection and policy documentation required across every control area.
• A SOC 2 Type 1 report typically takes one to three months to complete, while Type 2 requires six to twelve months of observed control operation.
• Building SOC 2 compliance in-house requires at least one dedicated hire at $84K to $132K or more per year, not counting tooling and auditor fees.
• A managed compliance partner handles implementation, tooling, evidence collection, and auditor coordination for a fraction of the cost of a single full-time hire.

What Are SOC 2 Certification Requirements?

SOC 2 certification requirements are structured around the AICPA's Trust Services Criteria (TSC). Every SOC 2 report must address the Security category. You then select additional categories based on what your customers need and what your service commitments include.

Here is a breakdown of all five criteria:

The Security category alone contains 33 Common Criteria organized across nine logical groupings, covering everything from logical and physical access to risk management and change control. If you add Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, or Privacy, you take on additional criteria specific to each area.

Beyond selecting your scope, you also have to decide between a Type 1 and Type 2 report. A SOC 2 Type 1 vs Type 2 comparison matters because Type 1 captures your controls at a single point in time, while Type 2 observes those controls operating over six to twelve months. Most enterprise clients require Type 2 because it demonstrates that your controls actually work consistently, not just on paper.

Challenges Companies Face When Getting SOC 2 Compliant

SOC 2 certification looks straightforward on paper. In practice, most organizations hit the same walls once they start.

• Underestimating scope: Most teams don't realize how many policies, technical controls, and evidence artifacts are required until they are already deep into the process.
• No internal expertise: SOC 2 spans IT, security, HR, and legal. Very few companies have staff who cover all four areas at the depth the audit requires.
• Evidence collection volume: A Type 2 audit means gathering continuous evidence across months of operation, and that workload adds up fast without automation in place.
• Choosing the right TSC scope: Selecting too few criteria can leave gaps that enterprise clients flag. Selecting too many without the controls to back them up creates audit risk.
• Tool sprawl: Configuring a GRC platform, connecting it to your environment, and making sure it captures the right evidence is a project on its own.
• Ongoing maintenance: After you achieve certification, you still need continuous monitoring, policy updates, vendor reviews, and annual renewal cycles to stay compliant.

What Does It Take to Meet SOC 2 Certification Requirements?

Getting to SOC 2 certification means working through several distinct workstreams at the same time. None of them are optional, and each one takes more time than most organizations budget for.

Documentation and Policy Development

You need written policies for nearly every area the Trust Services Criteria touch, including access control, incident response, change management, vendor management, and data classification. BEMO creates 18 or more IT policies during implementation as part of standard onboarding. Without a structured starting point, building this documentation from scratch can take months.

Technical Controls and Tooling

The Security criteria require real, operating controls in your environment. That means multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection, vulnerability management, encryption in transit and at rest, and security monitoring. You also need a GRC platform to collect and organize evidence. Selecting, configuring, and integrating these tools is a significant technical lift if you don't already have them in place.

Ongoing Monitoring and Maintenance

SOC 2 Type 2 requires that your controls operate consistently over the observation period. That means continuous log monitoring, regular access reviews, patch management, and security awareness training. A 24/7 SOC capability is not required but is expected by many auditors reviewing your monitoring controls. BEMO's SOC reviews over 100,000 monthly logs using AI, with roughly 100 per month escalated for human review.

Auditor Coordination and Evidence Collection

Once your controls are in place, you need to work with an independent CPA firm to conduct the audit. Coordinating evidence requests, responding to auditor questions, and managing remediation cycles adds weeks to the process if you don't have someone experienced managing it. Working with auditors like Sensiba, A-LIGN, or Johanson Group requires knowing what they expect before the fieldwork begins.

Staff Training and Awareness

Your employees are part of your control environment. SOC 2 auditors look for documented security awareness training, policy acknowledgments, and background check processes. Skipping this step or treating it as an afterthought creates gaps that show up in audit findings.

In-House vs Managed: Approaches to SOC 2 Compliance

There is no single right way to approach SOC 2 certification. Your best path depends on your internal resources, timeline, and budget. Here is an honest look at what each option actually involves.

The DIY path gives you full control but requires hiring, training, and retaining compliance-capable staff. A GRC platform like Drata or Vanta reduces manual effort but still requires your team to drive the work. A managed compliance partner takes ownership of the outcome, which matters most when you don't have the internal bandwidth to run a compliance program alongside everything else your business demands.

If you want to understand what common pitfalls look like across all three approaches, the 5 common compliance mistakes article is a useful reference before you commit to a direction.

Getting Started With SOC 2 Compliance

Getting SOC 2 certified follows a predictable sequence. Skipping steps early creates rework later.

