NDB offer comprehensive SSAE 18 SOC 1 audits, along with SOC 1 readiness assessments, for service organizations all throughout Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and other surrounding areas within Texas. With today’s demanding compliance assessments, properly planning is critical, and it’s why a readiness assessment should be undertaken for ensuring scope is understood, gaps are identified, and remediation activities are enacted as necessary.
The Many Benefits of an SSAE 18 SOC 1 Scoping & Readiness Assessment
A SSAE 18 SOC 1 readiness assessment is an incredibly efficient and useful exercise that encompasses the following activities and deliverables from NDB.
Information Security Policy & Procedures Analysis: Documentation is key for regulatory compliance – particularly when it comes to SSAE 18 SOC 1 reporting for service organizations. Therefore, a well-planned readiness assessment helps determine gaps and deficiencies regarding information security policies and procedures, along with other necessary material. Remember also that auditors ask for a wide-range of policies and procedures, so they’ll need to be in place prior to the audit. Also keep in mind that information security policies and procedures are often the most overlooked and forgotten areas when it comes to regulatory compliance, and it’s understandable why.
First and foremost, policies are challenging and time-consuming to author, so they never become a top priority for anyone within an organization. Second, as the audit commences, many businesses are so focused on auditors examining actual processes and operational activities that they fail to remember such initiatives must be documented.
NDB's SSAE 18 SOC 1 scoping & readiness assessment helps identify these gaps, but just as important, we offer industry leading information security policies and procedures templates and writing services for helping businesses develop all the essential documentation they need. That’s what we at NDB call saving a tremendous amount of time and money. Call NDB today at 512-522-4943 (Austin), 214-272-0967 (Dallas), or at 713-331-5492 (Houston) to learn more about NDB’s SOC 2 services, or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss your audit & compliance needs.
Assessing Internal Controls PRIOR to the Audit: Processes, procedures, and practices are much more than policy documents – they actually require actions to be undertaken – therefore it’s critical to examine one’s internal controls for ensuring they meet the intent and rigors of SSAE 18 SOC 1 compliance. For example, are passwords configured correctly, are servers provisioned and hardened in a secure manner, is your incident response plan practical and commensurate to one’s needs? We will essentially look under the hood and examine your internal control processes, procedures, and practices. It’s just another example of the many benefits of NDB's SSAE 18 SOC 1 scoping & readiness assessment, and it’s available at fixed-fee pricing.
It’s about Information Security Best Practices: Regardless if it’s an audit that’s being planned for a preliminary examination of a specific business process, it’s still important to be aware of today’s best practices for information security, and that’s what NDB delivers. With growing cybersecurity threats, our talented auditors offer incredibly valuable advice on what’s “truly” needed for security enterprise-wide assets and information.
You’ll Gain an Understanding of the ICFR Concept: It’s also critical to note that SSAE 18 SOC 1 compliance is ideally situated for service organizations exhibiting a true nexus with the ICFR concept, technically known as “Internal Controls over Financial Reporting”. Essentially, service organizations that conduct critical functions for other businesses, and for which such functions can impact their client’s financial reporting, should be undertaking SSAE 18 SOC 1 compliance. Look upon SSAE 18 SOC 1 compliance for businesses that are exhibiting a true ICFR connection, such as banks, trusts, actuarial services, Third Party Administrators (TPA’s), etc.
A properly conducted SSAE 18 SOC 1 readiness assessment, one that truly assesses audit scope, internal control processes and procedures, policy documentation, and other important components, is an incredibly useful and efficient tool, no question about it. Want to save time and money on annual SSAE 18 SOC 1 audits – sure you do – then plan properly in the beginning by undertaking a readiness assessment today from NDB. Call NDB today at 512-522-4943 (Austin), 214-272-0967 (Dallas), or at 713-331-5492 (Houston) to learn more about NDB’s SOC 2 services, or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss your audit & compliance needs.
Why an SSAE 18 SOC 1 Readiness Assessment is Essential
When a service organization actually takes the time to perform an SSAE 18 SOC 1 scoping & readiness assessment, they’ve effectively assessed and unearthed all gaps, deficiencies, and other internal control weaknesses – and that’s a good thing. It means you now have a pragmatic understanding of the road ahead and what challenges – if any – must be addressed prior to the actual audit itself.
Dotting the “i’s” and crossing the “t’s” – as the old saying goes – is critically important for SSAE 18 SOC 1 compliance, and one of the biggest benefits of a readiness assessment is just that. Specifically, it’s about looking into one’s control environment and assessing the gaps and weaknesses –and correcting them – prior to the audit. It means saving an immense amount of time and money in the long-term for SSAE 18 SOC 1 compliance.
We are Texas’ Leading Regulatory Compliance Firm
From policy and procedure writing services to SSAE 18 SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 2 assessments, along with HIPAA and PCI DSS compliance – and more – NDB is the preferred choice for businesses all throughout Texas. NDB provides a wide-range of regulatory compliance services, ranging from SSAE 18 SOC 1 to SOC 2, SOC 3, HIPAA, PCI DSS, FISMA, NIST, and much more, so let’s talk today about our competitively priced, fixed fee engagements.
