Why do you need an SOC 1 Report for your Company

In today's world, finding a company that does not outsource at least one function or component of its control environment to a third-party service provider is difficult. Outsourced service providers have offered firms cost-effective and efficient options to decrease the need for internal workers to execute highly technical or repetitive operations, ranging from payroll processing to invoice preparation, backup solutions, cloud storage, and more. 
While this has assisted firms in reducing stress, workforce, and certain expenses, it does not free them of their responsibilities to ensure that their data is secure, their processes are running smoothly, and their control environment is robust.
For that reason, the AICPA has issued guidance allowing CPAs to issue examination reports on behalf of service organizations that ensure the design and operation effectiveness of their internal controls, which are backed up by an opinion. 
These reports, known as System and Organization Control (SOC) reports, are available in three varieties: SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3. And while each of these reports has its perks, today, we will go through everything you need to know and the most significant benefits that the SOC 1 report puts on the table for every business out there.

What Exactly is A SOC 1 Report?

A CPA firm that specializes in auditing IT and business process controls completes a SOC 1 report, as SOC reports are deemed attestations reports. In an attestation report, management declares that specific controls are in place to accomplish the report's objective, and a CPA firm expresses its view on whether management's assertion is correct. 
Management contends that controls are in place and operational to achieve the applicable SOC 1 control objectives in a SOC 1 attestation report, and the CPA firm's view is either unqualified or qualified.

SOC 1 Compliance: What Does It Mean?

Maintaining the SOC 1 controls provided in your SOC 1 report over time and the operational efficacy of SOC 1 controls is what SOC 1 compliance entails. For instance, If a service provider has the potential to affect a customer's financial reporting, the customer may want the ability to audit their providers to ensure that financial data is adequately secured. 
As a result, a service provider might conduct the latest SOC 1 compliance audit and present the results to its clients instead of undergoing individual audits by each customer. Additionally, the IT general controls and business process controls required to establish reasonable assurance with the control goals are known as SOC 1 controls.

What is A SOC 1 Report Used For?

The auditor's goal, in collaboration with management, is to define control objectives that effectively handle the risks assumed by system users. Within a specific process, controls support control objectives. To be able to produce the control objective statement, each control objective must have enough controls established and working successfully. 
The use of the phrase "reasonable assurance" is compatible with all SOC 1 control objectives, as the auditor is not responsible for ensuring that the control goals are met with absolute certainty. This means that even if individual controls fail, management can still have a clean report opinion as long as enough other controls are in place to meet the reasonable assurance criteria.

Advantages Of The SOC Report

While user entities and their auditors may ask for, or even demand, a SOC report from a service company, the service company mustn't see it as a burden. There are various advantages to having a SOC report conducted as a service organization, for instance:

1. Appropriate for comprehending how the service company keeps track of third-party providers of services to clients.
2. Useful for assessing the efficiency of controls connected to services provided by a service company, which is beneficial not only to user entities but also to the service company.
3. By providing a single report that covers the needs of various user entities, you may help reduce the compliance burden.
4. Improves the ability of the service company to acquire and keep consumers - many service providers utilize SOC compliance as a marketing technique to set themselves apart from the competitors.

Are SOC 1 Reports Required?

If your organization provides a service that may affect your client's internal controls over financial reporting, SOC 1 reports may be needed by your clients or investors. A SOC 1 can demonstrate that you have certain business process-related controls as well as IT general controls to support the achievement of control objective statements, depending on the industry your company operates in and the risk associated with the service you provide.

Final Thoughts

As SOC 1 reports encompass the control objectives and address the risks posed by your service to your users, clients or stakeholders may demand that your organization obtain a SOC 1 report. If your organization provides a service that is related to or could affect your clients' financials, SOC 1 reports are the right report for you. A good thing to remember is to choose your auditor carefully if your firm needs to go through a SOC 1 audit.