When your business handles sensitive agreements, data security isn't just a feature—it's the very foundation of trust. A SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform has passed a rigorous, independent inspection of its security, availability, and privacy controls, proving its commitment to protecting your most critical data. It's the gold standard for enterprise-grade security.

Why SOC 2 Compliance Matters for Your eSignatures

Think of SOC 2 compliance like a bank vault undergoing a thorough, top-to-bottom audit to prove it's impenetrable. The framework, created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), verifies that a provider like BoloSign has implemented and maintains robust controls over its systems and data. For your business, this translates to real peace of mind and significantly reduced risk.

This assurance is especially critical in high-stakes industries. A professional services firm in the US managing confidential client contracts or a healthcare provider in Canada handling sensitive patient data simply can't afford security gaps. Using a SOC 2 compliant eSignature solution shows your commitment to safeguarding this information, which in turn builds trust with your clients and partners. It’s why SOC 2 has become non-negotiable for any leading digital signing solution.

The Five Pillars of SOC 2 Trust

The SOC 2 framework is built on five core principles known as the Trust Services Criteria. Each one addresses a different aspect of data management, working together to create a fortress around your digital agreements.

• Security: This is the big one. It protects systems and data against unauthorized access, both physical and digital. We're talking about things like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and multi-factor authentication.
• Availability: This ensures the platform is operational and accessible as promised in your service level agreement (SLA). Your documents are there when you need them, without fail.
• Processing Integrity: This guarantees that every transaction is complete, valid, accurate, and timely. It ensures your eSignature workflows execute exactly as intended, without errors or glitches.
• Confidentiality: This pillar restricts access to sensitive information to only a specific set of people or organizations. Think of it as a digital vault for your signed contracts, where only authorized individuals have the key.
• Privacy: This governs how personal information is collected, used, and disposed of, making sure it aligns with the organization's privacy notice and regulations like GDPR. You can learn more about how BoloSign approaches data protection by reviewing our Privacy Policy.

To make this even clearer, here's a quick breakdown of what each principle means in the real world of eSignatures.

The Five Trust Principles of SOC 2 at a Glance

Trust Principle	What It Protects	Relevance for eSignatures
Security	Against unauthorized access	Prevents data breaches and protects sensitive contract details from prying eyes.
Availability	Against system downtime	Guarantees you can access and send documents for signature whenever you need to.
Processing Integrity	Against transaction errors	Ensures every signature is accurately captured, timestamped, and recorded.
Confidentiality	Against unauthorized disclosure	Keeps the contents of your agreements private and visible only to authorized parties.
Privacy	Against misuse of personal data	Protects the personal information of all signers, from names to email addresses.

As you can see, these criteria aren't just abstract concepts; they directly impact the reliability and trustworthiness of your eSignature provider.

This framework's importance is reflected in market trends. SOC 2 compliance is a key driver in the eSignature market’s projected growth, as it provides the secure foundation needed for scalable workflows in industries like real estate in Australia and education in the UAE. At BoloSign, our platform is built from the ground up to meet these exacting standards, providing enterprise-grade security for businesses of all sizes through AI-powered automation and secure document workflows.

Diving Into the SOC 2 Trust Principles: What They Actually Mean

The five Trust Services Criteria—Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy—aren't just buzzwords on a compliance checklist. They are the practical, real-world pillars that build a fortress around your most sensitive digital documents. Let's pull them out of the abstract and see what they look like in action.

At the end of the day, a SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform uses these principles to make sure every single contract, new-hire form, and sales agreement is protected from all sides.

The diagram below gives you a great visual of how these five principles work together to create a secure eSignature environment.

Think of it this way: a rock-solid focus on Security is the center, and from there, it branches out to ensure uptime, accuracy, confidentiality, and data privacy, forming a complete shield for your documents.

Security: The Digital Guards at the Gate

Security is the foundation. It’s all about protecting the entire system from unauthorized access. For an eSignature platform, this means having tough, active controls that act like digital guards for your signed documents.

Imagine you're a real estate agent finalizing a major property sale. That signed purchase agreement is packed with financial details, addresses, and personal information. Security controls are what keep that document locked down.

