How to Automate SOC 2 Evidence Collection in 2025

To automate SOC 2 evidence collection in 2025, you must integrate AI-powered workflow recorders with your existing GRC platform. While tools like Vanta and Drata automate infrastructure and cloud configurations, application-level evidence still requires manual screenshots. AI agents now automate this by recording your browser actions, capturing timestamped screenshots, and generating audit-ready PDF evidence packs mapped directly to Trust Service Criteria (TSC).

Why Manual SOC 2 Evidence Collection No Longer Scales

In 2025, the volume of data required for a SOC 2 Type II audit has increased significantly. Traditional manual collection methods—manually taking screenshots, renaming files, and pasting them into Word documents—create a massive bottleneck for high-growth engineering teams.

The "20% Gap" in Compliance Automation

Most organizations use GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) platforms like Drata, Vanta, or Secureframe. These tools are excellent at automating:

Infrastructure Controls: AWS/GCP/Azure configurations.
HR Controls: Employee onboarding and background checks.
Policy Management: Versioning and employee acknowledgments.

However, they leave a 20% gap consisting of application-level and process-based controls. These controls require visual proof that a human or a specific workflow occurred. Without automation, teams spend 40–80 hours per quarter manually documenting these tests.

Risks of Manual Documentation

Human Error: Missing timestamps or incorrect user context can lead to audit exceptions.
Context Switching: Engineers lose hours of deep-work time to administrative screenshot tasks.
Inconsistency: Different team members document evidence differently, making the auditor's job harder.
Evidence Decay: If evidence isn't captured at the moment of the test, it may be impossible to recreate later for a Type II look-back period.

How Can I Automate SOC 2 Evidence Collection?

Automating the "last mile" of SOC 2 compliance involves using an AI agent that lives in your browser to document your control tests as you perform them.

The Automated Workflow

Trigger the Test: You start an AI recording session tied to a specific SOC 2 control (e.g., CC6.1).
Execute the Action: You perform the control test in your application (e.g., demonstrating that a non-admin user cannot access the billing settings).
AI Capture: The AI agent automatically detects key UI changes, takes high-resolution screenshots, and logs metadata (URL, timestamp, user ID).
Auto-Generation: The system generates a structured PDF evidence pack including a narrative description of the test, the screenshots, and a pass/fail determination.
Sync: The evidence is automatically pushed to your GRC platform (Vanta/Drata) or shared via an auditor portal.

What Types of Evidence Can Be Automated?

Not all SOC 2 evidence is the same. In 2025, automation tools focus on four primary categories of visual evidence.

1. Logical Access Controls (CC6.1, CC6.2)

Auditors need to see that your Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) actually works.

Automated Evidence: A recording showing a "Permission Denied" screen when an unauthorized user attempts to access sensitive data, paired with a screenshot of the user's restricted profile.

2. Change Management (CC7.2)

You must prove that every change to production was authorized.

Automated Evidence: Capturing the full trail from a Jira ticket to a GitHub Pull Request approval, ending with the deployment log in your CI/CD pipeline.

3. System Operations and Monitoring (CC7.1)

Proof that your team is actively monitoring system health.

Automated Evidence: Periodic, automated screenshots of Datadog or PagerDuty dashboards showing active monitoring and incident response logs.

4. Risk Mitigation (CC8.1)

Verification that vulnerability scans are being performed and remediated.

Automated Evidence: Automated capture of Snyk or SonarQube dashboards showing the current vulnerability status and history of patches.

Control ID	Control Name	Automation Method	Evidence Output
CC6.1	Logical Access	Workflow Recording	PDF with "Access Denied" screenshots
CC6.3	Access Modification	AI Agent Capture	Screenshots of IAM role changes
CC7.2	Change Management	Browser Extension	PR approval + Deploy log pack
CC8.1	Vulnerability Mgmt	Scheduled Capture	Timestamped scan result reports

Step-by-Step Guide: Automating SOC 2 Evidence in 2025

Follow this framework to transition from manual screenshots to an automated evidence pipeline.

Step 1: Install a Compliance-Aware Recorder

Use a tool like Screenata that is specifically built for SOC 2. Unlike generic screen recorders (like Loom), compliance recorders capture technical metadata and map it to Trust Service Criteria automatically.

Step 2: Define Your Control Library

Map your internal controls to the AICPA Trust Service Criteria. Most companies focus on the Common Criteria (CC) series:

CC1.0: Control Environment
CC6.0: Logical and Physical Access
CC7.0: System Operations
CC8.0: Change Management
CC9.0: Risk Mitigation

Step 3: Execute "Live" Control Tests

Instead of taking static screenshots, perform a "walkthrough" of the control.

Open the Screenata browser extension.
Select the control (e.g., CC6.1).
Perform the test.
The AI will automatically annotate each step: "User navigates to /admin," "System displays 403 Forbidden," "Test Result: PASS."

