What is SOC 2 Compliance?

Service Organization Control 2 (SOC 2) is an audit report developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). It applies to technology and cloud computing companies that store customer data in the cloud. SOC 2 is tailored to each organization’s operations and focuses on policies, procedures, and internal controls related to the five trust principles.

While SOC 2 is technically voluntary, many service providers, especially SaaS, financial services, and data processing organizations — treat it as a baseline requirement to earn customer confidence.

The Role of PAM in SOC 2

SOC 2 auditors closely assess how companies manage access to sensitive systems and data. A significant part of this involves reviewing privileged user activity—those with elevated permissions who can access critical infrastructure, configurations, and sensitive information.

This is where Privileged Access Management (PAM) becomes critical. PAM ensures that:

  • Only authorized individuals have access to critical systems.
  • All privileged activities are logged and monitored.
  • Access is granted on a need-to-know and just-in-time basis.