21 Jun What A Cloud Provider’s SOC Audit Means to Your Security
When you read a company’s website claims, they may sound impressive. After all, companies have invested a lot of money and research into finding the right words to persuade customers to take action.
A business claims to be the best, but customers actually are more likely to respond favorably to independent, third-party verification that services actually live up to the assertions by the business.
Having an independent evaluation of your business practices is important across industries. But when you’re evaluating a cloud services provider, you need more than just reviews.
You need a vendor who undergoes a rigorous annual auditing process to verify internal controls over their operations and security standards.
After all, you’re trusting this business with your business and reputation. You need confirmation that they are using the most modern protocols and practices to protect your most sensitive mission critical data.
What is a SOC Audit?
The System and Organization Controls (SOC) is an audit that assesses the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data. It was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Why Does a SOC Audit Matter When Choosing a Cloud Services Provider?
Depending on your needs, you may need a cloud hosting company that undergoes a SOC 1 audit. This type of audit specifically reviews the company’s internal controls over financial reporting.
A SOC 2 audit is focused on how the company secures data and technology.
• Type 1: a point in time audit that captures data on how the company’s systems are working at the time of the audit
• Type 2: is a comprehensive review of the company’s performance for the prior 12 months.
Once a cloud services provider has undergone a type 1 audit, they will typically move to an annualized auditing schedule.
When you’re assessing a company to backup and secure your data, you want the peace of mind knowing that they undergo and pass their annual SOC Audit.
If a cloud provider cannot meet the standards of the auditing body, they may struggle to provide customers with services outlined in the service level agreement.
How Are Independent Auditors Testing the System?
The auditors rely on several testing procedures to determine the operational effectiveness of the cloud provider’s operational controls.
• Corroborative inquiries of appropriate personnel and corroborated responses with other personnel to ascertain the compliance of controls.
• Observation of specific controls, including online systems, logs, and program settings including console reviews of selected security and control processes.
• Inspection of logs, system security settings, system states, configurations, and reports indicating performance of the controls.
• Conduct reperformance of specific control activities.
Security Features, SOC Audits, and Cloud Security Solutions
Cloud providers undergo the SOC Audit to have independent evidence of their commitment to maintaining secure and reliable systems for their customers. If you are a business or organization that operates in a highly regulated industry, you need your data stored and backed up in secure environments.
With a comprehensive compliance audit conducted annually, a cloud provider like CyberlinkASP can ensure your sensitive data is safe regardless of the device, location, or other considerations.
If you need fast, cost effective cloud storage or other cloud based services, our sales department can discuss our latest compliance certification with you or with your stakeholders.