You can’t copy-paste your way to SOC 2 compliance. Real control implementation means designing systems that are secure, auditable, and tailored to how your team actually builds and runs software. 

If you’re leading architecture, engineering, or compliance, you’ve probably already noticed this: off-the-shelf checklists and boilerplate policies won’t map to your actual environment. You need an implementation that fits your: 

• • Infrastructure stack (cloud-native, hybrid, or on-prem) 
  • Delivery model (CI/CD, microservices, containers) 
  • Risk posture and customer commitments

This guide breaks down how to implement SOC 2 controls in real systems, not theory. You’ll learn how to: 

• • Map Trust Services Criteria (TSC) to your technical environment 
  • Define audit scope with architecture diagrams and data flows 
  • Select, design, and operationalize controls tied to real risk 
  • Automate evidence collection to streamline compliance workflows 

This guide gives you a practical roadmap built for engineers, not just auditors. 

Understanding SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria (TSC) 

Every SOC 2 audit revolves around the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) that define your control framework. You can’t implement controls until you understand what these criteria expect from your systems. 

Here’s what each one means in practice: 

Security (Required) 

Ensure information and systems are protected against unauthorized access, unauthorized disclosure, and damage to systems that could compromise the availability, integrity, confidentiality, or privacy of information or systems and affect the entity’s ability to achieve its objectives. 

This includes: 

• • Access controls
  • Firewalls and network security
  • Encryption
  • Endpoint protection
  • Security monitoring
  • Incident response
  • Segregation of duties
  • Risk management 

Availability 

Ensure information and systems are available for operation and use to meet the entity’s objectives. 

This includes: 

• • Disaster recovery and business continuity planning
  • Fault tolerance and redundancy
  • Uptime and performance monitoring
  • Capacity and resource planning

Processing Integrity 

Ensure system processing is complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized to meet the entity’s objectives. 

This includes: 

• • Input validation and data quality checks
  • Logging and audit trails
  • Exception handling and reconciliation processes
  • Change management controls

Confidentiality 

Ensure information designated as confidential is protected to meet the entity’s objectives. 

This includes: 

• • Data classification and access restrictions
  • Encryption at rest and in transit
  • Secure data sharing and transmission
  • Secure disposal of confidential data

Privacy 

Ensure personal information is collected, used, retained, disclosed, and disposed of in accordance with the entity’s objectives and applicable privacy requirements. 

This includes: 

• • Notice and consent procedures
  • Access rights
  • Data retention and disposal policies
  • Anonymization and pseudonymization

Start by selecting the criteria that match your services and customer obligations. Most B2B SaaS companies include Security, Availability, and Confidentiality. If you process regulated personal data (like health or financial info), Privacy and Processing Integrity may also apply. 

Scoping: Mapping Your Technical Environment 

Before you implement any SOC 2 controls, you need to define what’s actually in scope. The scope drives everything: your control design, evidence collection, and audit effort. If you skip this step or get it wrong, your team will waste time securing systems that don’t matter or miss ones that do. 

Start by identifying all systems that store, process, or transmit customer data. That includes: 

• • Infrastructure: Cloud providers (e.g., AWS, Azure), Kubernetes clusters, virtual machines, storage buckets, and databases
  • Applications: Production services, internal admin tools, customer-facing portals, APIs 
  • Data: Personally identifiable information (PII), credentials, logs, backups, configuration data 
  • Integrations and third parties: SaaS vendors, observability platforms, CI/CD tools, authentication providers 

Next, create architecture diagrams that show how data flows through your environment. Use data flow maps to capture: 

• • Where sensitive data enters, moves, and gets stored 
  • Which systems interact with customer data 
  • How access is controlled at each step 

Finally, identify high-risk assets, systems, or services that, if breached, would compromise security or availability. Tie each critical asset to the business processes it supports. 

Your scope isn’t static. Revisit it regularly, especially after architectural changes, new features, or vendor onboarding. 

