SOC 2 Audit Firms: Which One is Right for You?

Sep 24

SOC 2 compliance has become a cornerstone for organizations committed to demonstrating strong security and privacy controls. Selecting the right SOC 2 audit firm is a strategic decision that can make the audit process smoother, more insightful, and ultimately more valuable for your business.

The right audit firm doesn’t just deliver a report, they become a trusted partner who understands your unique environment, helps identify meaningful improvements, and supports your ongoing compliance journey. With many firms offering SOC 2 services, it’s important to consider factors like firm size, team expertise, use of automation, and communication style to find the best fit for your organization.

In this article, we’ll explore what to look for when choosing a SOC 2 audit firm, empowering you to make a confident and informed choice.

What to Look For When Choosing a SOC 2 Audit Firm

Choosing a SOC 2 audit firm is more than just picking a name off a list. To ensure a smooth, valuable audit experience, consider these key factors:

Accreditation and Credentials - Verify the firm is an independent, third-party, licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Experience and Industry Expertise - Look for firms with proven experience conducting SOC 2 audits in your industry.
Firm Size and Resources - Consider whether a large firm or a boutique specialist better suits your needs.
Use of Technology and Automation - Ask if the firm leverages automated tools or if they are willing to use your tools.
Audit Team Composition - Understand the makeup of the audit team to ensure there’s the right ratio of senior and junior auditors.
Communication and Collaboration - A good firm keeps communication transparent and proactive throughout the audit.
Scope and Customization - The firm should tailor the audit scope to your business’s specific controls, risks, and regulatory requirements.
Cost and Transparency - While cost matters, don’t sacrifice quality for a cheaper price. Choose a firm that provides clear, upfront pricing.
Timelines and Turnaround - Ask how quickly the firm can start the engagement, complete fieldwork, and deliver the final report.

Making Sense of Each Factor

1. Accreditation and Credentials - Why It Matters

SOC 2 reports must be issued by a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and authorized to perform SOC examinations. This ensures the report is prepared under the AICPA’s attestation standards (AT-C 205) and will be recognized by your customers, partners, and regulators. Confirm that the firm:

Holds an active CPA license in good standing.
Is authorized to perform SOC engagements under AICPA standards.
Has auditors with experience in SOC 2 and relevant technical backgrounds (not just financial audit expertise).

Choosing a properly licensed and qualified firm protects the credibility of your SOC 2 report and ensures it will be accepted by stakeholders without question.

2. Experience - Reputation and Client Success Stories

When choosing a SOC 2 audit firm, experience isn’t just about how long they’ve been around, it’s about the real-world success they’ve had with clients like you. A firm’s reputation and client stories can give you a clearer picture of what it’s like to work with them.

Ask the firm if they can share examples or case studies of how they’ve helped businesses in your industry or with similar challenges. Hearing about these experiences helps you understand how they approach audits and the kind of support you can expect throughout the process.

Choosing a firm with a solid reputation and proven client success means you’re in good hands, someone who will guide you confidently through your SOC 2 journey.

3. Industry Expertise - The Value of Knowing Your Space and Regulatory Landscape

Not all SOC 2 audits are created equal, each industry has its own challenges, risks, and regulatory requirements. That’s why choosing an audit firm with deep industry expertise and a strong understanding of the regulatory landscape can make a big difference.

When an auditor understands the specific environment you operate in, they can tailor their approach to focus on the most relevant controls, potential risks, and compliance obligations. Industry-savvy auditors also stay up to date with the latest compliance trends and evolving regulatory requirements specific to your field. This knowledge ensures your SOC 2 audit isn’t just about ticking boxes, it’s about aligning with current best practices, meeting regulatory expectations, and preparing your organization for future changes.

In short, partnering with a firm that knows your space and the regulatory rules that govern it, means a more efficient audit, more relevant recommendations, and greater confidence that your controls truly meet the demands of your industry.

3. Firm Size and Resources - Big vs. Boutique

The size of the audit firm can significantly impact your experience and the level of service you receive. Large firms often have extensive resources, specialized teams, and a wide range of service offerings. They can handle complex audits across multiple regions and industries, which can be an advantage for multinational or highly regulated organizations.

However, this may mean they assign junior auditors or rotate team members frequently, which can affect consistency, efficiency and personalized attention. Communication can sometimes be more formal or slower due to their size and processes.

While smaller, boutique firms may have fewer international resources, they tend to offer more tailored, hands-on service. They typically build close relationships with their clients and can adapt quickly to your organization’s unique needs. For many businesses, this personalized approach leads to better collaboration and clarity.

