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For businesses looking to upgrade their IT inventory systems and infrastructure, prioritizing data safety should be at the top of your priority list. One of the most important certifications for these systems you can achieve is a SOC 2 certification. What are the details behind this coveted certification, and how can staying compliant help protect your assets and data?
What Is SOC 2 Certification?
To gain a SOC 2 certification, managing data on a network must be assessed based on five vital “trust service principles.” It’s a rating paradigm established by the American Institute of CPAs (ACIPA) to help determine how well companies protect essential data. For example, your system has to be rated for privacy, security, confidentiality, processing integrity, and availability.
Each organization and industry can design its own controls that align with its practices and business model to ensure they receive an accurate assessment. SOC 2 takes the time to ensure there are adequate levels of encryption, two-factor authentication, performance monitoring, firewalls, and more in place to help keep your system running smoothly and stay as protected as possible.
How Does an Inventory System Receive a SOC 2 Certification?
Knowing what one of these entails goes a long way for businesses looking to ensure their inventory systems can meet the stringent requirements of a SOC 2 audit. In addition, an outside auditor will assess your system to see how well it complies with the trust principles that SOC 2 is built upon.
Security Principle
Protecting your internal data from unauthorized access is one of the most important things that companies across all industries should take seriously. Appropriate access controls will help protect your systems from abuse, unauthorized data removal, misusing software, or disclosure of classified information. A SOC 2-certified inventory system will emphasize these security measures and ensure everything is covered.
System Availability
Your inventory management system and associated products should be available for those needing immediate access. Everything from network performance, site failover, and how your team handles any security incidents can affect the availability score.
Processing Integrity
When you begin processing the data, does your system offer complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized results? The answer to this question will determine how well of a processing integrity score you receive. Ensuring you have the protocols to monitor the data processing and quality assurance procedures will help maintain your processing integrity.
Confidentiality
Ensuring your data remains confidential is one of the most critical aspects of your IT inventory system. With employee data in your network, ensure your encryption systems are strong enough to withstand outside intrusions. SOC 2 auditors will look at the firewalls, access controls, and more that have been implemented to help safeguard your sensitive data.
Privacy
This driving principle has jumped to the forefront of the minds of people across the globe. Protecting the privacy of people who use your inventory system while assessing the collection, use, retention, disclosure, and disposal of information in compliance with your organization’s privacy notice is of the utmost importance. SOC 2 helps identify how well your system performs this essential function and protects sensitive information.
| SOC 2 Certification Principles | Description |
| Security Principle |
A SOC 2-certified inventory system emphasizes robust security measures, including appropriate access controls to protect internal data from unauthorized access, misuse, and disclosure of classified information.
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| System Availability |
SOC 2 certification assesses the availability of your inventory management system, including factors like network performance, site failover, and the handling of security incidents to ensure immediate access when needed.
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| Processing Integrity |
Inventory systems must offer complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized results during data processing. Monitoring data processing protocols and quality assurance procedures is essential to maintain processing integrity.
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| Confidentiality |
Protecting data confidentiality is a critical aspect, especially for sensitive employee data. SOC 2 auditors evaluate implemented measures such as firewalls, access controls, and encryption systems to safeguard sensitive information.
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| Privacy |
Privacy is a fundamental principle, assessing the collection, use, retention, disclosure, and disposal of information in compliance with privacy notices. SOC 2 certification evaluates how well the system protects sensitive information and user privacy.
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Trust Asset Vue With Your New Asset Management System
If you have found that your current IT asset management system does not meet SOC 2 certification requirements and want to upgrade, Asset Vue is ready to help. Our asset management solutions offer robust solutions that have helped businesses across various industries. We work with our clients to find the system that works best for their unique needs.
If you want to upgrade to a new system that meets SOC 2 requirements, Asset Vue is here to help! Contact our team to learn more about our IT asset inventory management systems and IT asset management services, and schedule your first consultation today!
