SOC 2 Type 2 Audit

What is SOC 2 Type 2?

SOC 2 Type 2 is the industry-standard compliance audit that evaluates both the design and operating effectiveness of your security controls over a period of 6-12 months.

Unlike Type 1 (point-in-time snapshot), Type 2 proves that your controls have been working consistently and effectively throughout the entire observation period.

Type 2 is what most enterprise customers, investors, and partners require as proof of your security and compliance maturity.

Type 2 Evaluates

✓Control Design: Are controls designed to meet Trust Service Criteria?
✓Operating Effectiveness: Do controls work consistently over 6-12 months?
✓Continuous Evidence: Logs, tickets, reports, and monitoring data
✓Exception Handling: How you respond to incidents and deviations

Type 2 Timeline

Pre-Audit Preparation

8-12 weeks

• Complete readiness assessment
• Implement missing controls
• Create policies and procedures
• Set up evidence collection automation

Observation Period

6-12 months

• Controls operate continuously
• Evidence collected automatically
• Continuous monitoring and testing
• Incident response and remediation

Audit Fieldwork

4-6 weeks

• Auditor reviews evidence
• Control testing and validation
• Management interviews
• Gap remediation if needed

Report Issuance

1-2 weeks

• Draft report review
• Management response to findings
• Final report issued
• Share with customers and prospects

Total Time: 14-18 months from start to report

LowerPlane helps you achieve audit-ready status in 8-12 weeks, then monitor throughout the observation period

Type 2 Evidence Requirements

Access Controls

40% automated

• User access reviews (quarterly)
• Privileged access logs
• MFA enforcement reports
• Onboarding/offboarding tickets
• Password policy compliance

Change Management

50% automated

• Code review approvals
• Deployment logs and tickets
• Production change requests
• Rollback procedures
• Environment separation proof

Monitoring & Incident Response

60% automated

• Security alerts and SIEM logs
• Vulnerability scan reports
• Incident response tickets
• Patch management records
• Uptime and availability data

Risk Management

30% automated

• Vendor risk assessments
• Risk register updates
• Business continuity tests
• Disaster recovery drills
• Insurance certificates

Security Awareness

35% automated

• Training completion records
• Phishing simulation results
• Policy acknowledgments
• Onboarding security training
• Annual refresher courses

Physical & Environmental

20% automated

• Data center certifications
• Cloud provider SOC 2 reports
• Badge access logs
• Environmental controls
• Visitor logs

LowerPlane Automation

Our platform automates 70-90% of Type 2 evidence collection by connecting to your existing tools (AWS, Okta, GitHub, Jira, etc.) and continuously gathering logs, reports, and screenshots.

This saves 75+ hours per month during the observation period and ensures you never miss critical evidence.

Type 2 Cost Breakdown

Compliance Platform (LowerPlane)

Automation, evidence collection, advisor support

$12,000 - $24,000/year

External Auditor

Varies by company size, complexity, Trust Service Criteria

$3,000 - $25,000

Internal Time (without automation)

200-400 hours @ $125-250/hr opportunity cost

$50,000 - $100,000

Internal Time (with LowerPlane)

50-100 hours with 75% time savings

$12,500 - $25,000

Total Cost (DIY)

$65,000 - $150,000

Total Cost (with LowerPlane)

$39,500 - $99,000

Savings: $25,500 - $51,000 (40-50% reduction)