- Receive the final report: The auditor issues the signed SOC 2 report (Type 1 or Type 2) with their opinion letter. The report is typically 50–150 pages including system description, controls, and testing results.
- Distribute under NDA: SOC 2 reports are confidential. Share only with customers and prospects who sign an NDA or a specific "report recipient" letter. Never post publicly — only a SOC 2 summary letter or badge goes on your website.
- Begin next audit cycle: For Type 2, the next observation period begins the day after the previous one ends. There should be no gap. Update your engagement letter with your auditor before the end of each period.
- Remediate report findings: Create a remediation plan for every exception noted. Track completion in your GRC tool. Demonstrate improvement in the next report cycle.
- Maintain continuous monitoring: SOC 2 is not a point-in-time exercise anymore. Use this dashboard with Sentinel alerts, Defender Secure Score, and Entra Access Reviews to maintain posture year-round. This Dashboard Sentinel Secure Score
💡 Recommended tooling for Microsoft environments: Consider integrating Drata or Vanta with your Microsoft 365 tenant. These GRC platforms natively connect to Entra ID, Defender, Azure, and Intune to automatically collect evidence, alert on control failures, and generate audit-ready reports — reducing audit prep time by 60–80%.