Make security visible. Make trust easier to share.
CyberAtrix helps SaaS, technology and service organizations prepare for SOC 3 reporting by turning security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy controls into an evidence-ready operating environment.
A public-facing assurance report for organizations that want to demonstrate trust.
SOC 3 is a general-use report for service organizations based on the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. Like SOC 2, it addresses controls relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. SOC 3 is designed for general distribution and does not provide the same level of detailed information as SOC 2.
General-Use Report
Designed for broader sharing with customers, prospects, partners and other interested parties.
Trust Services Criteria
Addresses relevant controls across security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.
Independent Examination
An independent service auditor performs the applicable attestation examination and issues the report.
Five dimensions of customer trust.
SOC 3 can address one or more Trust Services Criteria relevant to the engagement. Security is the common foundation; the other criteria are included when applicable to scope.
Security
Protection against unauthorized access, unauthorized disclosure and damage to systems and information.
Availability
Controls supporting systems and services being available for operation and use as committed.
Processing Integrity
Controls supporting complete, valid, accurate, timely and authorized processing where relevant.
Confidentiality
Controls protecting information designated as confidential across its lifecycle.
Privacy
Controls addressing personal information handling against applicable privacy criteria.
Why organizations choose SOC 3.
A SOC 3 report gives organizations a concise, independently examined way to communicate control maturity to a broad audience. It can become a trust asset across sales, partnerships, procurement and customer communications.
Show that relevant controls have been independently examined rather than relying only on internal security claims.
Give prospects a general-use assurance report they can review without requesting a detailed restricted SOC 2 report.
Place an independently examined assurance report behind your security and trust messaging.
Use SOC 3 as part of customer due diligence, procurement responses and security questionnaires.
Provide a concise assurance artifact for common questions about security and control maturity.
Readiness work can clarify ownership, evidence, risk treatment and recurring control activities.
SOC 3 is designed for general use and can be shared more broadly than a detailed SOC 2 report.
Stand out from competitors that only describe their security program without independent assurance.
When does SOC 3 make sense?
SOC 3 is particularly useful when an organization wants independently examined assurance that can be communicated to a wide audience. It is not required for every company; the business case depends on customer expectations, market positioning, risk and assurance needs.
SaaS Companies
Build a public trust signal for prospects evaluating your platform, especially in competitive enterprise markets.
Cloud & Technology Providers
Communicate control maturity around systems that customers depend on to process or host information.
FinTech & Digital Services
Support trust conversations where security, availability and confidentiality influence buying decisions.
Managed Service Providers
Demonstrate an independently examined control environment across recurring technology services.
Startups Scaling Up
Build assurance into the sales infrastructure before larger customers make it a procurement expectation.
Enterprise Service Providers
Provide a broad-use assurance artifact alongside more detailed customer-specific assurance when needed.
Platform & API Businesses
Reassure customers and partners that the systems behind critical digital services are governed by controls.
Global B2B Providers
Offer a concise assurance document that can be shared across markets, prospects and business partners.
Turn SOC 3 into a sales and trust-enablement asset.
The report itself does not guarantee new business. Its value is that it gives your sales and security teams credible independent assurance they can use at multiple points in the buyer journey.
Where your sales team can use SOC 3
- Website security and trust pages
- Sales presentations and proposals
- RFP and procurement responses
- Vendor security questionnaires
- Partner and reseller due diligence
- Enterprise customer conversations
- Security review and onboarding discussions
- Public trust and corporate communications
How it can help the buyer
- Provides independent assurance instead of marketing-only claims.
- Helps procurement teams understand that a formal control examination exists.
- Gives prospects a report designed for broader distribution.
- Can reduce the need to repeatedly explain the overall control environment.
- Creates a stronger foundation for deeper due-diligence conversations.
- Supports confidence before a customer commits to your service.
SOC 3 vs SOC 2 Type I vs SOC 2 Type II.
The biggest differences are the intended audience, report detail and whether operating effectiveness is examined over a period. SOC 3 is designed for general use, while SOC 2 is intended for users who need more detailed information about the system and controls.
| Characteristic | SOC 2 Type I | SOC 2 Type II | SOC 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Assesses control design at a point in time | Assesses design and operating effectiveness over a defined period | General-use assurance report based on applicable Trust Services Criteria |
| Level of detail | Detailed | Detailed | Less detailed than SOC 2 |
| Intended audience | Specific intended users | Specific intended users | General users / broader audience |
| Can be broadly distributed? | Generally restricted | Generally restricted | Yes |
| Operating effectiveness over time | No — point-in-time design | Yes | Can be issued as a general-use report based on the applicable examination type |
| Best commercial use | Early-stage assurance / readiness milestone | Deep customer due diligence and mature assurance | Public trust, sales enablement and broad customer communication |
| Reveals detailed control information | More detail | More detail | Less detail |
SOC 3 vs SOC 2 Type I and Type II — know what you are buying.
