Defining Your SOC 2 Audit Scope

One of the most important—and sometimes misunderstood—steps in preparing for a SOC 2 audit is defining the scope of your report.

Put simply, your audit scope determines what systems, processes, and services the audit will cover.
Getting this right is critical: too narrow a scope can leave customers with unanswered questions, while too broad a scope can create unnecessary complexity and risk.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to define your SOC 2 audit scope thoughtfully, so that your report accurately reflects the trust and security posture your customers expect.

Why Scope Matters

The scope of your SOC 2 report shapes how customers interpret your compliance program.

If a critical system or service is left out of scope, customers may wonder whether those areas are secure.
If the scope is too broad and includes systems that aren’t well-controlled, it can introduce unnecessary audit findings.

Ultimately, your scope needs to be clear, defensible, and aligned with customer expectations—showing that you’re protecting the systems and data that matter most.

Starting Point: Understand Your Services and Data Flows

A good starting point is to map out the services you provide and the data you process.

Ask yourself:

• What products or services are covered by our customer contracts?

• Where is customer data stored and processed?

• What systems support core service delivery?

• Which teams and processes interact with this data?

By understanding how your services operate, you can define a scope that matches how your customers experience your platform.

What Typically Falls Within Scope

For most technology companies, your audit scope will include:

• The cloud infrastructure that hosts your services

• The software components that process customer data

• The processes used to deploy, maintain, and secure those systems

• The teams responsible for managing and supporting them

Critical third parties—known as subservice organizations—also need to be considered.
For example, if your product relies heavily on a cloud provider like AWS or a payments processor, their security posture may impact your own audit.

You’ll need to decide whether to include these subservice organizations within the scope of your report (inclusive method), or to carve them out while documenting how you manage their risk.

How to Right-Size Your Scope

A well-defined SOC 2 scope strikes the right balance between relevance and manageability.

If your scope is too narrow, it may trigger customer questions and slow down sales.
If it’s too broad, it can increase the time, effort, and complexity of the audit unnecessarily.

Work closely with your auditor to validate your scoping decisions early in the process.
They can help you calibrate your scope based on your services, customer expectations, and risk profile.

Aligning Scope Across Frameworks

Many organizations pursue SOC 2 alongside other frameworks—such as HIPAA, ISO 27001, or PCI DSS.
Taking a unified approach to scoping across frameworks can save time, reduce confusion, and create a more coherent compliance story.

For example, defining consistent system boundaries and data flow diagrams will help support multiple audits and certifications simultaneously.