SOC 2 attestation in Taiwan

SOC 2 attestation in Taiwan at a glance

Enterprise customers outside Taiwan ask for a SOC 2 report before they trust a Taiwanese SaaS, cloud or outsourcing provider with their data. SOC is a suite of service offerings from the AICPA that CPAs use to give users assurance about the system-level controls of a service organisation, and the AICPA sets the professional standards for these engagements and urges service organisations to check that a CPA firm is licensed and enrolled in peer review. The report is an attestation by a licensed CPA firm, not a certificate, and no Taiwanese law requires it. Sterling does not attest; it designs the controls, gathers evidence and prepares you for the CPA firm's examination from its Tokyo office, with 20+ years and 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries behind it and Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.

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

In Taiwan 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.

• SaaS and cloud companies selling to US and global enterprisesEnterprise buyers ask for a SOC 2 report in vendor security reviews.
• Managed service and outsourcing providersCPAs use the SOC suite to give assurance reports to users assessing the risks of outsourcing.
• Fintech and data processing firmsCustomers want independent evidence of system-level controls over their data.
• Electronics and IoT firms operating cloud back endsTheir enterprise customers extend vendor review to hosted services.

SOC 2 requirements in Taiwan

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

In Taiwan 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 Taiwan

One team from the Tokyo office carries the work from scoping to report. Clients across Taiwan are served from Sterling's Tokyo 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 Taiwanese 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 Taiwan?

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

• Control environment maturity and evidence history
• Scope of systems, services and trust criteria chosen
• Length of the observation window if a period report is wanted
• CPA firm scheduling

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 Taiwan?

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 Taiwan these factors move both.

• Number of systems, services and criteria in scope
• Control remediation and tooling
• CPA firm fees quoted separately from consulting
• Evidence collection 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 Taiwan

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 Taiwan 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 Taiwan: questions clients ask

More on SOC 2 for Taiwanese 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 Taiwan and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Taiwanese businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in Taiwan →