SOC 2 Compliance for AWS
AWS provides a robust foundation for SOC 2. By leveraging native security services and infrastructure-as-code, you can automate up to 80% of your technical evidence collection.
Core AWS Controls
Identity & Access Management (IAM)
Enforce MFA for all users, use IAM Roles for EC2/Lambda (no long-lived keys), and perform quarterly access reviews of IAM Users and Groups.
Logging & Monitoring (CloudTrail)
Enable CloudTrail in all regions, ship logs to an encrypted S3 bucket with MFA delete enabled, and set up CloudWatch alarms for security events.
Encryption (KMS)
Use AWS KMS for data at rest across S3, EBS, and RDS. Ensure rotation is enabled and access to keys is restricted to specific service roles.
Network Security (VPC/WAF)
Use security groups to enforce least-privilege networking, implement AWS WAF for public-facing applications, and use VPC Flow Logs for auditability.
Auditor-Vetted Best Practices
Use AWS Organizations to separate production, staging, and development accounts logically.
Implement AWS Config to continuously monitor for non-compliant resource configurations.
Use AWS Inspector for automated vulnerability scanning of EC2 instances and ECR images.
Define all resources via Terraform or CloudFormation to provide a version-controlled audit trail.
Infrastructure-as-Code is Key
The fastest way to achieve SOC 2 on AWS is to define your entire environment in code. This provides an immutable audit trail that auditors love.
View IaC ChecklistKevin A
Principal Security & GRC Engineer
Kevin is a security engineer turned GRC specialist. He focuses on mapping cloud-native infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP) to modern compliance frameworks, ensuring that security controls are both robust and auditor-ready without slowing down development cycles.
SOC 2 and AWS FAQs
How does AWS support SOC 2 compliance?
AWS provides native security controls (IAM, logging, encryption) that map to SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria. Proper configuration and evidence collection from AWS can satisfy a significant portion of technical control requirements.
What SOC 2 controls map to AWS?
Common mappings include: access control (IAM/users and roles), change management (audit logs and deployment pipelines), logical access (MFA and least privilege), and monitoring (logging and alerting). See our implementation guide above for platform-specific control mapping.
How do we collect evidence from AWS for our audit?
Evidence from AWS typically includes: configuration exports, access review reports, audit/activity logs, and encryption settings. Compliance automation tools can pull evidence continuously; otherwise, export and store evidence per your auditor's requirements.
Does AWS integrate with compliance automation (Vanta, Drata)?
Most major cloud and SaaS platforms, including AWS, offer integrations or APIs used by compliance automation tools. Check your automation provider's integration list and enable the AWS connector for continuous evidence collection.
About RiscLens
Our mission is to provide transparency and clarity to early-stage technology companies navigating the complexities of SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance.
Who we serve
Built specifically for early-stage and growing technology companies—SaaS, fintech, and healthcare tech—preparing for their first SOC 2 audit or responding to enterprise customer requirements.
What we provide
Clarity before commitment. We help teams understand realistic cost ranges, timeline expectations, and common gaps before they engage auditors or expensive compliance vendors.
Our Boundaries
We do not provide legal advice, audit services, or certifications. Our assessments support internal planning—they are not a substitute for professional compliance guidance.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a voluntary compliance standard for service organizations, developed by the AICPA, which specifies how organizations should manage customer data based on the Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
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