SOC 2 Awareness

It is for professionals and teams supporting service organisation controls: staff of SaaS, IT, BPO and other service organisations whose customers ask for SOC 2 reports, and anyone who operates a control or provides evidence for one. It explains how everyday responsibilities support customer trust. Those who will lead implementation can continue to the SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria & Controls course.

The course explores SOC 2, the Trust Services Criteria, and how everyday responsibilities and reliable evidence support a service organisation's assurance programme. Learners understand the purpose of SOC 2 reporting, recognise the five Trust Services categories and the role of scope, and see how controls, evidence and individual responsibilities support assurance.

SOC 2 Awareness is a set of short video modules followed by practice questions and a final exam. The course page shows the current number of modules and the approximate video runtime; allow additional time for the practice questions and the exam. With 12 months of access, you can complete it in one sitting or spread it over several sessions.

Yes. Learners who reach the 70% pass mark in the final exam receive a Sterling Academy Certificate of Completion for SOC 2 Awareness. Each certificate carries a unique number and a QR code, and anyone can check it online using the certificate number and the holder's surname. It is a training certificate for the individual learner.

Yes. SOC 2 Awareness is a self-paced online course made of short video modules, in English with captions. You study at your own pace during 12 months of access, and practice questions after modules help you check your understanding before the final exam. If a point is unclear, questions are answered by a Sterling consultant.

SOC 2 Awareness is US$19 per learner. Teams save 20% for 11 to 50 learners and 30% for 51 to 200 learners; 201 or more learners are priced on request. Client administrators can track their team's progress. Prices are in US dollars, excluding taxes, and Sterling confirms final pricing and enrolment.

No. The Certificate of Completion is a training certificate: it shows that one person completed SOC 2 Awareness and reached the pass mark in its final exam. It is not certification of an organisation to any framework, and Sterling does not certify organisations. SOC 2 results in a report from a service auditor, a licensed CPA firm, after its examination of the organisation's controls. This course helps staff understand their part in that.

SOC 2 reports are based on the AICPA Trust Services Criteria, grouped into five categories: security, availability, confidentiality, processing integrity and privacy. Security is covered by the common criteria; the other four are chosen according to the organisation's commitments to its customers. The course explains the categories and why the scope of a SOC 2 report matters.