• Firewalls and Intrusion Detection: These are your perimeter fence and security cameras, stopping bad actors before they even get close to your data.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): This is like needing a key and a fingerprint to open a vault. Even if a password gets stolen, MFA ensures only your authorized team members can get into the platform.

For any business, the intelligence inside your contracts is invaluable. These security measures are simply non-negotiable.

Availability: Your Documents, Ready When You Are

The Availability principle is simple: the system just has to work when you need it to. Downtime isn't just a minor headache; it can completely stall your business.

Picture a logistics company needing to pull up a signed proof-of-delivery right now to sort out a client dispute. If their eSignature platform is down, they can't produce the evidence. That could mean financial losses and a serious hit to their reputation. A SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform like BoloSign commits to high uptime, so your critical documents are always there for you.

Processing Integrity: Accuracy You Can Count On

This principle is all about trust in the process itself. It guarantees that everything the system does is complete, accurate, valid, and on time. When you use BoloSign to send a PDF or template for signature, you're trusting the platform to execute that workflow perfectly.

Processing Integrity is the assurance that the signature you apply is recorded correctly, the data you enter isn't changed, and the final audit trail is a perfect, tamper-proof record of everything that happened. This is what truly creates a legally-binding digital signing solution.

For a consulting firm, this means knowing a client's signature on a new project's statement of work is captured without a shadow of a doubt, heading off any future arguments about the terms.

Confidentiality: A Digital Vault for Your Data

Confidentiality is about making sure sensitive information stays secret. It’s like putting your documents inside a digital vault where only specific people have the key. This is done primarily through strong encryption.

When a healthcare provider uses an eSignature platform for patient consent forms, those documents are encrypted both while they travel across the internet (in transit) and while they're stored in the cloud (at rest). This scrambles the information, making it completely unreadable to anyone without the right permissions, which is crucial for protecting patient privacy and maintaining HIPAA compliance.

Privacy: Protecting People's Personal Information

Finally, the Privacy principle dictates how personally identifiable information (PII) is collected, used, shared, and ultimately disposed of. This is a massive deal for any business, especially those in areas with strict laws like GDPR in Europe or anyone handling sensitive data under HIPAA. A good understanding of PII data compliance is critical when evaluating any platform.

For an HR department in an education institution processing new hire paperwork, the Privacy principle governs how an applicant's name, address, and other personal details are handled. BoloSign’s commitment to this principle means you can be confident that your platform partner respects and protects the private information of every single person who signs a document.

Together, these 5 principles create a powerful security posture that makes a SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform a partner you can truly trust with your business.

SOC 2 Type I vs Type II Reports Explained

When you're evaluating a SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform, you’ll quickly run into two types of reports: Type I and Type II. They sound almost the same, but the difference between them is massive—and frankly, it’s critical for your business's security. Not all SOC 2 attestations are created equal, and knowing this difference is your best tool for cutting through marketing fluff.

Think of a SOC 2 Type I report like a snapshot in time. It’s like an inspector visits a car factory on a single day and confirms that, yes, the assembly line has a station for installing brakes. The report validates that the security controls were designed properly at that specific moment. It’s a good start, but it’s just a single data point.

A SOC 2 Type II report, on the other hand, is more like a video recording. The auditor doesn’t just check the design; they observe the platform's security controls in action over an extended period, usually anywhere from three to twelve months. This proves the brakes are not only present but are consistently installed and function correctly on every single car that rolls off the line, day in and day out.

Why the Distinction Is Non-Negotiable

For any organization that's serious about protecting its data, a Type II report is the only real measure of a vendor's ongoing commitment to security. A Type I report shows good intentions, but a Type II report provides genuine assurance that a provider’s security posture is reliable and consistently maintained over the long haul.

This sustained proof of operational effectiveness is what truly matters. It demonstrates that security isn't just a one-time project but is woven into the company's culture and daily operations.

Type I vs. Type II: A Quick Comparison

Report Type	What It Verifies	Analogy	Level of Assurance
SOC 2 Type I	The design of security controls at a single point in time.	A blueprint review.	Basic. Confirms a plan is in place.
SOC 2 Type II	The operational effectiveness of controls over a period of time.	A long-term stress test.	High. Proves the plan works in practice.

