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SOC 3 Reports

Public proof that your controls work.

What is a SOC 3 report?

Customers want to know their data is in safe hands, and they usually want to know before the first sales call. A SOC 3 report gives you a way to show it. It's an independent auditor's opinion on your security controls, written for a general audience and designed to be shared openly.

A SOC 3 report is an attestation from a licensed CPA firm on whether your controls meet the AICPA's Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. It comes from the same audit that produces a SOC 2 report, but it's packaged differently. It presents the auditor's conclusion and a high-level description of your system, and leaves out the detailed testing and findings.

Because it contains nothing sensitive, you can publish it on your website, include it in a sales deck, or send it to anyone who asks, with no NDA required.

SOC 3 vs. SOC 2

SOC 2SOC 3
AudienceCustomers, partners, and others who need detail, usually under NDAAnyone
Level of detailFull system description, control tests, and resultsAuditor's opinion and a summary overview
DistributionRestrictedPublic
Best forSecurity reviews and vendor due diligenceMarketing, early-stage sales, and general assurance

Many organizations use both. The SOC 2 report answers the detailed questions from security teams, and the SOC 3 handles everyone else.

Why organizations choose SOC 3

  • Shorter sales cycles

    Prospects can see your assurance results immediately instead of waiting on paperwork.

  • Fewer questionnaire requests

    A public report answers many routine "are you audited?" questions up front.

  • A visible trust signal

    An unqualified opinion, along with the SOC 3 seal, shows your commitment to security at a glance.

  • Low-friction sharing

    There's no need to manage NDAs or track who has received a copy.

What does the audit cover?

The auditor evaluates your controls against the Trust Services Criteria you choose to include. Security is always in scope. Availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy are added based on the commitments you make to customers. The review looks at areas such as:

  • Access controls and identity management
  • Change management and software development practices
  • Risk assessment and monitoring
  • Incident response and system operations
  • Vendor and third-party risk management
  • Data protection, backup, and recovery

How the process works

  1. Scope – Decide which services and criteria the report will cover.
  2. Readiness – Identify gaps between your current controls and the criteria, and fix them before the audit.
  3. Audit – The CPA firm tests your controls, either at a point in time or over a period of months.
  4. Report – You receive the auditor's opinion, along with your SOC 3 report and seal if the results support it.
  5. Publish and maintain – Share the report and repeat the audit annually so your assurance stays current.
Two colleagues reviewing printed documents together in an office

Is SOC 3 right for you?

SOC 3 is a good fit if you:

  • Sell to a broad market and want to show your security posture publicly
  • Are already completing a SOC 2 and want to get more value out of it
  • Want to reduce back-and-forth with prospects during early evaluation

If your customers need detailed control descriptions and test results, you'll still need a SOC 2 report. A SOC 3 complements it but doesn't replace it.

Get Started

TrustBridge can help you scope, prepare for, and complete your SOC 3 engagement.

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