SOC 2 Continuous Monitoring of Controls

Passing a SOC 2 audit once is not the finish line; it's the starting point. Today, customers, partners, and regulators expect companies to demonstrate continuous compliance, not just during an annual review. That's where continuous monitoring of SOC 2 controls comes in.

In this article, we'll break down what continuous monitoring means in the SOC 2 context, why it's critical for small and medium-sized businesses, and how you can build a sustainable monitoring process without drowning in manual work.

What Is Continuous Monitoring in SOC 2?

Continuous monitoring means regularly checking and validating whether your SOC 2 controls remain effective over time. Unlike a one-time audit snapshot, monitoring ensures that processes, access rights, and security practices work every single day.

Think of it as the bridge between policy and reality. Policies might say "all employees must use multi-factor authentication," but monitoring proves that MFA is actually enforced across all accounts, all the time.

Why SOC 2 Requires Monitoring of Controls

SOC 2 is based on the Trust Services Criteria (TSC), which emphasize ongoing oversight. For example:

• CC1.3 requires management to evaluate internal controls on an ongoing basis.
• CC7.2 expects companies to monitor systems and detect security events.

Without monitoring, controls can degrade silently. Employees come and go, configurations drift, and security gaps appear. Monitoring ensures you can catch issues before an auditor or worse, a customer does.

Key Areas That Require Monitoring

SOC 2 auditors typically expect continuous evidence in these areas:

• User access management – Are accounts for terminated employees disabled immediately?
• System logs and alerts – Are unusual login attempts or failed MFA prompts flagged?
• Configuration and patch management – Are servers and applications updated regularly?
• HR compliance – Are NDAs, Code of Conduct acknowledgments, and training records kept current?
• Vendor risk management – Are third-party tools reviewed for compliance and security?

Tip: Start by identifying the 5–7 controls most critical to your business operations, then expand monitoring gradually.

How to Monitor SOC 2 Controls Continuously

1. Automate Where Possible

Tools like SIEMs, GRC platforms, or endpoint monitoring solutions can flag anomalies automatically. For SMBs, even lightweight solutions (e.g., Google Workspace admin logs) can go a long way.

2. Use Periodic Manual Reviews

Some tasks—like reviewing user access lists or checking policy acknowledgments—can be done quarterly or monthly. The key is to document them.

3. Run Internal Spot Checks

Before your external audit, test a few sample controls yourself. Can you easily pull evidence of MFA? Do you have logs of terminated user accounts? These "mini-audits" reduce surprises later.

4. Document Everything

Auditors love documentation. Keep screenshots, logs, and signed records. Store them in a single compliance folder so you don't waste time chasing files during the audit.

Challenges and Best Practices

Challenges companies face:

• Compliance fatigue: employees feel overwhelmed by constant reminders.
• Manual overhead: too many spreadsheets and checklists.
• False confidence: relying only on annual audits.

Best practices to adopt:

• Balance automation with human oversight—tools can miss context.
• Assign clear ownership for each control (no "shared responsibility confusion").
• Review your monitoring process at least once a year—controls evolve as your company grows.

Continuous monitoring is bigger than any single framework or certification. It's a way of keeping controls alive, making sure policies work in practice, and ensuring that risks don't accumulate quietly over time.

For growing companies, this approach supports resilience, transparency, and trust with customers and partners. Whether you're aiming for SOC 2, ISO 27001, or preparing for future regulatory requirements, the habit of monitoring controls continuously creates a foundation that makes every compliance journey easier.