SOC 2 Certification: What It Really Means to Be Compliant

Can I Get SOC 2 Certified?

If you’re researching SOC 2, you’ve probably heard terms like “certified,” “compliant,” and “audited” used interchangeably.

Here’s the truth: SOC 2 doesn’t issue certifications. It issues attestation reports—formal evaluations conducted by licensed auditors.

But in practice, completing a SOC 2 Type I or Type II audit and receiving an unqualified report is how companies demonstrate they’re compliant. It’s the recognized benchmark in B2B security, procurement, and trust-building.

SOC 2 Is Not a Certification, Here’s Why

SOC 2 is not like ISO 27001 or PCI-DSS. It’s not a certification framework.

Instead, it’s an attestation standard developed by the AICPA. That means:

• A licensed CPA or audit firm performs an evaluation
  
• They review your controls and policies against the Trust Services Criteria
  
• The outcome is a SOC 2 report, not a certificate
  

Despite the difference in terminology, a clean SOC 2 report serves a similar purpose in vendor diligence: it provides independent assurance of your control design and operation.

You Don’t Get a Badge. You Get a Report That Builds Trust.

The official output of a SOC 2 audit is a detailed, independently issued report.

It includes:

• Your system description – Services, infrastructure, people, and data flows
  
• Scope of the audit – Timeframe, Trust Services Criteria, and systems reviewed
  
• Control list – Technical and procedural controls mapped to criteria
  
• Auditor’s opinion – Whether controls were properly designed and/or operated effectively
  

Type I:

• Snapshot of control design at a specific date
  
• Good for early-stage or first-time audits
  

Type II:

• Measures operational effectiveness over a defined period (typically 3–12 months)
  
• More robust and widely accepted by enterprise clients
  

Can You “Get SOC 2 Certified”?

Technically, no. SOC2 doesn’t issue certificates. Practically, customers want independent assurance

When customers or partners ask, “Are you SOC 2 certified?” they really mean:

• Have you completed a SOC 2 examination by a licensed CPA firm?
  
• Do you have a current SOC 2 Type I or Type II report?
  
• Can we review it under NDA during due diligence?
  

How to answer (two safe variants):

Formal: “We hold a current SOC2 Type II report with an unqualified opinion from a licensed CPA firm.”

Plain-English: “Yes, our latest SOC2 Type II report is clean and available under NDA.”

Steps to Get a SOC 2 Report

SOC 2 compliance follows a clear roadmap:

1. Readiness Assessment
   Evaluate your current environment. Identify gaps in documentation, control design, and policy coverage.
   
2. Control Implementation
   Put essential controls in place:
   
   • Access management
     
   • Logging and monitoring
     
   • Change management
     
   • Incident response
     
   • Security awareness training
     
3. Evidence Collection
   Gather proof that controls exist and work. This is especially critical for Type II, where operational effectiveness must be demonstrated over time.
   
4. Work with an Auditor
   Engage a licensed CPA firm to conduct the formal audit. Choose your audit period (for Type II) and submit your documentation.
   
5. Receive Your SOC 2 Report
   If successful, you’ll receive a report with the auditor’s opinion. SOC2 reports are restricted-use; share under NDA. For public marketing, request a SOC 3 summary. If customers ask for coverage beyond your report end-date, provide a bridge letter.
   

SOC 2 “Certification” FAQ