Step 4: Generate and Review the Evidence Pack

The AI compiles the data into a standardized format. A valid 2025 evidence pack must include:

Control Objective: What the test is proving.
Tester Identity: The email/account of the person running the test.
Timestamp: Precise date and time (UTC).
Visual Proof: Clear, unaltered screenshots.
System Context: The URL and environment (Production vs. Staging).

Step 5: Integrate with Vanta or Drata

Sync the generated PDF directly to your GRC tool. This ensures that when your auditor logs in to review your "Evidence" tab, they find professional, consistent documentation instead of a messy folder of PNG files.

Comparison: Manual vs. AI-Automated Evidence Collection

Feature	Manual Process (2020-2024)	AI-Automated Process (2025)
Time per Control	60–90 minutes	2–5 minutes
Documentation	Manual typing in Word/Docs	AI-generated narratives
Metadata	Often missing or manual	Automatic (Timestamp, URL, User)
Formatting	Inconsistent	Standardized PDF/ZIP packs
Audit Risk	High (Human error/Missing data)	Low (Verifiable, timestamped logs)
Scalability	Linear (More controls = More work)	Exponential (Record once, map to many)

Why Auditors Trust Screenata-Generated Evidence

Auditors in 2025 are increasingly skeptical of "cherry-picked" screenshots. They prefer automated evidence for three technical reasons:

1. Verification of Authenticity

Screenata includes metadata that proves the screenshot hasn't been tampered with. This includes the DOM state and the original URL, providing a level of "computer-use" verification that manual screenshots lack.

2. Consistency of Format

When an auditor reviews 100 controls, they want them to look identical. Automated packs ensure that every report has the same header, the same timestamp format, and the same clear mapping to the SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria.

3. Completeness of the Narrative

A single screenshot often doesn't tell the whole story. AI-generated packs document the entire workflow—from the login screen to the final result—ensuring there are no "gaps" in the evidence that might lead to an auditor follow-up question.

Integration with Existing Compliance Platforms

Automation tools like Screenata are designed to complement, not replace, your GRC platform.

Screenata + Vanta

Vanta monitors your AWS settings, but it can't "see" how your custom application handles role-based access. You use Screenata to record your RBAC tests and upload the resulting PDF pack into Vanta's "Custom Evidence" slot for the relevant control.

Screenata + Drata

Drata’s "Autopilot" handles infrastructure, while Screenata handles the manual "Test Steps." By attaching Screenata evidence packs to Drata's manual controls, you achieve nearly 100% automation across both infrastructure and application layers.

Best Practices for 2025 SOC 2 Audits

Capture Evidence Monthly: Don't wait for the end of the quarter. Use automated reminders to record your control tests every 30 days to ensure a clean Type II window.
Use Production Data (Carefully): Auditors prefer evidence from production. Use AI redaction features to blur out PII (Personally Identifiable Information) while keeping the control evidence visible.
Map One Test to Multiple Frameworks: If you are pursuing both SOC 2 and ISO 27001, use a tool that can map a single recording to both CC6.1 (SOC 2) and A.9.2.2 (ISO 27001).
Involve the Whole Team: Give browser extension access to your DevOps, HR, and Product leads so they can record their own evidence without needing a compliance officer to "babysit" the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SOC 2 evidence automation?

It is the use of software to automatically capture, document, and format the proof required for a SOC 2 audit. This typically involves recording application workflows and generating audit-ready reports without manual data entry.

How is Screenata different from taking a manual screenshot?

Manual screenshots lack context, timestamps, and metadata. Screenata uses an AI agent to capture the entire browser state, generating a structured report that includes the "who, what, when, and where" of the test, which is what auditors actually require.

Does this replace tools like Vanta or Drata?

No. It complements them. Vanta and Drata focus on infrastructure and API-based automation. Screenata automates the application-level and process-level tests that those platforms cannot reach.

Will auditors accept AI-generated evidence?

Yes. Auditors prefer automated evidence because it is more consistent, less prone to human error, and contains richer metadata than manual documentation.

How much time can I save?

The average company saves 40–80 hours per audit cycle by automating screenshot collection and report formatting. This reduces the time spent per control from 60 minutes to under 5 minutes.

Key Takeaways

✅ Automate the "Last Mile": Use AI workflow recorders to bridge the 20% gap left by GRC tools like Vanta and Drata.
✅ Focus on Application Controls: Prioritize automating CC6.1 (Access) and CC7.2 (Change Management) where manual work is highest.
✅ Standardize Evidence: AI-generated PDF packs provide the consistency and metadata that 2025 auditors demand.
✅ Enable Continuous Compliance: Record evidence throughout the year, not just during "audit season," to ensure a perfect SOC 2 Type II report.
✅ Reduce Engineering Burden: Automation allows developers to focus on building products rather than taking screenshots for auditors.