How do I write SOC 2 policies that reference my actual tech stack?
March 6, 20262 min readSOC 2 Policies and Documentation
Why Tech-Specific Policies Matter
Auditors test controls by comparing your policies against your actual systems. If your policy says "code changes are managed through a version control system," the auditor will ask which one and check its settings. Save everyone time by being specific upfront.
Template Language vs. Tech-Specific Language
| Policy Area | Generic Template | Tech-Specific Version |
|---|---|---|
| Version control | "A version control system is used" | "All source code is managed in GitHub with branch protection on main" |
| Deployment | "Changes follow a controlled deployment process" | "Deployments are triggered by merging to main via Vercel's GitHub integration with preview deployments for all PRs" |
| Authentication | "Multi-factor authentication is required" | "Employee access uses Google Workspace SSO with hardware key MFA. Application users authenticate via NextAuth with TOTP" |
| Data storage | "Data is encrypted at rest" | "Customer data is stored in Supabase PostgreSQL with AES-256 encryption. File uploads use AWS S3 with SSE-S3 encryption" |
| Monitoring | "Systems are monitored for anomalies" | "Application errors are tracked in Sentry. Infrastructure metrics are monitored via AWS CloudWatch with PagerDuty alerting" |
How to Do It
- List your tools. Write down every tool involved in: authentication, deployment, hosting, database, monitoring, alerting, communication, and access management.
- Map tools to controls. For each SOC 2 control area, note which tools are involved.
- Write the policy statement. Replace generic language with specific tool references.
- Verify accuracy. Before the audit, confirm that your policy statements match current configurations. If you migrated from Heroku to Vercel last quarter, make sure the policy reflects that.
Common Pitfall
Don't include tools you've stopped using. Auditors will try to test controls against every system mentioned in your policies. If your policy references Datadog but you switched to Sentry six months ago, that creates unnecessary questions.
Where Screenata Helps
Screenata reads your codebase and cloud configs directly, generating policies that reference your actual tools. When your stack changes, Screenata detects the difference and flags policy updates needed.