SOC 2 Evidence Pack
SOC 2 Evidence for Business Continuity: What to Collect
Business continuity evidence shows how you plan for and recover from disruptions while keeping services available.
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What auditors look for
Auditors want to see design and operating effectiveness for this area—clear owners, repeatable processes, and evidence that the control works over time.
Evidence checklist
- •Business impact analysis or priority service list
- •Documented recovery objectives (RPO/RTO)
- •Backup schedules and restore tests
- •Disaster recovery plans and roles
- •Tabletop or DR test records with outcomes
- •Redundancy/availability architecture diagrams
- •Communication plans for customers and partners
- •Incident/BCP playbooks for major scenarios
- •Evidence of dependency reviews for critical vendors
- •Post-test action items and tracking
Common mistakes to avoid
- •No recent DR test evidence
- •Unclear RPO/RTO targets
- •Backups untested or undocumented
- •No communication plan for major incidents
- •Critical vendor dependencies not documented
How to produce evidence quickly
- Document critical services and RPO/RTO targets.
- Provide backup and restore test evidence.
- Run a DR or continuity exercise and record outcomes.
- Capture architecture showing redundancy and failover.
- Track action items and verify completion.
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FAQ
How often should we test DR?
Annually at minimum. High-availability services may test more frequently.
Do we need full failover tests?
If feasible. Otherwise, tabletop or component-level tests with documented outcomes and follow-ups.
What about cloud-managed services?
Include their SLAs, regions, and failover capabilities in your plan and evidence.
How do we show backups are working?
Provide restore test results, screenshots/logs, and retention settings.
Do we include vendors in continuity?
Yes—document critical suppliers, SLAs, and contingency plans if they fail.
How do we keep plans current?
Assign owners, review quarterly/annually, and update after significant changes or incidents.
Disclaimer: Compliance costs and timelines are estimates based on market benchmarks (AICPA fee surveys, vendor pricing indices 2025). Actual auditor fees and internal effort will vary based on your specific control environment, system complexity, and auditor selection. Consult with a qualified CPA for a formal statement of work.