Confidentiality Agreement And Hipaa Training Certification: Fill & Download for Free

The HIPAA Security Rule requires entities covered by the HIPAA law to have appropriate administrative, physical and technical safeguards in place to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and security of electronically transmitted PHI. Administrative safeguards refer to access control and training, physical safeguards refer to actual medical device and media control, and technical safeguards relate to the health data itself.STEPS TO MAKE YOUR APP COMPLIANT WITH HIPAA REQUIREMENTSAny company being a covered entity of a business associate must do the following:Put the 3 abovementioned categories of safeguards in place to protect patient health information.Reasonably limit the use and sharing of PHI to the minimum required to accomplish the intended task.Have agreements with Business Associates (BA) that perform covered functions.Implement procedures to limit the number of entities and individuals who can access patient information, and training programs to teach the staff how to protect personal health information.WHAT DOES HIPAA COMPLIANCE FOR HEALTH APPLICATIONS MEAN FOR DEVELOPERS?Not all health-related apps in the market are HIPAA compliant. When you deal with mHealth app development with HIPAA requirements you can collect, store, and transmit PHI.The criteria to check if your app should be HIPAA compliant are:the app user (entity) typethe app information type (the information that is generated, stored or shared)the app software type (encryption type)If your app is intended for use by a Covered Entity, more than likely you’ll have to comply with HIPAA. HIPAA covers the transactions of PHI, i.e. the information that is included in a patient’s medical record, or that is used for healthcare services such as treatment, payment, or operations.DATA SUBJECT TO HIPAA REGULATIONSThe US Department of Health and Human Services defines 18 classes of personal information that constitute the PHI in combination with health data:Names of patientsAll geographical subdivisions smaller than a stateDates directly related to an individual, including birth date, admission date, discharge date, date of deathPhone numbersFax numbersEmailsSocial Security numbersMedical record numbersHealth plan beneficiary numbersAccount numbersCertificate/license numbersVehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbersDevice identifiers and serial numbersWeb URLsIP addressesBiometric identifiers, including finger and voiceprintsFull face photographic images and any comparable imagesAny other unique identifying number, characteristic, or codeSo if you collect, store or transmit any of this data, you must develop a HIPAA compliant medical app.The last criterion is the technology used to protect electronic PHI and control the access to it under certain standards such as audit controls, integrity, and access controls. The Audit Controls standard requires a medical app developer to have the hardware, software, and/or procedural mechanisms in place that track, record and examine activities in systems that contain or use electronic PHI.The Integrity standard requires policies and procedures to protect electronic PHI from improper alteration or destruction to be used by a covered entity. The Access Controls standard requires:unique user identification system (using password or PIN, a smart card or a key, or biometric data),emergency access procedures (for example, in care of power failure),automatic logoff,and data encryption and decryption at all stages.So, if your prospective app will exchange PHI with doctors and medical facilities in electronic form, most likely you have to develop HIPAA compliant apps.TIPS TO MAKE AN APP DEVELOPMENT HIPAA COMPLIANTHaving delivered a number of HIPAA compliant apps, here are some useful tips on how to deal with mobile apps.Your role and responsibility must be clear and comprehensive.A qualified specialist (HIPAA or security expert) must define the security requirements for your healthcare app and review the app architecture.Risk and exposure must be minimized.Once again, reasonably limit the use and sharing of PHI to the minimum required to accomplish the intended task – don’t access, display or store data that is not necessary.Use a clear and efficient privacy policy.Don’t’ store or cache PHI whenever possible.When using cloud storage, provide secure PHI data transmission and storage, i.e. the cloud storage also should be HIPAA compliant.Under HIPAA a Business Associate Agreement must be signed with any third party providers.Secure data storage and transmission is another must.Data encryption at all stages helps to stay HIPAA compliant. According to NowSecure CTO David Weinstein, 80% of the 200 most popular, free iOS apps do not support App Transport Security (ATS) feature. This feature forces mobile apps to connect to back-end servers using HTTPS, instead of HTTP, to encrypt data in transit. It is absolutely necessary to use available tools and protocols to encrypt and verify data when stored and when transmitted. Remember that SMS and MMS are not encrypted, so avoid transmitting PHI using them.Make your app secure and constantly validate its security. Your app should include an authentication feature after a certain period of inactivity.Never use push notifications containing PHI. Don’t store PHI in backups and log files which are very vulnerable when using SD cards in Android devices.For more information, you can check out HIPAA Ready by CLoudApper. HIPAA Ready helps to streamline compliance efforts in an affordable and efficient manner. The link is also given in my bio.