To really get a handle on eSignature compliance, understanding the differences between SOC 2 Type I vs Type II reports is a must before you make a decision. For platforms handling valuable business data—from real estate contracts to healthcare consent forms—the higher assurance of a Type II report is the gold standard.

In the fast-moving world of digital agreements, SOC 2 Type II certification is a critical benchmark. This certification, developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), involves a tough audit of how a company handles data across the five key trust principles.

At BoloSign, we recognize that our clients in demanding sectors like staffing, logistics, and professional services require unwavering security. That’s why we’ve pursued and achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance, demonstrating our robust and continuous commitment to protecting your data.

By prioritizing partners with a Type II attestation, you ensure your chosen digital signing solution has a proven track record of security excellence, not just a plan on paper. This is a foundational step in building a secure and compliant document workflow you can actually trust.

A Practical Checklist to Verify Vendor Compliance

So, you're vetting an eSignature provider, and their website proudly displays a “SOC 2 Compliant” badge. That’s a great start, but for IT, legal, and procurement teams, the real work begins now. True due diligence isn't about taking marketing claims at face value; it’s about rolling up your sleeves and verifying those claims for yourself.

A vendor’s willingness to be transparent during this process speaks volumes about their commitment to security. Here’s a practical, step-by-step guide to cut through the noise and make a genuinely informed decision.

Step 1: Ask for the Full SOC 2 Report

Your first move is simple: ask the vendor for their complete SOC 2 attestation report. Don't settle for a one-page summary or a blog post. Any reputable provider, including BoloSign, will have a process for sharing this with potential and current customers, usually after you sign a standard non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

If a vendor hesitates, drags their feet, or pushes back on providing the full document, that’s a major red flag. This report is the primary evidence of their security posture, and a lack of access should make you question what they might be hiding.

Step 2: Make Sure It's a Type II Report

As we’ve discussed, not all SOC 2 reports are created equal. A Type I report is a snapshot in time—it only confirms that a company designed appropriate security controls. It’s a decent starting point, but it offers no proof that those controls are actually followed day in and day out.

You need to insist on seeing a SOC 2 Type II report. This is the one that matters. It evaluates the operational effectiveness of their security controls over a sustained period, typically six to twelve months. This is how you know their commitment to security is a daily practice, not just a one-off project.

Step 3: Check the Audit Period

Once you have the Type II report in hand, flip to the section that outlines the "period of review." A SOC 2 report has a shelf life; it isn't valid forever. You need to ensure the audit was conducted recently, ideally within the last 12 months.

An old report is a bit like an old map—it might not reflect the current landscape, especially if the vendor has made significant changes to its systems or infrastructure. Regular, annual audits demonstrate an ongoing commitment to keeping their defenses sharp.

Step 4: Scrutinize the Auditor’s Opinion

This is where the rubber meets the road. The independent auditor will issue a formal opinion on the company’s controls. What you're looking for is an "unqualified opinion." This is the best possible outcome and means the auditor found no significant problems or exceptions.

Keep a sharp eye out for anything less:

• Qualified Opinion: This means the auditor found one or more issues that need to be addressed. It's a yellow flag.
• Adverse Opinion: A major red flag. This indicates the controls are not operating effectively.
• Disclaimer of Opinion: This means the auditor couldn't get enough evidence to even form an opinion. Run, don't walk.

Any exceptions noted in the report, even minor ones, should be discussed directly with the vendor.

Step 5: Match the System Description to Your Needs

Finally, don't skip the "System Description" section. This part of the report details exactly which services, systems, and processes were included in the audit's scope. It's a common oversight with serious consequences.

You have to confirm that the specific eSignature features your business will rely on are explicitly covered. It's possible for a vendor to achieve compliance for one part of their platform while leaving the tools you actually need out of scope, which would leave your data exposed.

To help your teams navigate this process, we’ve put together a simple checklist.

SOC 2 eSignature Vendor Evaluation Checklist

This table is designed for IT, legal, and procurement teams to use as a quick reference when assessing a vendor’s SOC 2 compliance.

