The Linford & Company Blog is written by our very own auditors, who are experts in IT audits, information security, and compliance topics. Their auditing experience encompasses a broad spectrum of industries and organizations, and their specialized expertise can help your company or organization make the right decision for your auditing needs. Our specific areas of focus in our IT Audit & Compliance Blog include SOC 1 Audits, SOC 2 Audits, HIPAA Audits, HITRUST Certification, and FedRAMP Assessments, NIST & CMMC, and Penetration Testing.
Have you been receiving a number of privacy policy updates in your email from services you use? Did you wonder why all of a sudden you were getting these all at the same time? Well, it is all because of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). On May 25th, the GDPR train arrived at the [...]
The available Trust Services Criteria (TSC) as defined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) that are options to be included in a SOC 2 audit are the following: Security (also known as common criteria). Information and systems are protected against unauthorized access, unauthorized disclosure of information, and damage to systems that could [...]
The available Trust Services Criteria (TSC) as defined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) that can be included in a SOC 2 audit are the following: Security. Information and systems are protected against unauthorized access, unauthorized disclosure of information, and damage to systems that could compromise the availability, integrity, confidentiality, and privacy [...]
The concept of user control considerations within SOC reports has been around since SOC reports were referred to as SAS 70s, although the AICPA’s term used to describe user control considerations has changed over time. These controls are now known as complementary user entity controls (CUEC). You may also hear these controls referred to as [...]
Many companies are considering using a Cloud Service Provider to host their environment or house their data. Because of this, it is important to have a Cloud Service Agreement in place that clearly defines the responsibilities of the Cloud Service Provider, compliance guaranties, steps taken in the event of a breach or incident, and a [...]
Qualified opinions mean that either the internal controls were not designed (Type I or II) or operating (Type II only) effectively for one or more control objectives included within a SOC 1 report or Trust Services Criteria included within a SOC 2 report. In a SOC report, management asserts that certain controls are in place. [...]
Whether for an agency assessment or a Joint Authorization Board (JAB) assessment, the FedRAMP System Security Plan (SSP) is the foundational document that supports a FedRAMP assessment. From it, the government agency representatives and the Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) are able to get an understanding of how the FedRAMP baseline security controls are implemented [...]
Having a plan in place to backup pertinent information to keeping a business running in the event information becomes unavailable for use is an important concept of business continuity. This blog will provide a definition and importance of corporate data backups, outline solutions options, and define best practices used for defining a corporate data backup [...]
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