What is the data entry job description?Data entry operator responsibilities include collecting and entering data in databases and maintaining accurate records of valuable company information. ... You will work with a data team and data manager. Previous experience as a data entry clerk or similar position will be considered an advantage.A data entry clerk is a member of staff employed to enter or update data into a computer system. Data is often entered into a computer from paper documents using a keyboard. The keyboards used can often have specialist keys and multiple colors to help in the task and speed up the work.BY LAUREEN MILES BRUNELLIUpdated June 16, 2019Data entry isn't a new field; it's been around about as long as the computer. But with more and more companies outsourcing clerical work and the rise of the gig economy, data entry—also known as keylogging—is seeing a resurgence in popularity.Before you dive into a data entry job, get familiar with what to expect. If you'll be working remotely, the pay is not great and you're not likely to see regular salary increases. Data entry is not the same as data mining, and for the most part, you're not going to be dealing with the data that people talk about when they complain about Facebook's privacy practices. Data entry is a lot less complicated than all that.What Is Data Entry?Data entry is actually a broad term that encompasses a number of occupations. People who perform data entry include electronic data processors, typists, word processors, transcribers, coders, and clerks. While many of these jobs may be done from a remote location, data entry jobs from home can be quite different from those done in an office.Regardless of where they're based, data entry jobs don't have a high barrier to entry, and the training process is usually not very stringent. If you have typing skills and a high school diploma, and you can read and write English (if you're in the U.S.), you'll qualify for most data entry jobs.FunctionsIn essence, data entry means to operate equipment (often a keyboard) to input alphabetic, numeric, or symbolic data into a company’s system. The data entry operator may be required to verify or edit data as it is entered, or another person might do this work. The data may come from hand-written forms or audio files.The way home-based or online data entry jobs are performed may vary considerably from office jobs. Data entry operators working for micro-labor offices that use crowdsourcing techniques may simply do small bits of work for small fees. This model is growing more common.Some data entry workers work for more traditional data entry companies, which are often business process outsourcing firms. These people might be paid an hourly or per-word rate for a whole project.How Jobs WorkWhile many of the data entry positions mentioned above fall under the data entry umbrella, positions advertised as “data entry jobs” (as opposed to "transcription work") usually require the least skill and in turn pay the least.In general, the method that data entry jobs might pay could be an hourly wage (rare for online data work); per piece; keystrokes per hour; or keystrokes per minute, per audio minute, or per word. Most of these methods make your rate of pay highly dependent on your speed at data entry.Data Entry From HomeThough many companies only allow those who have been trained in-house to work offsite, data entry can often be done from home, especially as remote workers are more easily managed, thanks to better technology.Keep in mind, though, that because data entry from home is almost always done by independent contractors—who are not subject to minimum wage laws and who are in competition with a global workforce—the pay is typically lower for home-based workers than for those who work in offices. You're also less likely to receive merit increases, bonuses, or other perks or benefits than you would in a traditional office setting.Job TrendsAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, local government, elementary and secondary schools, and accounting firms are among the top employers of office-based data entry clerks. They're most likely to be doing office administrative services, bookkeeping, and payroll services, or, for more highly trained clerks, medical and diagnostic data entry work.Data entry isn't the most challenging job, but if you're looking for steady work to pay the bills, industry trends show this field will be robust. Spread across numerous sectors, work should always be available.What (And How) Do Data Entry Jobs Pay?Data entry is a legit way to work at home, but it won't make you richData entry is one of those jobs that's pretty much what it sounds like—the entry of clear and concise data into one or more platforms so that it's easily accessible and understandable to others. Those others might be humans or computer systems. Pay for data entry from home can range considerably, from as little as $1 per hour up to the average rate for an office-based data entry operator—about $15 an hour as of 2017.It's an organizational process, moving information from one format into another, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a business or organization that doesn't need to consolidate and organize its relevant data. The position is sometimes referred to as a "data entry clerk" or a "keyer."Data Entry Salary InformationData entry salary information can vary considerably based on a lot of different factors, including your status as an employee or an independent contractor, the difficulty and skill level required by the position, and the speed at which you can do the job. But overall, data entry jobs generally pay modest wages. Any organization that promises big salaries for data entry jobs is more than likely a data entry scam.