SOC 2 reports are designed for users who need detailed information about the system and controls. SOC 3 is a general-use report designed for broader distribution. SOC 2 Type I focuses on control design at a point in time, while SOC 2 Type II examines design and operating effectiveness over a defined period.
SOC 2
- Detailed system and control information.
- Useful for security and vendor-risk due diligence.
- Distribution is generally restricted to intended users.
- Supports deeper review of controls and testing.
SOC 3
- Designed for general distribution.
- Addresses relevant Trust Services Criteria.
- Provides less detail than SOC 2.
- Useful for public trust, sales enablement and customer transparency.
Turn assurance into a business asset.
A SOC 3 report can help organizations communicate their control environment without exposing the detailed information contained in a SOC 2 report.
Build Customer Trust
Provide a recognized independent assurance report that can be shared broadly.
Support Sales
Use assurance as a trust signal in proposals, security pages and customer conversations.
Strengthen Partner Confidence
Demonstrate that relevant controls have been independently examined.
Reduce Repetitive Requests
Answer common high-level security and control questions with a public report.
Improve Operations
Clarify control ownership, evidence and recurring operating activities.
Support Global Growth
Give international prospects a concise assurance artifact that is easier to distribute.
From scope definition to examination readiness.
CyberAtrix works with your teams to establish a practical control and evidence program before the independent examination.
Define Service & System Scope
Identify services, products, systems, locations, people, data and boundaries supporting the in-scope service.
Determine Trust Criteria
Identify the AICPA Trust Services Criteria relevant to the engagement and map them to the environment.
Readiness & Gap Assessment
Evaluate governance, policies, technical safeguards, operations and existing evidence.
Risk & Control Mapping
Connect risks to controls, owners, procedures and evidence expectations.
Control Implementation
Strengthen access, change management, security operations, incident response, vendor management and other relevant controls.
Evidence Readiness
Establish repeatable evidence collection, ownership, review and retention processes.
Operating Effectiveness Support
Help teams maintain controls and evidence, address exceptions and track remediation during the examination period.
Examination Preparation
Organize evidence, management inputs and auditor-request preparation.
Independent SOC Examination
The independent service auditor performs the examination and issues the applicable SOC 3 report.
Build a control environment that stands up to scrutiny.
| Control Area | Typical Focus | Readiness Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Governance & Risk | Risk assessment, policies, ownership, oversight and treatment | Defined |
| Identity & Access | User lifecycle, authentication, privileged access and reviews | Controlled |
| Security Operations | Monitoring, vulnerability management and incident response | Operational |
| Change Management | Development, approvals, testing, deployment and records | Traceable |
| Availability & Resilience | Backups, recovery, continuity, capacity and service monitoring | Resilient |
| Vendor Management | Third-party risk, due diligence and ongoing oversight | Governed |
| Data Protection | Confidentiality, privacy, encryption, retention and handling | Protected |
| Evidence Management | Collection, review, retention and exception tracking | Auditable |
SOC 3 is useful when trust needs to travel.
General-use assurance can be valuable for organizations that sell technology or services to a broad customer and partner base.
SaaS & Cloud Platforms
Communicate a mature control environment to prospects without distributing detailed SOC 2 information.
Technology Providers
Support procurement, customer assurance and security communications.
Managed Service Providers
Demonstrate control maturity across services, infrastructure and security operations.
Common SOC 3 questions.
Is SOC 3 a certification?
No. SOC 3 is a general-use attestation report, not an ISO-style certification.
Can a SOC 3 report be shared publicly?
Yes. AICPA describes SOC 3 as a general-use report that can be freely distributed.
Does SOC 3 address the same Trust Services Criteria as SOC 2?
Yes. It addresses relevant controls for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.
Does SOC 3 contain the same detail as SOC 2?
No. SOC 3 is intended for general use and does not provide the same level of detail as SOC 2.
Who issues the SOC 3 report?
An independent service auditor performs the applicable attestation examination and issues the report.
Can CyberAtrix perform the examination?
CyberAtrix supports readiness, controls, evidence and remediation. The independent service auditor performs the attestation examination.
Prepare your organization for SOC 3.
Talk to CyberAtrix about SOC 3 scope, Trust Services Criteria mapping, readiness, control implementation, evidence management and examination preparation.