Building Confidence And Peace Of Mind For Our Managed Services Clients
With more and more sensitive data being hosted digitally, whether in the cloud or elsewhere, outsourcing can seem like a risk—unless you have complete confidence in your Managed Services vendor. To help provide that assurance, Synergy IT Solutions has attained AICPA SOC 2SM Type 2 certification, the highest level of general accounting certification, and the most comprehensive certification within the Systems and Organization Controls (SOC) protocol. It’s a designation that’s fairly unique among Managed Services providers.
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) establishes auditing standards for private companies, non-profits, and government entities. They also assess and certify Service Organization Controls: the internal systems that third-party providers need to put in place to protect the information assets of their clients. A SOC 2 examination includes one or more of the following “Trust Categories:”
Security
The system is protected against unauthorized access, use, or modification.
Availability
The system is available for operation and uses to meet the organization’s commitments and system requirements.
Confidentiality
Information designated as confidential is properly protected.
Processing integrity
System processing is complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized.
Privacy
Personal information is collected, used, retained, disclosed, and disposed of appropriately.
A Valuable Report
Another important component of Synergy’s compliance is a SOC 2 report, which is an internal control report on the services Synergy provides to its customers. It provides valuable information organizations need to assess and address the risks of outsourcing services.
Delivering Trust. Maintaining Compliance.
If you’re in the cloud or part of a regulated industry such as financial services, working with a SOC 2 Managed Services partner who can provide a high level of security, performance, and reliability is absolutely essential—and increasingly required by regulators, examiners, and auditors. A company that has achieved SOC 2 Type 2 certification has proven that its systems are designed to keep its clients’ sensitive data secure. In regulated industries, partnership with a SOC 2 Type 2 provider can be a critical factor in remaining compliant while also lowering costs.
A Rigorous Certification Process
Building on Synergy’s 2016 SOC 2 Type 1 certification, preparations for the more intensive Type 2 audit began in May of 2017. The formal process kicked off in March of 2018 when an independent CPA performed an audit of the previous six months to confirm that Synergy had the necessary systems in place to control the access to and maintenance of information assets. That culminated in the final SOC 2 Type 2 report, attesting that Synergy maintained and adhered to critical safeguards and procedures relating to the Trust Categories.
See For Yourself
If you’d like to learn more about what Synergy’s SOC report means to your organization, request more information here. Or call us today to learn more about our SOC 2 Type 2 compliance and the many other reasons you can be confident that Synergy will help your organization thrive.