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), data entry keyers—not transcriptionists or typists—are paid a mean hourly wage of nearly $15.64 an hour as of mid-2017, from a low of $10.37 an hour for new hires up to $22.24 an hour for a more experienced worker employed by a generous company. This works out to about $32,530 annually, but salaries can depend heavily on the area where you work and live.Five states are known for ample data entry jobs as well as paying a decent wage, according to the BLS: California, Texas, Illinois, New York, and Florida.These wage figures apply to employment jobs in brick-and-mortar offices, not necessarily data entry from home. And most work-at-home data entry jobs are not employment positions but independent contracting.Data Entry Pay StructuresData entry pays using a variety of rate structures, including an hourly rate, per-piece payment, keystrokes per hour, or keystrokes per minute. The job might also pay per work or per audio minute. Of course, no jobs will advertise $1-per-hour work, but complicated per-piece pay structures can actually work out to be that little.These other pay structures are designed to pay more to faster, more experienced data entry operators. But a worker must earn at least the minimum wage in the state in which the work is performed in employment positions in the U.S. that pay in any structure other than an hourly wage.Work-at-Home vs. Office Data Entry Job SalariesData entry jobs from home are likely to pay less than data entry in an office. It's not simply a matter of home-based workers often being willing to earn less in exchange for working from home. Data entry from home is almost always performed by independent contractors who aren't subject to minimum wage laws. These jobs might be in competition with other global jobs from home or micro labor positions, which can also lower pay rates.The way in which data entry work is sent to home-based workers can also affect pay. Workers who log on to crowdsourcing or micro labor sites might not be able to obtain enough pieces of work in an hour to make a good wage.A transcriptionist is a professional typist who listens to recorded or live audio files and converts into text format what they hear. They offer their services to medical, legal, and general transcription industry. May 6, 2018What does a transcriptionist do?Medical transcriptionists sometimes referred to as healthcare documentation specialists, listen to voice recordings that physicians and other healthcare workers make and convert them into written reports. They also may review and edit medical documents created using speech recognition technology.What is a Transcription Job?Transcription JobsTranscription can simply be defined as the process by which speech is translated into written form. Transcription has evolved over the years into a specialized area with the rapid expansion and growth of businesses worldwide. Professionals in this field are known as transcriptionists and they are in high demand these days. It should come as no surprise that transcriptionists are expected to do much more than merely type out the contents of an audio file. Transcriptionists are expected to do quite a bit of research and understand terminologies which may not be clearly audible in the recording.This blog post will cover:Different types of transcription jobsQualifications necessary to become a transcriptionistEffects of globalization on transcription jobsDifferent types of transcription jobsThe job of a transcriptionist has evolved over the years and this has resulted in transcriptionists specializing in their niche fields. The most common branches of transcription are the general transcription, legal transcription, and medical transcription.General transcription: Most modern businesses use the service of transcriptionists. This can be for transcribing coaching sessions, recorded seminars, one to one interviews and a variety of other business needs. It has become a common practice among busy authors to record their narration in a dictaphone and then hire a qualified transcriptionist to transcribe the recording in a specific format they want. Any person with good English and typing skills can undertake these types of business transcription jobs.Legal transcription: Legal transcription, unlike general business transcription, requires the transcriptionist to have some understanding of the legal terminologies used in a court of law. The job involves carefully listening to recorded court proceedings involving attorneys and other legal professionals and transcribing the recordings into documents in a specific format as instructed by the client.Medical transcription: This is a much more specialized area of transcription where the transcriptionist is expected to know medical terminologies in a variety of general and specialized medical fields. Accuracy is of utmost importance in medical transcription and all transcriptionists have to undergo training and certification before they start a career in this field. The transcriptionist should always bear in mind that he is dealing with confidential patient records which are very personal and all efforts should be to protect data confidentiality.Qualifications to become a transcriptionistThe most important attraction of transcription jobs is that a person aspiring to be transcriptionist need not have any special