How to Secure Your BeyondTrust for SOC 2 Compliance and Get the SOC 2 Badge/Seal

Securing your BeyondTrust environment and passing a SOC 2 audit may sound complicated, but breaking it down step-by-step can make the process much easier. SOC 2 is a trusted compliance standard for SaaS and cloud providers, establishing that you properly manage data to protect the privacy and interests of your customers. Let’s go through what you need to do.

• Understand What SOC 2 Is: SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2) is a voluntary compliance standard for organizations, especially technology and cloud-based, that handle or store customer data. SOC 2 is based on five “trust service criteria”: Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. Most organizations start with “Security” (also called the “Common Criteria”).
• Why BeyondTrust Matters: BeyondTrust is a privileged access management (PAM) tool. It’s often a focus of SOC 2 because it controls critical access to sensitive systems and information. Auditors will check BeyondTrust to ensure you control, monitor, and protect privileged access.
• Key Steps to Secure BeyondTrust for SOC 2:
  • Enforce strong authentication: Require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all BeyondTrust accounts, especially admins, to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Role-based access: Use BeyondTrust’s role-based access controls (RBAC) so users only have the permissions they need. Regularly review and update these settings.
  • Session monitoring & recording: Enable session logging and video recording in BeyondTrust. Retain logs as specified by your retention policy. This helps with both detecting threats and proving your controls during audit.
  • Patch and update management: Ensure BeyondTrust software and all its integrations are updated quickly after patches are released—outdated software is a top audit flag.
  • Least privilege principle: Users and administrators must only have the minimum access they need to do their job — never more.
  • Centralized auditing & alerting: Configure alerts for suspicious BeyondTrust activity (e.g., failed logins, new admin account, abnormal access times) and integrate BeyondTrust logs with your SIEM or log management.
  • Secure network configuration: Limit network access to BeyondTrust to trusted segments, use encryption in transit, and restrict admin interfaces to a few trusted networks.
  • Regular access reviews: Periodically review all privileged accounts and remove any that are out-of-date or no longer needed. Document these reviews.
• Essential Documentation for SOC 2:
  • Policies and procedures: Written documents demonstrating how you configure, monitor, and maintain BeyondTrust.
  • Access review logs: Evidence you perform regular reviews and adjustments of access permissions.
  • Incident response plans: Steps you will follow if a BeyondTrust account is compromised.
  • Change management logs: Track changes to system settings and permissions in BeyondTrust.
• Working with Auditors & Getting the SOC 2 Badge/Seal:
  • Readiness Assessment: Consider working with a specialized consulting firm like OCD Tech, who can perform a readiness assessment of your BeyondTrust controls. They’ll point out any gaps before the official audit.
  • Hire a CPA firm: Only licensed CPA firms can issue a SOC 2 report and badge/seal. Firms like OCD Tech can also help guide you through the whole process, from documentation to testing controls.
  • Provide evidence: During the audit, you’ll need to show the auditor your BeyondTrust configurations, user lists, logs, and documentation.
  • Ongoing monitoring: Keep up with your controls and reviews continuously—not just for the audit window—to maintain compliance and your badge/seal.
• What Auditors Look For (Most Important):
  • Can you show who has privileged access, and why?
  • Are access changes documented and reviewed?
  • Is strong authentication enforced every time?
  • Are logs and alerts available for suspicious events?
  • Do you have response procedures for access/privilege incidents?

If you want to secure your BeyondTrust for SOC 2 compliance and get the SOC 2 badge/seal, the most essential steps are to configure strong controls, keep clear documentation, regularly review privileges, and work with trusted experts like OCD Tech to assess and improve your readiness before the official audit.