SOC 2 Type II
A qualified SOC 2 opinion—or the absence of one—directly determines whether enterprise clients will onboard or renew your contract.
SOC 2 Type II is a rigorous audit framework developed by the AICPA, evaluating an enterprise's controls across the Trust Service Criteria (TSC): Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy.
Unlike a Type I report that assesses point-in-time design, Type II proves that controls operated flawlessly over a continuous six-to-twelve-month observation period. Traditionally, this makes evidence collection a massive, error-prone operational burden.
StremarControl takes operational ownership of your SOC 2 technical requirements. We map the Trust Services Criteria directly into Microsoft 365, automating evidence collection via the Graph API so that every Conditional Access evaluation and DLP event is securely preserved for your Type II observation period.
Why This Matters Now
SOC 2 Type II is the definitive trust credential for SaaS vendors and enterprise service providers handling sensitive data in the cloud. Procurement teams for Fortune 500 companies routinely require an unblemished SOC 2 report prior to vendor onboarding. For M365-centric firms, the challenge is structural: your security posture is intertwined with Microsoft's Shared Responsibility Model. Auditors demand continuous, programmatic evidence that you have engineered your tenant correctly—it is entirely insufficient to rely on Microsoft's own datacenter compliance.
Framework Metadata
Scope & Applicability
SOC 2 applies to any service organisation that stores, processes, or transmits client data. This includes SaaS providers, managed service providers, data processors, cloud hosting companies, and increasingly any B2B firm handling sensitive information. The scope is defined by the Trust Services Criteria selected (Security is mandatory; Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy are optional). For M365 environments, scope typically includes Entra ID authentication, Conditional Access policies, data protection controls, endpoint management, incident response, and change management processes.
Core Obligations
Logical and Physical Access Controls
Restrict logical access to authorised users, implement authentication mechanisms, manage access credentials, and prevent unauthorised access to system components.
System Operations
Detect and respond to security incidents, monitor system components for anomalies, and maintain recovery procedures.
Change Management
Authorise, design, develop, configure, test, approve, and implement changes to infrastructure and software in a controlled manner.
Risk Assessment
Identify and assess risks to the achievement of objectives, including fraud risk, and evaluate the significance of risks.
Monitoring Activities
Select, develop, and perform ongoing evaluations to ascertain whether components of internal control are present and functioning.
Microsoft 365 Control Mapping
How each obligation maps to enforceable Microsoft 365 controls and the evidence they produce.
CC6.1 - Logical Access
Conditional Access with MFA enforcement, device compliance gates, and sign-in risk policies. Session controls enforce re-authentication for sensitive applications.
Monthly Conditional Access evaluation logs via Graph API, MFA registration report, non-compliant sign-in attempts.
CC6.3 - Role-Based Access
Entra ID PIM for just-in-time role activation. Quarterly access reviews via Entra ID Access Reviews with automatic revocation of unconfirmed assignments.
Access review completion reports, PIM activation history, role assignment delta reports.
CC7.2 - Incident Detection
Defender XDR with unified incident queue. Sentinel analytics rules for high-fidelity alerting. Automated investigation and response (AIR) for common attack patterns.
Sentinel incident exports, Defender alert resolution timelines, mean-time-to-detect (MTTD) metrics.
CC4.1 - Continuous Monitoring
Microsoft Secure Score tracked monthly. Configuration drift detection via baseline comparison. Automated compliance dashboards in Sentinel workbooks.
Monthly Secure Score snapshots, drift event logs, compliance posture trend reports.
Implementation Timeline
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Ready to get SOC 2-ready?
Start with a fixed-scope sprint. We assess your Microsoft 365 controls against SOC 2 requirements, close gaps, and produce audit-ready evidence.