qualification. This is true in the case of general business transcription. If you have good typewriting skill (above 70 wpm) and great attention to detail you can aspire to be a good transcriptionist.A good understanding of the English language with special emphasis on grammar is a must for any transcriptionist to excel in this field. Good computer skills will be an advantage as the transcriptionist will be working on specialized transcription software like Express Scribe.Legal transcribers work for law firms, banks, and big corporations and they deal with contracts, pleadings agreements and a variety of legal issues. Hence, they are supposed to have a good understanding of these issues.There are a number of Certificate Courses and Diplomas in legal transcription that is available for aspiring legal transcriptionists. The duration of these courses could vary from six months to two years. Very often legal transcription firms offer on the job training for transcriptionists.Medical transcription is one field of transcription where a formal qualification is a must. This is due to the sensitive nature of the job involved. Many firms provide online training programs for medical transcriptionists that equip them to work in a HIPAA compliant environment which ensures that patient data are safe and secure.The training programs are also structured in such a way that the transcribers become proficient in a variety of medical terminologies and jargons that are frequently used in the transcripts. In medical transcription, there is no room for errors since the transcripts form the basis for the settlement of claims in a variety of issues.Hence most transcription firms have three levels of transcriptionists namely, the medical transcriptions, the editor and the quality controller. The transcript produced by the transcriptionist is reviewed by the editor and the quality controller before it is delivered to the client. The training programs in these firms are also structured accordingly.Effects of globalization on transcription jobsGlobalization has affected almost every aspect of our lives and this is true in the case of transcription also. With the rapid expansion of computers and high-speed connectivity, outsourcing of most jobs has become a reality.This has opened up challenges and opportunities in the field of transcription. Clients have a great choice of talented transcriptionists to choose from and hard working transcriptionists can get a chance to apply for exciting transcription vacancies anywhere in the world. This has also opened great opportunities for working from home.Transcription jobs are one of the easiest ways for making money. If you have the strong will to work hard with sincerity and dedication this is one field you can definitely explore. The most important advantage is that you do not have to invest huge amounts of money to start a career in this field.Transcription jobs are sometimes advertised as data entry. These jobs can sometimes require more skill and accuracy so they'll pay more than simple data entry keying jobs.How Much Does Transcription Pay?“General transcription pays well in comparison to most work at home jobs,” says Mills. “The least I’ve made per hour is $15. But I often make $25 per hour or more. Those who specialize in legal can make an even higher wage per hour.”The exact amount you earn as a transcriptionist will depend on the company you’re working for, how much work is available, and of course your speed and skill level.While Mills translated her rate for me, note that transcription companies usually pay a rate per audio hour or a rate per page, although the audio hour pay rate seems to be the most common.An audio hour is not the same thing as a regular hour. For example, if you’re being paid $50 per audio hour, this means you’ll earn $50 for every hour of audio you transcribe.It could take you anywhere from two to five hours to transcribe just one hour of audio, depending on the complexity of the file is and your transcription skill level.Experienced transcriptionists often consider rates below $45 to $50 per audio hour too low. But if you’re brand new to the industry, you may find it’s worth working for a lower rate to get your feet wet and learn valuable skills that could help you land a better-paying transcription job later on.Where to Find Transcription Jobs as a BeginnerHere is a list of legitimate companies that regularly hire newbie transcriptionists. Most of these companies will require that you take short, simple transcription tests prior to accepting you. The company uses these tests to assess your typing accuracy and attention to detail before assigning you to work.1. Transcribe AnywhereTranscribe Anywhere offers online transcription courses that not only teach students how to transcribe but also how to start their own freelance transcribing businesses.The online course features modules, practice dictions, and quizzes. It even shows you how to create a website and how to secure clients.2. TranscribeMeIf you can pass TranscribeMe’s short transcription test, you will be put on the waiting list for their transcription projects. These are short, 10-second audio files that you can work on whenever you want, with no deadlines.The company pays $20 per audio hour, and they do not require any special equipment for transcription prior to getting started. You’ll be paid weekly by PayPal for the work you complete.3. QuicktateQuicktate will hire newbie transcriptionists once they pass a skills test. Most of what you will transcribe for Quicktate is short voicemail messages, although