Readiness Guides
What Controls You Need (And What You Don’t)
Cut through the noise and focus on the controls that matter. Learn which controls are essential for SOC 2 and how to avoid adding unnecessary complexity that slows your team down.
Introduction
Once you have defined your SOC 2 scope, the next question becomes:
What controls do we actually need to put in place?
This is where many teams get overwhelmed. There is a lot of information available about SOC 2 controls, and it can feel like you need to implement dozens of complex processes all at once.
In reality, most companies need a relatively small set of core controls to get started. The challenge is not doing everything. The challenge is focusing on what actually matters and avoiding unnecessary complexity.
What “Controls” Mean in SOC 2
Controls are the activities your company performs to manage risk and operate in a secure and consistent way.
They are the day-to-day actions that support your policies and ensure your systems are working as intended.
For example, a policy might state that access to systems should be reviewed regularly. The control is the actual process of reviewing access and documenting that it happened.
SOC 2 is not just evaluating whether you have policies. It is evaluating whether your controls are designed appropriately and whether they are followed consistently.
Start With the Core Areas
Most SOC 2 efforts can be built around a few core areas.
Access management is one of the most important. This includes how users are granted access, how access is reviewed, and how it is removed when no longer needed.
Onboarding and offboarding is closely related. You need to ensure that employees and contractors are set up correctly when they join and that access is removed when they leave.
Change management is another key area. This focuses on how changes to your systems are made, reviewed, and deployed.
Monitoring and logging are also important. These controls help you understand what is happening in your environment and detect potential issues.
Incident response rounds out the core set. This includes how you identify, track, and respond to security or operational incidents.
If you focus on these areas first, you will cover a large portion of what auditors expect to see.
You Probably Already Have Some Controls
Most companies already have controls in place, even if they are not formally defined.
You may already review access informally, approve changes through a ticketing system, or respond to incidents through internal communication channels.
The work is often about formalizing these activities and making them consistent.
Instead of building everything from scratch, look at what your team is already doing and strengthen it. Define clear steps, assign ownership, and make sure the activity is documented.
This approach is much more efficient than trying to introduce entirely new processes.
Avoid Adding Controls Too Early
One of the most common mistakes is adding too many controls too quickly.
Some teams try to implement every possible control they come across. This often leads to processes that are difficult to maintain and not aligned with how the company actually operates.
More controls do not automatically mean a better outcome. What matters is whether your controls are relevant, practical, and consistently followed.
Start with the controls that address real risks in your environment. You can always expand later if needed.
Controls Should Match How Your Team Works
Your controls should fit your company, not the other way around.
For example, a small team may have a simpler change management process than a larger organization. That is fine as long as changes are reviewed and tracked in a consistent way.
The goal is not to replicate how another company operates. The goal is to create controls that your team can realistically follow every day.
If a control is too complex, it is less likely to be followed. If it is simple and clear, it becomes part of your normal workflow.
Consistency Matters More Than Complexity
Auditors are not looking for the most sophisticated processes. They are looking for consistency.
It is better to have a simple access review process that happens regularly than a complex process that is rarely followed.
It is better to have a clear incident response process that your team understands than a detailed plan that is never used.
Consistency creates trust. It shows that your company operates in a predictable and reliable way.
How to Know If a Control Is Necessary
A useful way to evaluate a control is to ask a simple question:
Does this help us reduce risk or demonstrate how we manage our systems?
If the answer is yes, it is likely worth including. If the answer is unclear, it may not be necessary at this stage.
You can also consider whether the control supports one of the core areas you identified earlier, such as access management or change management.
Keeping this filter in mind helps you stay focused and avoid unnecessary work.
Common Mistakes
One common mistake is copying controls from templates without adapting them to your environment. This often leads to processes that do not fit how your team actually works.
Another mistake is focusing too much on documentation and not enough on execution. Controls need to be followed consistently, not just written down.
Some teams also delay implementing controls until later in the process. Starting early makes it easier to build habits and collect evidence over time.
Practical Takeaways
SOC 2 controls are the activities your company performs to manage risk and operate securely.
Most companies can start with a core set of controls around access management, onboarding and offboarding, change management, monitoring, and incident response.
You likely already have some of these controls in place. The focus should be on formalizing and strengthening them, not starting from zero.
Avoid adding unnecessary controls. Keep your approach simple and aligned with how your team actually works.
Consistency is more important than complexity. Controls that are followed regularly are more valuable than controls that exist only on paper.
What Comes Next
Once you understand which controls you need, the next step is making sure they are consistently executed.
Who is responsible for each control, and how do you make sure nothing falls through the cracks?
In the next article, we will walk through how to assign ownership across your team in a clear and practical way.
If you're preparing for SOC 2, focusing on a small set of practical, consistent controls can make the process much more manageable and reduce unnecessary complexity as you move forward.