- AWS
- Compliance Audit
Delivering SOC 2 Compliance in the Cloud
Post-M&A
The Challenge
When a multi-billion dollar automotive company acquired another firm, it faced the challenge of ensuring compliance with SOC 2 standards in the cloud. Their goal was to align the acquired company's practices with their own compliance and security standards. They partnered with 7Factor, which utilized the AWS Well-Architected Framework to solve for operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, and cost.
The team at 7Factor was uniquely positioned to carry out an effective security audit for this client because of our extensive experience building applications in the cloud. We routinely own all aspects of an application’s lifecycle, including network segmentation, all the way to deployment using CI/CD systems. We also designed our internal software development lifecycle from its inception to be SOC-compliant. In other words, for us, security and compliance are not afterthoughts that get added on after the fact.
Our Solution
The audit prioritized compliance while considering broader security concerns for comprehensive risk mitigation. The audit commenced at the cloud infrastructure level, identifying both infrastructure and application code-related issues.
Findings from the audit were categorized into two main areas: general hosting and security best practices in the cloud, and data security, backup, and disaster recovery with recommendations for SOC 2 compliance. A rubric for assessing the account's health compared to compliant standards was provided.
The audit highlighted the differences between on-premises and cloud compliance, emphasizing the shift in responsibilities in a shared responsibility model with cloud providers. While certain aspects still apply in the cloud, the management of servers and access control undergoes significant changes.
The audit took approximately ten weeks to complete, enabling the client to address compliance and security concerns associated with the acquisition. It also emphasized the need for standardized, compliant practices across all software teams.
50 +
Security and compliance issues remediated
6
AWS accounts remediated of issues
3
Departments were provided SDLC training by 7Factor engineers
5- Star
client rating
What Sets Us Apart
At 7Factor, we have a strong focus on quality, particularly in the realm of security and compliance. Unlike some who treat security as an afterthought, we have integrated security and compliance into the entirety of our software development lifecycle. This proactive approach means that every project we undertake adheres to SOC compliance standards.
Our expertise goes beyond theory; as we have a practical understanding of the requirements to pass third-party audits. Additionally, we routinely craft custom solutions for clients in highly regulated industries, such as healthcare and fintech, where strict standards like HIPAA and PCI DSS are mandatory.
Our ability to assess existing environments with precision stems from our comprehensive knowledge of compliant workflows. Our engineering managers not only know how to implement these workflows but also excel at identifying and remediating issues in non-compliant environments. Our track record of building and maintaining SOC-compliant cloud infrastructures underscores our proficiency in ensuring secure, efficient solutions.