Control Selection: Aligning Controls to Architecture 

Once you’ve scoped your environment, it’s time to pick the right controls. Use the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) and their Points of Focus as your starting point. These help you interpret each criterion in technical terms and turn abstract requirements into concrete control activities. 

To stay organized, build a control matrix. For each control, define: 

• • The associated risk 
  • Control owner 
  • Frequency (e.g., daily, quarterly) 
  • Type of evidence required 

Aligning controls to how your systems actually work is what makes them enforceable and audit-ready. 

Evidence Collection & Documentation 

SOC 2 audits require proof that your controls don’t just exist; they operate effectively. That means collecting evidence that maps directly to each control and TSC. 

For each control, define what counts as acceptable evidence. Common examples include: 

• • Logs: System access, authentication attempts, alert triggers 
  • Screenshots: UI views of configurations, access settings, pipeline approvals 
  • Tickets: Incident response, change management, user access provisioning, deprovisioning, and access reviews 
  • Policies and Procedures: Signed documents, version histories, and distribution records 

Organize your evidence in a centralized, searchable repository. Group it by TSC (e.g., Security, Availability) and by control domain (e.g., access, change, monitoring). Label everything clearly; auditors want clarity, not scavenger hunts. 

You also need to show ongoing compliance. Set up workflows to: 

• • Review and update evidence on a regular cadence (e.g., monthly, quarterly, or annually)
  • Track review logs and timestamps 
  • Maintain an immutable audit trail for each evidence artifact 

Automate evidence collection where possible. This will reduce gaps, save time, and give your audit team the clean, complete record they expect. 

Internal Testing, Self-Assessment & Remediation 

SOC 2 compliance is a continuous cycle. To stay ready, your team needs to test controls regularly, catch failures early, and fix them fast. 

Start by scheduling periodic internal control tests. These can include: 

• Manual control walkthroughs (e.g., access reviews, backup checks) 
• Automated testing for configuration drift or control failures 
• Mock audits simulating external audit procedures 

Use each round of testing to run a self-assessment. Look for gaps where controls are missing, misconfigured, or not enforced. Prioritize findings based on risk and impact. 

When you spot issues, act fast: 

• • Document the gap and the associated risk 
  • Assign ownership and define the remediation steps 
  • Re-test after fixes and log the outcome with evidence 

Track all testing activity in a central system with clear timestamps and audit trails. 

Finally, build a culture of continuous improvement. Encourage teams to report breakdowns, propose fixes, and own their control areas. Self-testing is about protecting the business and proving that your controls hold up when it matters. 

Automation & Tooling for SOC 2 Controls 

Manual compliance processes slow teams down and introduce risk. Automation solves that. The right tools help you monitor controls, collect evidence, and stay ahead of audit requirements, without dragging engineering into endless checklists. 

GhostWatch by TrustNet offers end-to-end automation through a managed platform built for fast-moving technical teams. It combines software and services to keep your compliance program running year-round: 

• • Dedicated Project Management: Get a compliance manager who guides the entire journey, including scoping, readiness, and audit facilitation. 
  • Readiness Assessments & Gap Analysis: GhostWatch evaluates your controls, identifies gaps, and delivers a clear remediation roadmap. 
  • Audit Prep & Execution: It supports pre-certification and coordinates with auditors to reduce friction during the audit. 
  • Custom Policies & Procedures: Create tailored, audit-ready policies based on your actual architecture and business model. 
  • Live Dashboards: Track control health, flag overdue items, and get real-time evidence status across all domains. 
  • Integrations for Continuous Compliance: Connect with cloud platforms, ticketing systems, and CI/CD pipelines to automate recurring tasks and evidence collection. 

With GhostWatch, you automate the heavy lifting and maintain visibility across your controls, without burning your team out. 

What to Do Next: Operationalize Your SOC 2 Program 

Mapping SOC 2 controls to your technical architecture is the only way to build a scalable compliance program. Automating control monitoring, evidence collection, and testing keeps you audit-ready without draining your team.