Episode 3 — Scoping: System Boundary, Services, Regions, Tenants
Defining the SOC 2 scope is one of the most critical early steps. The “system” includes the services, infrastructure, software, people, and processes that support customer commitments. Poorly defined boundaries can inflate audit effort or miss key control areas. The exam emphasizes clarity between in scope and out of scope components—what’s controlled directly versus inherited from providers. Regions, data centers, and tenants must be precisely mapped, since data residency and shared infrastructure can shift jurisdictional responsibilities. Correct scoping sets the foundation for credible evidence collection and auditor alignment.
Practically, scoping requires documenting architectural diagrams, data flows, and control ownership per component. Multi-region or multi-tenant systems complicate this, as evidence must reflect consistent control operation across environments. Real-world scenarios often include hybrid cloud services, SaaS integrations, and outsourced subservice providers—each needing explicit boundary definition. Effective scoping balances completeness with feasibility: broad enough to cover risk, narrow enough to manage efficiently. Candidates should understand how poor scoping can invalidate an audit or create unnecessary exceptions. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.
