Uprite Services announced on May 18, 2023 that it had achieved SOC 2® Type 1 certification following an examination conducted by Assure Professional. For a managed service provider, a certification like this is a statement about how the provider runs its own cybersecurity program, not only about how it protects client environments.
What SOC 2 Type 1 actually certifies
SOC 2 is an auditing standard maintained by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. It measures a service organization against Trust Services Criteria, of which security is the mandatory one. Uprite’s examination was carried out in accordance with AICPA guidelines and confirmed that its controls met SOC 2 security standards for the confidentiality of client data.
The difference between Type 1 and Type 2 matters, and it is rarely explained well. A Type 1 report attests that controls are suitably designed and in place at a single point in time. A Type 2 report goes further, testing whether those controls operated effectively across a review period, usually six to twelve months. Type 1 is the design audit. Type 2 is the evidence that the design held up under use.
Neither one is a guarantee that nothing will go wrong. What a SOC 2 report gives a buyer is an independent accountant’s opinion, with the scope and any exceptions written down, in place of a vendor’s assurance about itself.
What Assure Professional examined
Assure Professional, which performs compliance audits, reviewed Uprite’s security policies, operations and practices. Consistent with a Type 1 engagement, that review covered how the controls were documented and implemented rather than how they performed over an observation window. Uprite committed at the time of the announcement to renewing the certification annually.
Why a provider’s own audit matters to its clients
A managed service provider holds privileged access to every environment it supports. Administrative credentials, remote monitoring agents, backup systems and directory services all sit inside the provider’s own tooling. That concentration means the provider’s controls are part of each client’s attack surface, whether or not anyone has looked at them.
An independent examination is one of the few practical ways a buyer can check that without commissioning an audit of their own. It is a fair thing to ask of any provider you are evaluating, alongside how they scope and deliver managed security services.
The internal standard behind it
Stephen Sweeney, President of Uprite Services, tied the certification back to the company’s own operating principles: “The Uprite Way #2 is ‘Keep both Uprite and our clients secure.’ SOC 2 certification is yet another demonstration of Uprite’s commitment to the security of our clients.”
Those principles are set out in full on The Uprite Way.
About Uprite Services
Uprite is a Texas managed service provider headquartered in Houston, delivering managed IT services, cybersecurity, cloud and managed phone solutions to businesses across the state. At the time of this announcement the company had been operating since 1999. More background is on our about page.
Source: Uprite Services Achieves SOC 2® Type 1 Certification With Assure Professional