there may occasionally be other types of files as well.After you have done the transcription for Quicktate for some time, you may be promoted to iDictate — a sister company that pays slightly more for transcribed files. Quicktate pays approximately one cent for every four words transcribed, while iDictate pays two cents for every four words transcribed. You can work as much or as little as you want, and they pay weekly by PayPal.4. RevYou’llorks out to about $24 to $39 per audio hour. They pay weekly by PayPal and don’t require any special equipment apart from a computer with a reliable Internet connection.5. TigerfishTigerfish is an older transcription company that has been using home-based transcriptionists to transcribe audio files for their clients since 1989. You’ll need to pass a skills test prior to working for Tigerfish.Unlike some of the companies mentioned above, Tigerfish prefers that you use transcription software and a foot pedal. However, the company doesn’t share information on pay rates, method, and job frequency until you apply.6. CrowdsurfCrowdsurf specializes in providing transcribed media files to the hearing impaired. If you work for Crowdsurf, you’ll have to create an account with Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, a popular crowdsourced work platform where Crowdsurf houses their transcription tasks. (Make the most of your mTurking time with this trick.)You’ll earn about five or six cents for every 15 seconds of audio transcribed. You’ll be paid through mTurk, which means you can have your earnings direct-deposited to your bank account at any time provided you’ve earned at least $1.If you’re looking to earn a little extra money online, give transcription a try with one of these companies. You won’t break the bank, but you will be getting paid to learn how to transcribe audio files — and this could open the door to much better-paying transcription opportunities in the future!Anna Thurman is a work-from-home mom and blogger. Each week, she researches and reviews the best work-from-home opportunities on her blog, Real Ways to Earn Money Online.And then there are Data Entry Transcriptionist jobs:Data Entry Transcriptionist OverviewData entry transcription jobs are relatively new to the scene. In the past, transcription was only a part of the duties of those hired to do “secretarial work”, who would take dictated notes in shorthand and then type them out longhand. First used primarily in the medical field, the transcription industry has expanded to include almost every industry.A data entry transcriptionist’s duties include (but are not limited to): Copy information into a computerized format. For instance, you may get a document that is handwritten that needs to be entered into a spreadsheet format like Excel. This also could be information that is recorded that you will enter into the correct formats. You may also do some straight transcription that will need to be then entered into some type of electronic or digital format.What skills are needed to do data entry transcription jobs?There are several skills that are required to be a good transcriptionist. Then there are some extra skills that will help you to be a data entry transcriptionist. You will need to have good typing skills, this includes accuracy and speed. Since most transcription jobs are paid by the page or hour, be it audio or worked hour, it stands to reason they will want to have as much transcription done as quickly as possible.You will also need keyboarding skills that including the shortcuts and 10-key numbers. While many of these can be researched online, it is extremely helpful if you don’t have to stop to find them. You will also want to have the ability to accurately transfer data, whether heard or read into a digital format.Is an education required to have a job in data entry transcription?While you only need to have a GED (General Education Diploma) to be hired as in data entry transcription jobs, there are some classes or certifications you may want to consider getting. The transcription certification offered by many online and local educational institutions will give you a general premise from which to base further knowledge.What type of training will help you be good at data entry transcription?There are several courses that can help you become more proficient in data entry transcription. Because you may be using several different types of Microsoft programs such as Word and Excel, taking classes in the use of these programs can be extremely helpful. You’ll learn things such as formatting, editing, formula entry, just to list a few.You may also want to take office procedures and/or specialty type of classes. Because you may be working with varied terminologies, you may want to take legal, medical and office terminology. Each of these is necessary for a wide variety of transcription jobs, especially if you are working freelance.How much do data entry transcription jobs pay?This is entirely dependent on the client, company and whether you are freelance or work with a company. What this means is most companies pay by the audio hour or a working hour at a specified rate. You will generally work in an office that is supplied by them, but not always and you represent the company for which you work. You will be assigned work based on your skills and qualifications and while the clients pay the company a price, the company will pay you something different.Freelance work means you work directly with the clients themselves. You often will bid for the jobs, and price according to what is the going