SOC 2 Requirements for SaaS

System and Organization Controls 2 guidance tailored to SaaS. Align your controls, testing cadence, and evidence to avoid penalties.

Annual audit, Type I (point-in-time) or Type II (12-month period)Penalties: Loss of customer trust, failed sales, no certificationIndustries: 4

Enterprise customers requiring SOC 2 Type II

Security questionnaire overload (1,000+ per year)

Need to prove security posture to close deals

Pricing verified Q1 202645+ vendor interviews127+ data sourcesUpdated monthly

Required controls and tests

Testing cadence: Annual audit, Type I (point-in-time) or Type II (12-month period)

Evidence: Map findings to SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR

Risk areas: penetration-testing, vciso-services, cloud-security-assessment

What to prepare

First enterprise customer requesting SOC 2

Series A/B funding round preparation

Lost deal due to security concerns

FAQs

Does SOC 2 apply to SaaS?

AICPA framework for service organizations handling customer data It is commonly required or expected for SaaS organizations.

How often should SaaS companies test for SOC 2?

Annual audit, Type I (point-in-time) or Type II (12-month period)

What penalties are relevant for SaaS?

Loss of customer trust, failed sales, no certification

Align testing, evidence, and remediation to your regulator and auditor expectations.