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SOC 2 Audit Process for Australian Companies: Step-by-Step-Guide
First Published:
December 13, 2025
Content Written For:
Small & Medium Businesses
Large Organisations & Infrastructure
Government
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Australian organisations selling into enterprise and regulated markets are increasingly expected to demonstrate structured, independently verified security governance. As a result, the SOC 2 audit process has become the assurance mechanism many buyers rely on to understand how service providers protect customer data and operate critical systems.
This article builds on our comprehensive guide to SOC 2 audits in Australia and focuses specifically on how the SOC 2 audit process works in practice. It provides a step-by-step walkthrough of the key stages, the internal effort required, and how Australian organisations can prepare efficiently while aligning with expectations such as the ACSC Essential Eight and OAIC privacy obligations.
Understanding the SOC 2 audit process early reduces uncertainty, avoids delays, and helps leaders allocate time and resources realistically.
Understanding the SOC 2 Audit Process
SOC 2, sometimes referred to as SOC2, is based on the AICPA Trust Services Criteria, which assess controls across security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Rather than operating as a checklist, SOC 2 follows a lifecycle that moves from scoping and readiness through remediation, evidence collection, and independent auditor testing.
For Australian organisations, understanding this lifecycle is critical. Many audit challenges arise not from control gaps, but from poor sequencing, unclear scope, or late engagement with auditors.
Step 1: Define scope and system boundaries
Every SOC 2 programme starts with scoping. This determines which services, systems, environments, and data flows are included in the audit.
Effective scoping focuses on what customers actually rely on, rather than attempting to include every internal system. Over-scoping increases audit complexity and cost, while under-scoping can reduce the usefulness of the final report.
For Australian organisations, this stage is also where alignment with local frameworks should occur. Mapping scope against Essential Eight maturity expectations, ISM guidance, and OAIC privacy obligations early helps eliminate duplicated effort later.
Many organisations choose to align SOC 2 with ISO/IEC 27001 and other frameworks so that a single set of controls can support multiple assurance requirements.
Step 2: Conduct a SOC 2 Readiness Assessment
A readiness assessment provides a structured view of how existing controls align with SOC 2 requirements. This typically includes reviews of identity and access management, change management, logging and monitoring, incident response, backup practices, and documentation maturity.
For many cloud-native and SaaS organisations, readiness assessments reveal that significant portions of the environment already meet SOC 2 expectations, requiring only targeted uplift. Others identify the need for more structured governance and formalisation.
This stage is often the most valuable, as it converts abstract requirements into a practical roadmap.
Step 3: Remediate and uplift controls
Once gaps are identified, remediation focuses on strengthening both technical and procedural controls. This may involve refining access governance, improving monitoring and alerting, formalising backup and recovery processes, or standardising change management workflows.
Larger organisations often need to coordinate remediation across multiple teams. Smaller organisations may move faster, but still benefit from disciplined execution and clear ownership.
Aligning remediation with Essential Eight and APP 11 obligations helps ensure that uplift delivers value beyond SOC 2 alone.
Demonstrating control effectiveness through real operational evidence is critical at this stage. As a result, many organisations complement SOC 2 programmes with penetration testing and other validation activities to confirm that controls perform as intended under realistic conditions.
Step 4: Collect and organise audit evidence
Evidence collection is where SOC 2 moves from theory to demonstration. Type 1 reports require evidence that controls are suitably designed at a point in time, while Type 2 reports require proof that controls operated consistently throughout the audit period.
Evidence commonly includes access reviews, change records, incident logs, monitoring alerts, vulnerability reports, and backup confirmations. Organising evidence early reduces last-minute pressure and improves audit efficiency.
Some organisations implement structured tooling or managed services to reduce manual evidence handling and improve consistency.
Step 5: Select and engage an external auditor
SOC 2 reports can only be issued by licensed audit firms. Selecting an auditor with experience in cloud-native environments and Australian operating contexts improves alignment and reduces friction.
Auditors will review scope, confirm readiness, and outline evidence requirements. Engaging auditors after readiness and remediation are stabilised is typically more efficient than engaging too early.
Step 6: Undergo SOC 2 audit fieldwork
During fieldwork, auditors assess evidence and validate that controls operate as described. Type 1 fieldwork focuses on control design, while Type 2 fieldwork evaluates operating effectiveness over the audit window.
Auditors examine consistency, documentation quality, and decision-making processes. Fieldwork is commonly conducted remotely, although hybrid or on-site approaches may be used depending on scope.
Step 7: Resolve findings and clarifications
Following evidence review, auditors may request clarification or additional supporting material. This is a normal part of the process and does not indicate failure.
Clear explanations and timely responses help close issues efficiently. Organisations that invest properly in readiness rarely encounter significant findings at this stage.
Step 8: Receive the SOC 2 report
Once fieldwork is complete and findings are resolved, the auditor issues the SOC 2 report. The report describes the system, outlines controls, and includes the auditor’s opinion.
For many organisations, this report becomes a key asset during enterprise procurement, reducing repetitive security questionnaires and accelerating sales cycles.
Step 9: Transition into ongoing compliance
SOC 2 is a recurring cycle, not a one-off event. Controls must operate continuously, evidence must be retained, and governance must remain active between audits.
Most organisations embed SOC 2 into broader compliance and security programmes to maintain audit readiness year-round. This approach reduces risk, lowers audit stress, and supports long-term assurance outcomes.
How CyberPulse supports the SOC 2 audit process
CyberPulse supports Australian organisations through each stage of the SOC 2 audit process, from scoping and readiness through remediation, evidence preparation, and audit coordination. Our approach integrates SOC 2 with frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27001, Essential Eight, and OAIC expectations so that assurance efforts deliver broader organisational value.
For organisations without dedicated internal security leadership, Virtual CISO services provide ongoing governance, oversight, and audit readiness throughout the year.
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