Your security and compliance glossary

All the terms you need to know when you’re trying to get compliance audit ready, fast.

Show filters

What is SOC 2 compliance?

SOC 2 defines criteria for managing customer data based on five “trust service principles”—security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. SOC 2 compliance was developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).


SOC 2 compliance reports are unique to each organization. In line with specific business practices, each designs its own controls to comply with one or more of the trust principles. These internal reports provide you (along with regulators, business partners, suppliers, etc.) with important information about how your service provider manages data.


There are two types of SOC compliance reports:


  • Type I describes a vendor’s systems and whether their design is suitable to meet relevant trust principles as of a specified date
  • Type II details the operational effectiveness of those systems throughout a specified period.


You may want to pursue a SOC 2 report if you handle customer data and/or you work with larger enterprises who will want to ensure that you are a secure vendor.

{{cta_withimage1="/cta-modules"}}

Additional resources you might like:

GDPR
Events
Learn How to Automate Compliance for ISO 27001, GDPR, and more

Join our live demo to learn how Vanta automates compliance for ISO 27001, DORA, the EU AI Act, and more, saving you time and money.

Product updates
Blog
New in Vanta | December 2025

Vanta launched AI-generated policies, multiple risk registers, and vendor intake forms.

Compliance
Events
Learn How to Automate Compliance for SOC 2, ISO 27001, and More

Join our demo to learn how Vanta can help you accelerate compliance with deep automation and agentic workflows that handle evidence, policies, and remediation for you across frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and more.

Additional resources you might like:

GDPR
Events
Learn How to Automate Compliance for ISO 27001, GDPR, and more

Join our live demo to learn how Vanta automates compliance for ISO 27001, DORA, the EU AI Act, and more, saving you time and money.

Product updates
Blog
New in Vanta | December 2025

Vanta launched AI-generated policies, multiple risk registers, and vendor intake forms.

Compliance
Events
Learn How to Automate Compliance for SOC 2, ISO 27001, and More

Join our demo to learn how Vanta can help you accelerate compliance with deep automation and agentic workflows that handle evidence, policies, and remediation for you across frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and more.

Security
Blog
Beyond security theater: How automated trust closes the AI readiness gap

AI risks are accelerating, but manual compliance can’t keep up.

ISO 27001
Blog
The Australian startups guide to ISO 27001

Understand the benefits, steps to certification, and how Vanta simplifies the journey.

SOC 2
Blog
What is SOC 2 and why Australian startups need it

SOC 2 for Aussie startups.

Compliance
Events
3 Steps to Kick Off First-Time Compliance in 2026

Watch this on-demand webinar to learn how to make compliance work at your pace, without slowing momentum, stalling deals, or putting revenue at risk.

Vendor Risk Management
Events
Office Hour: Transform how you manage third-party and internal risk

Check out our on demand Office Hour where we dive deeper into Vanta’s vision for unified, continuous, AI-powered risk management, and what it means for your business today.

Compliance
Events
Demo: Accelerate Security and Compliance Workflows with AI

Watch our on demand demo to see how Vanta AI streamlines your security and compliance workflows.