4. Use of Technology and Automation - Flexibility Matters

Technology can make the SOC 2 process smoother, but it’s important to understand how a firm uses it, and how flexible they are. Some firms have proprietary systems and rigid processes, which can mean extra work for your team if you’ve already invested in tools for evidence collection or compliance tracking.

Ask if the firm is willing to work within your existing systems and workflows. A good audit partner will adapt to the tools you already use rather than forcing you to duplicate effort in a new platform. The right approach should save time, reduce disruption, and respect the investments you’ve made, all while maintaining audit quality and independence.

5. Audit Team Composition - Balancing Expertise and Cost

Understanding who will be on your audit team is crucial. A balanced team typically includes a mix of senior auditors, who bring deep expertise and oversee the process, and junior auditors, who handle much of the data gathering and testing. This blend ensures quality without inflating costs unnecessarily.

Senior auditors are key for interpreting complex controls, resolving issues, and communicating with your leadership. Junior staff help keep the process efficient but require proper supervision to maintain accuracy and thoroughness.

It’s also important to know if the firm provides consistent team members throughout the audit cycle or if they frequently rotate staff, which can lead to gaps in understanding your environment.

6. Communication and Collaboration - The Backbone of a Successful SOC 2 Audit

Effective communication is essential throughout the SOC 2 audit process. The right audit firm should be a collaborative partner, providing clear, timely, and transparent updates at every stage. They keep your team informed of progress, potential issues, and findings helping to avoid surprises and enabling prompt remediation.

Technical concepts should be explained in accessible language tailored to different audiences, from IT teams to executives, ensuring everyone understands the requirements and results. The best firms foster open dialogue, encouraging your team to discuss challenges and explore practical solutions together.

Responsiveness and flexibility are also key. Choose a firm that answers questions promptly, adapts their communication style to your needs, and is honest about any audit limitations. Strong communication turns the audit from a compliance exercise into a partnership that supports long-term control improvement and compliance success.

7. Scope and Customization - Tailoring the Audit to Your Control Environment

SOC 2 audits must be precisely tailored to your organization’s specific control environment, risk profile, and applicable regulatory framework. A standardized, one-size-fits-all audit approach risks overlooking critical control gaps or focusing unnecessarily on irrelevant areas, which can dilute the audit’s effectiveness and increase resource consumption.

The scoping process should be comprehensive, covering your technology stack, infrastructure components, software applications, data flows, third-party dependencies, and service delivery commitments. Based on this, the firm should produce a documented scope of work outlining:

The specific systems and controls to be examined
The nature and extent of testing procedures
Planned onsite or remote evidence collection methods
Key timelines, including interim milestones and final report delivery

This rigorous, technically grounded approach ensures that your SOC 2 audit is not just a compliance exercise but a meaningful assessment aligned with your organization’s control landscape and business objectives.

8. Cost and Transparency - Getting What You Pay For

Cost is always a factor, but choosing the lowest bid can be a false economy. Inadequate audits can lead to costly remediation later, or worse, loss of trust with customers and partners. Look for firms that provide clear, detailed pricing upfront. Understand what’s included such as readiness assessments, ongoing support, or re-audit fees, to avoid surprises.

9. Timelines - Fast, Flexible, and Reliable

Speed and predictability matter in SOC 2 audits. When evaluating a firm, ask how quickly they can start the engagement, complete fieldwork, and deliver the final report. Many firms take several weeks, or even months, after fieldwork to issue a report, which can delay your ability to share results with customers or meet contractual deadlines. Look for a firm that offers:

Rapid Deployment: The ability to start the audit process quickly after kickoff.
Flexible Scheduling: Willingness to adapt to your internal availability and avoid unnecessary disruption.
Quick Report Turnaround: Timely delivery of the final SOC 2 report, ideally within days, not weeks.

The Right Partner Matters

Choosing the right SOC 2 audit firm is a critical step in your compliance journey. By carefully considering factors like accreditation, experience, firm size, use of technology, communication style, and timelines, you can select a partner that will not only help you pass the audit but make the process efficient and insightful.

At MHM, we specialize in cybersecurity, privacy, and governance audits, this is all we do. Our team respects the way you already work, using your existing tools and workflows to minimize disruption and save your team time. We also deliver SOC 2 reports within a week of completing fieldwork, helping you move from audit to results faster than most firms in the industry.

When you choose MHM, you’re partnering with experienced, accredited auditors who combine deep technical knowledge with a collaborative, client-focused approach. We prioritize transparency, efficiency, and practical insights, so your SOC 2 audit isn’t just a checkbox exercise, but a meaningful step toward strengthening your security posture.

If you’re ready to take the next step, we’d be happy to guide you through the process and show you why so many organizations trust us for their compliance journey.