At Elements, we’re proud to announce our official SOC2 Type II compliance, a significant milestone that underscores our commitment to data security and operational excellence. This journey, initiated in December 2022, reflects our proactive approach to meeting the stringent requirements of the SOC2 framework.
Why pursue SOC2 compliance?
SOC2 is a rigorous certification process designed for service organizations, focusing on the secure management of customer data. It demands adherence to strict criteria in several key areas: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
Our decision to comply with SOC2 framework was driven by several key factors:
- Reassuring Our Customers: Achieving SOC2 compliance demonstrates our dedication to safeguarding customer data, reinforcing trust in our services.
- Internal Confidence and Security Enhancement: With a strong foundation in security practices, pursuing SOC2 compliance allowed us to further solidify our processes, enhancing overall stability and security.
The Journey to Compliance
Our path to SOC2 compliance involved the entire company, with Caroline, Scrum Master, leading the project and significant contributions from teams across the organization. Collaborative efforts, particularly in policy development and IT security enhancements, were crucial. We engaged with external partners like Drata and Prescient Assurance to streamline the process and ensure rigorous evaluation.
- Drata: This tool played a pivotal role in managing and facilitating SOC2-related actions, ensuring continuous monitoring and compliance.
- Prescient Assurance: As our auditor, Prescient ensured that our policies and practices aligned with SOC2 standards.
Key Steps and Actions
- Starting Point: The journey began in December 2022, with the formal decision to pursue SOC2 compliance.
- Drata Adoption and Assessment: Starting February 2023, we adopted Drata to conduct thorough assessments and monitor our systems.
- Policy Development: From March to September, we focused on defining and approving comprehensive internal policies, a critical component of the SOC2 framework.
- Gap Analysis and Implementations: From March to September, we evaluated our procedures to identify any deficiencies and subsequently focused on implementing new practices and tools.
- Risk Assessment: We conducted an in-depth analysis to identify existing potential risks across various domains, including technology, HR, finance, and sales. Each identified risk lead to a remediation plan.
- Evidence Gathering: Before audit, we worked on centralizing all our evidence of compliance in our Drata tool.
Milestones Achieved
- SOC2 Type 1: Achieved in November 2023, this phase involved auditing our policies and controls to ensure they met SOC2 standards at a single point in time.
- SOC2 Type 2: From October 2023 to January 2024, this stage required us to demonstrate the practical implementation of our policies and efficiency of our controls, culminating in our SOC2 Type 2 compliance in February 2024.
Benefits for Our Customers
Achieving SOC2 compliance brings tangible benefits to our customers:
- Enhanced Stability and Availability: Our processes have been refined to ensure higher reliability and uptime.
- Improved Data Protection: With strengthened security measures, customer data is more secure than ever.
- Faster Incident Response and Recovery: Our enhanced Incident Response Plan and Disaster Recovery Plan mean we can address issues more swiftly and effectively.
Conclusion
Our journey to SOC2 compliance was a comprehensive effort that involved the entire Elements team and external partners. This achievement reflects our dedication to going beyond the basic requirements for data security and privacy. It assures our customers that they are working with a company deeply committed to providing top-notch service while upholding the utmost standards in data protection and reliability.
We look forward to continuing our journey in excellence and security, providing our customers with the best possible service and peace of mind.
