What SOC 2 is
SOC 2 — System and Organization Controls 2 — is an independent audit framework created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). A licensed CPA firm examines how a service organization protects customer data and issues a report on whether the relevant controls are suitably designed and operating. Unlike a certification with a pass/fail badge, a SOC 2 is a detailed report: it describes the controls, the auditor's tests, and the results.
It has become the default trust signal in enterprise software procurement. When a security team asks a vendor for "your SOC 2," they're asking for third-party evidence rather than self-attestation.
Type I vs. Type II
The two report types answer different questions:
| Type I | Are the controls suitably designed at a single point in time? A snapshot — it says the right controls exist as of a given date. |
| Type II | Did the controls operate effectively over a period — typically 3 to 12 months? A track record — the auditor tests that controls actually ran, consistently, across the review window. |
Type II is significantly stronger evidence, because it demonstrates that security is a sustained operational practice rather than a one-day arrangement. It's the report most enterprise buyers expect from an established vendor.
The Trust Services Criteria
SOC 2 is organized around five Trust Services Criteria. Security is always included; the others are added based on what's relevant to the service:
- Security. The system is protected against unauthorized access — the common baseline (also called the "common criteria").
- Availability. The system is available for operation and use as committed.
- Processing integrity. Processing is complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized.
- Confidentiality. Information designated as confidential is protected.
- Privacy. Personal information is collected, used, retained, and disclosed appropriately.
What's inside a report
- The auditor's opinion on whether the controls met the criteria.
- Management's description of the system and its controls.
- The specific controls, the tests the auditor performed, and the results — including any exceptions found.
Why buyers value it. A SOC 2 Type II lets a customer's security team assess a vendor without running their own audit — reducing procurement friction and shortening deal cycles. It answers "can we trust how you operate?" with independent evidence.
Where cryptography fits
Encryption controls sit squarely within the Security and Confidentiality criteria: protecting data in transit and at rest, managing keys, and restricting access. A SOC 2 examines whether those controls are designed well and operating — but it does not, on its own, judge whether your algorithms will survive a quantum computer.
That's the gap post-quantum readiness fills. As RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography move toward deprecation, the encryption controls your SOC 2 relies on need to migrate to quantum-safe algorithms. Building crypto-agility now keeps your confidentiality and security controls credible through the transition — and makes each annual SOC 2 cycle a confirmation rather than a scramble.
What "SOC 2 Type II" means for us
For QuSafe.ai, it signals how we operate: our security and confidentiality controls are designed to be examined and evidenced over time, not just asserted. And our core work — cryptographic discovery, risk prioritization, and hybrid post-quantum migration — helps the organizations we serve keep the encryption behind their own SOC 2 controls strong as the cryptographic ground shifts.
Keep your encryption controls audit-ready
We'll inventory your cryptography and move it to quantum-safe algorithms — so your Security and Confidentiality controls hold up year over year.
Request an assessmentThis overview is educational and not audit or compliance advice. SOC 2 scope and criteria depend on your service and auditor — confirm specifics with a licensed CPA firm and current AICPA guidance.