rate, yet inexpensive enough to win the contract.The rates of pay can be by the audio hour, which is the time of the actual recording, not the time you spend working on it. This can range from $5.00 all the way to $20.00 per hour. Hourly jobs, which are paid for working time, can range up to $15.00. By the project depends on the size of the project and generally will be negotiated on that size and by the page is generally $3.00 – $8.00 per page.Where can I find data entry transcription jobs?Depending on how you want to work, be it at home or in an office, there are a wide variety of places you can find online to apply for data entry transcription jobs. Here, we will discuss a few of the larger sites in which you can find good, legitimate jobs.TranscriptionJobsHQ.com: We have partnered with top companies to offer you a very easy-to-use job search engine that pulls all listings from Simply Hired, Monster, and Indeed to show you just about all of the legal transcription jobs that you can find on the internet. If you can’t find your job here feel free to keep searching elsewhere, but we are confident that our database has most of them.Upwork.com: The transcription jobs on this website range from large to small. Once you create a profile, start out by charging a reasonable rate by audio/video minute and then build up your profile to eventually have a higher cost and repeated clients. It takes some time, but this can be a great way to get multiple clients coming back over and over again.Rev.com: This is a great company to join if you'd like consistent transcription work provided to you. The problem with joining this company is that you'll be paid less per audio minute because they have to make money too, but they are very consistent with the work that they get.Simplyhired.com: This is a job listing site that covers a wide range of industries. You can search by keywords such as transcription or corporate transcription. You will want to have a general cover letter that you can edit for each job and a relevant resume as you apply directly to the company itself. These jobs can be at home or in an office.Careerbuilder.com: One of the largest of the job listing sites, Find a Job | CareerBuilder has been around for well over 15 years. Again, you will want to upload a relevant resume and have a general cover letter that you can review and edit for specific companies. Since companies can also search the database for relevant workers, it is good to have a copy there as well.Again, using keywords, you will search the database for relevant jobs and apply per the specifics listed in the job details.Monster.com: Another large job listing site, you can upload resumes, use the resume builder, develop cover letters, search the database for position and review job details. You will apply to each job per the instructions listed in the job details.<So I choose to give you to your information on Data entry jobs, Transcriptionist jobs, and data entry/ transcriptionist jobs. On the surfface, it seems that one could make more money doing a transcriptionist job since it seems to offer more money, but you will have to do your research on the different companies to see what they are offering for the jobs they have available

Service Organization Control 2 (SOC 2) is an auditing standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). It is designed to ensure service providers and third-party vendors are protecting sensitive data and personal information from unauthorized access.SOC 2 reports cover a period of time (generally 12 months) and include a description of the service organization's system and tests the design and operating effectiveness of key internal controls over a period of time.Information security and defense in depth are important at any organizations. The rise of outsourcing key business operations (e.g. SaaS products and data center providers) means more third and fourth-party data breaches and data leaks are happening.And the cost of data breaches and regulatory scrutiny (due to laws like HIPAA and GDPR) has never been higher.The purpose of SOC 2 is to provide peace of mind for organizations when they engage third-party vendors. This has led to many security-conscious organizations to look for SOC 2 compliance as part of their vendor assessment process to reduce vendor cybersecurity risk.Table of contentsWhat is SOC 2 compliance? The Trust Services Criteria (TSC)What are the different types of SOC reports?What are the different SOC standards?What is a SOC 2 certification or attestation?Why is SOC 2 compliance important?How UpGuard to prevent data breaches and data leaks1. What is SOC 2 compliance? The Trust Services Criteria (TSC)SOC 2 compliance is concerned with managing customer data in accordance with AICPA's five Trust Services Criteria (TSC):Security: The protection of system resources from unauthorized access. This could include network security, intrusion detection and other security tools that protect against vulnerabilities, ransomware like WannaCry and other types of malware. This criteria is concerned reducing cyber threats and preventing data breaches and cyber attacks.Availability: The accessibility of the system, products or services stipulated in contract or by service level agreement (SLA). It does not address system functionality and usability but rather security-related criteria that can affect availability.Processing integrity: Addresses whether a system achieves its purpose in a complete, valid, accurate, timely and authorized manner.Confidentiality: Addresses whether sensitive data is restricted