SOC 2 attestation in France

SOC 2 attestation in France at a glance

SOC 2 reaches French companies through their customers rather than through French law. The AICPA's SOC suite is a set of offerings that CPAs may provide on the system-level controls of a service organisation, producing assurance reports that outsourcing customers can read instead of auditing each supplier. It is an attestation by a licensed CPA firm, not a certificate, and French buyers in health or the public sector may instead ask for HDS or SecNumCloud, which are separate schemes. Supplier questions will also grow as NIS 2, which makes supply chain security a required measure, is transposed. Sterling does not attest; the CPA firm does. Sterling's Enschede office prepares SaaS, outsourcing and fintech clients in France for the examination, choosing criteria and building evidence, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.

Who needs SOC 2 in France, and what happens without it

In France the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• French SaaS and cloud companies selling to US-linked enterprisesBuyers ask for an independent report on security and related criteria.
• Outsourcers and shared-service providersClients rely on the report instead of auditing each supplier site.
• Fintech and payment technology providersFinancial customers evaluate third-party providers on control evidence.
• Suppliers to future NIS 2 entitiesSupply chain security questions will reach providers.

SOC 2 requirements in France

Strip away the vocabulary and SOC 2 asks a service organisation to report on six things about the controls behind its service.

In France these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: SOC 2 explained →

How to get a SOC 2 report in France

One team from the Enschede office carries the work from scoping to report. Clients in France are served from Sterling's Enschede office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against SOC 2 and the French requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
5. The independent examination and reportA licensed CPA firm performs the examination and issues the report. Sterling supports the examination.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• SOC 2 gap analysis
• SOC 2 implementation plan

How long does SOC 2 attestation take in France?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In France these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Which trust services criteria are in scope
• Maturity of security policies and evidence collection
• Type 1 or Type 2 report choice
• Number of systems and sub-service providers

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• What drives the SOC 2 timeline
• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does SOC 2 attestation cost in France?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the CPA firm’s fees, which are quoted separately. In France these factors move both.

• Scope of systems and criteria
• Control and tooling remediation
• Evidence-collection automation
• CPA firm examination effort

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of SOC 2

SOC 2 consultants and auditors in France

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; a licensed CPA firm then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers SOC 2 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in France are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

SOC 2 in France: questions clients ask

More on SOC 2 for French organisations

• SOC 2: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement SOC 2
• Accounting and professional services: SOC 2 for the sector
• BPO and shared services: SOC 2 for the sector
• Fintech and payments: SOC 2 for the sector
• Healthcare IT and health BPO: SOC 2 for the sector
• HR, payroll and staffing: SOC 2 for the sector
• MSPs and data centres: SOC 2 for the sector
• SaaS and technology: SOC 2 for the sector
• SOC 2 attestation in France and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards French businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in France often combine SOC 2 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in France →