1. Book a GAP Assessment: Evaluate your current security posture against SOC 2 requirements and identify exactly where your gaps are before any implementation begins.
2. Get Your Implementation Roadmap: Receive a prioritized plan covering controls, tooling, policies, and timelines based on your specific environment and TSC scope.
3. Deploy Controls: Stand up your security controls, configure your environment, implement GRC automation, and build out your policy documentation.
4. Achieve and Maintain Compliance: Work through auditor coordination, evidence review, and ongoing managed compliance to keep your certification current year over year.

Why Choose BEMO for SOC 2 Compliance

The challenges covered above, including evidence volume, tool configuration, auditor coordination, and ongoing maintenance, are exactly where most in-house efforts stall. BEMO's SOC 2 compliance service is built to own those problems for you.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

• Dedicated team assigned to your account: You get a Customer Success Manager, Project Manager, Delivery Engineer, Security Engineer, SOC Analyst, IT Manager, Support Engineer, and virtual CISO working on your compliance program.
• Microsoft-native security stack: Controls are deployed using M365, Entra ID, Purview, Sentinel, Intune, and Defender, with KnowBe4 for security awareness training and Keeper for password management.
• GRC automation with hands-on management: BEMO uses Drata as the GRC platform and has compliance engineers who run it for you, not just hand you a login.
• Full auditor coordination: BEMO works directly with auditors including Sensiba, A-LIGN, and Johanson Group on your behalf, managing evidence requests and remediation cycles.
• 8-month implementation timeline: Bi-weekly status meetings and a 72-hour SLA for remediation keep the project moving on a defined schedule.
• Cost advantage: Starting at approximately $4,800 per month compared to $84K to $132K or more for a single in-house compliance hire, before accounting for three months of hiring time and three months of onboarding.
• BEMO is certified themselves: BEMO holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 certifications and is a Cyber AB Registered Practitioner Organization.
• Proven track record: 2023 Microsoft US Partner of the Year, Inc. 5000 four consecutive years, and featured by Satya Nadella at the Microsoft Secure 2024 Summit.

Start Your SOC 2 Certification Journey

BEMO assigns a dedicated multi-role team to your account and owns the outcome of getting you certified. You get expert implementation, automated evidence collection, auditor management, and ongoing compliance support starting at approximately $4,800 per month.

Book a meeting with BEMO to get your SOC 2 GAP Assessment scheduled.

Frequently Asked Questions About SOC 2 Certification Requirements

What are the SOC 2 certification requirements?

SOC 2 certification requirements are defined by the AICPA's Trust Services Criteria. The Security category is mandatory for every SOC 2 report. Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy are optional categories you select based on your service commitments and customer expectations. Meeting these requirements means implementing documented controls, operating them consistently, and having an independent auditor verify your practices.

What are the SOC 2 certification requirements for Type 1 vs Type 2?

Both report types require the same underlying controls. The difference is in how they are evaluated. A Type 1 report captures your controls at a single point in time, while a Type 2 report observes those controls operating over a six to twelve month period. Type 2 is considered more rigorous and is required by most enterprise clients.

How many controls does SOC 2 require?

The Security category alone includes 33 Common Criteria. Adding optional Trust Services Criteria increases the number of controls you need to implement and document. The exact count depends on your selected scope and how your auditor interprets your service commitments.

How long does it take to get SOC 2 certified?

A Type 1 report typically takes one to three months from the start of implementation. A Type 2 report requires six to twelve months of control observation after your environment is in place. With a managed compliance partner, the full initial implementation timeline is typically around eight months. You can read more about what drives these timelines in the SOC 2 compliance timeline breakdown.

What does a SOC 2 GAP assessment include?

A GAP assessment maps your current security controls against the SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria you plan to include in your report. It identifies missing policies, technical control gaps, and areas where your documentation does not meet auditor expectations. The output is a prioritized list of what needs to be built or fixed before your audit begins.

Why choose a managed compliance partner for SOC 2?

A managed compliance partner takes ownership of the entire process, from control implementation to auditor coordination, rather than just providing guidance or a software platform. This matters when your team doesn't have the bandwidth or expertise to run a compliance program alongside day-to-day operations. It also typically costs less than hiring even one full-time compliance professional.

What team does BEMO assign for SOC 2 compliance?

BEMO assigns a dedicated team to every client account. That team includes a Customer Success Manager, Project Manager, Delivery Engineer, Security Engineer, SOC Analyst, IT Manager, Support Engineer, and virtual CISO. Each role plays a specific part in getting your environment built, your evidence collected, and your audit completed successfully.