to specific people or organizations. Encryption, phishing awareness training, SSL certificates, DNSSEC and preventing man-in-the-middle attacks, domain hijacking and email spoofing are fundamental to protecting confidentiality.Privacy: Addresses the collection, use, retention, disclosure and disposal of personally identifiable information (PII) and how it aligns with the organization's privacy notice and criteria set out in AICPA's generally accepted privacy principles (GAPP). All PII must be protected from exposure, both accidental and deliberate. Examples of PII data include phone numbers, names and social security numbers.Unlike stricter security standards like PCI DSS, SOC reports are unique to each organization.This means organization controls can be designed, in line with specific business practices , to comply with one or more of the trust services principles.These internal reports provide regulators, business partners, suppliers and your organization with important information about how your service providers are managing sensitive data.2. What are the different types of SOC reports?There are two types of SOC reports:Type I: Describes a vendor's system and organization controls and whether they are suitable to meet relevant criteria.Type II: Details the operating effectiveness of the systems outlined in Type I.A common misconception is to confuse SOC types with SOC standards. Each SOC standards, of which there are three (SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3), can have a SOC report of Type I or Type II.3. What are the different SOC standards?The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) have developed three SOC standards:SOC 1: Evaluates, tests and reports on the effectiveness of the service organization's internal controls which related to user entities' internal controls over financial reporting. A SOC 1 report is equivalent to a Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE 16) report.SOC 2: Evaluates, tests and reports on the systems and organization controls related to storing information but is not significant to financial reporting or financial controls. SOC 2 was preceded by SAS 70.SOC 3: Reports on the same details as a SOC 2 report but is intended for a general audience. They are shorter and do not include the same details as a SOC 2 report but are shared openly, often on a company's website with a seal to indicate compliance.4. What is a SOC 2 certification or attestation?A SOC 2 certification is issued by an independent CPA firm and assesses the extent to which a vendor complies with one or more of the five trust principles based on the service organization's controls and processes.SOC 2 reports consist of:The opinion letterManagement's assertionDescription of the systemDescription of tests of controls and results of testingOther information5. Why is SOC 2 compliance important?Outsourcing and in turn, third-party risk and fourth-party risk have never been higher. Every organization is outsourcing parts of its operations, often to multiple suppliers. Those suppliers are then outsourcing part of their operations to other suppliers.This is why SOC 2, third-party risk management and vendor risk management are so important. Vendor risk needs to be managed carefully with vendor questionnaires, security ratings and industry benchmarking. You can read our white papers on third-party risk management and vendor questionnaires to learn more.The most important thing to understand is customers don't care whether data breaches and data leaks are the result of your mismanagement of their data or your vendor's mismanagement. They just care that their data was exposed or sold on the dark web. Consider making SOC 2 compliance part of your information security policy and cyber security risk assessment process.SOC 2 compliance is one way to determine whether your vendors are managing data in a secure manner. Along with looking for SOC 2 compliance, consider investing in a tool that can automatically monitor your vendors security performance and automate security questionnaires. Better yet, look for a tool that is CVE compatible. And look for shared assessments that allow your organization to obtain a detailed report about your service provider's controls and verify that the information in the report is accurate.Digital forensics isn't always going to give you anything useful and even if it does policing cyber attacks can be hard due to their distributed nature.It's far better to prevent a data breach than try to clean one up after the fact. As many organizations have found out, once data is exposed it's very hard to put the genie back in the bottle.6. How UpGuard to prevent data breaches and data leaksThere's no question that cybersecurity is more important than ever before. That's why companies like Intercontinental Exchange, Taylor Fry, The New York Stock Exchange, IAG, First State Super, Akamai, Morningstar and NASA use UpGuard to protect their data and prevent data breaches.We're experts in data breaches, in fact our data breach research has been featured in the New York Times, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Forbes and Techcrunch.UpGuard BreachSight can help combat typosquatting, prevent data breaches and data leaks, avoiding regulatory fines and protecting your customer's trust through cyber security ratings and continuous exposure detection.UpGuard Vendor Risk will continuously monitor, rate and send security questionnaires to your vendors to control third-party risk and fourth-party risk and improve your security posture.Book a demo today.