Type I versus Type II, and why it matters
A Type I report confirms controls are suitably designed at a point in time. A Type II report confirms they actually operated effectively across the full period, which is the standard most enterprise customers and procurement teams now expect before they'll sign a contract.
Preparing only for Type I and assuming Type II will follow naturally is a common and costly mistake — the operating evidence has to exist from day one of the observation window.
Readiness work we typically do
We help select the right Trust Services Criteria for your business (security is mandatory; availability, confidentiality, processing integrity and privacy are added based on what you actually sell), then close control gaps against those criteria specifically.
Critically, we help instrument continuous evidence capture — access reviews, change approvals, monitoring alerts — so the observation period produces evidence as a byproduct of normal operations, rather than requiring manual evidence gathering sustained for months.
What you receive
A control framework mapped to your selected Trust Services Criteria, continuous evidence capture wired into your existing platform, and readiness support through your chosen independent CPA firm's actual audit.
This is advisory and technical preparation; the SOC 2 report itself is issued only by an independent, licensed auditing firm.
Key actions
- Select Trust Services Criteria deliberately, not by default
- Design controls to run for the full observation period, not a point in time
- Instrument continuous evidence capture before the observation window starts
- Engage an independent CPA firm for the actual attestation