Verification Step	What to Look For	Red Flags
1. Request Report	A complete, unredacted SOC 2 report, readily available under NDA.	Hesitation, delays, or offering only a summary or marketing brief.
2. Report Type	A Type II report, verifying operational effectiveness over time.	Providing only a Type I report, which just assesses control design.
3. Audit Period	An audit period ending within the last 12 months.	A report that is more than a year old or nearing its expiration.
4. Auditor's Opinion	An "unqualified opinion" from a reputable, independent auditor.	A qualified, adverse, or disclaimer of opinion; any noted exceptions.
5. System Scope	The specific eSignature services you will use are clearly listed.	Vague descriptions or the exclusion of critical features from the audit.

Using this structured approach, you can confidently move beyond the marketing hype. A truly secure partner like BoloSign not only welcomes this level of scrutiny but has built their entire platform to stand up to it, making your due diligence and security questionnaires that much easier.

Explore more about BoloSign’s enterprise-ready security and compliance features designed to support your most critical workflows.

Weaving Your eSignature Platform into Your Workflow Securely

Picking a SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform is a fantastic start, but it's only one piece of the puzzle. Real data security isn't just about the tool itself; it's about how you connect that tool to all your other business systems. Think of your vendor's compliance as a heavy-duty anchor—its strength is only as good as the chains connecting it to your ship.

The goal here is to build a seamless, secure data highway where sensitive information is protected at every turn. Imagine you're shipping a valuable package. It stays locked and tamper-proof from the moment it leaves your CRM until it arrives safely in your cloud storage.

This is especially true when you bring automation into the mix. Those powerful connector tools that link your apps can, if you're not careful, become the weakest link in your security fence.

Keeping the Data Lockdown: End-to-End Encryption

The absolute bedrock of any secure integration is making sure your data stays encrypted always. That means both at rest (when it's just sitting on a server) and in transit (when it's zipping between your systems). Your SOC 2 compliant provider has their end covered, but you need to make sure your other tools do, too.

• Secure APIs: When you connect systems, you’re usually using an Application Programming Interface (API). A secure API is like an armored truck for your data, using encrypted protocols to move it from point A to point B without any unwanted stops or prying eyes.
• Vetted Native Integrations: The safest bet is often to use pre-built, native integrations. When an eSignature platform offers direct connections to tools you already use—like Salesforce, Google Drive, or HubSpot—it means they've already done the hard work of building and testing a secure link.

BoloSign was built with this in mind. Our secure API and growing list of native integrations are designed to keep that security chain strong, making it much easier to build workflows that are both efficient and fully compliant.

How This Looks in the Real World

Let's ground this in a couple of practical examples where data sensitivity is non-negotiable.

Think about a staffing agency. A candidate signs an employment contract loaded with personal info. That document needs to move instantly and securely from the eSignature platform straight into the company's Human Resources Information System (HRIS). A secure, automated integration makes this happen, skipping the risky step of someone manually downloading it to a potentially unsecured desktop. That direct, encrypted transfer is key to maintaining data privacy.

Or consider a healthcare provider. When they use a digital signing solution for patient consent forms, there's zero room for error. The signed document contains Protected Health Information (PHI) and must flow directly into the patient's Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. This creates a clean, unbroken chain of custody, which is a cornerstone of HIPAA compliance.

Secure integrations aren't just about moving data around. They’re about extending the security and compliance of one system to your entire tech ecosystem. When information flows between a SOC 2 compliant eSignature tool and other secure platforms, you're strengthening your overall adherence to major regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

A Quick Checklist for Managing Secure Integrations

To make sure your integrations don't turn into vulnerabilities, your IT and security teams should have a few best practices on their radar.

1. Least Privilege Access: It's a simple rule: only give an integration the absolute minimum permissions it needs to do its job. If an integration’s only task is to add signed documents to a folder, it should never have permission to delete them.
2. Regular Audits: Don't just set it and forget it. Periodically review all your system integrations. Comb through access logs and double-check permissions to ensure nothing looks fishy and that every connection is still necessary and correctly configured.
3. Secure Webhooks: If you're using webhooks to trigger automated actions (e.g., "when a contract is signed, create a task in my project manager"), make sure the receiving end is secure and validates the incoming data. This is your defense against potential data injection attacks.
4. Vendor Vetting: Go beyond just asking for the SOC 2 report. Ask your eSignature provider pointed questions about the security of their specific integrations. A good partner will have clear documentation ready to go. To see how we handle document security, take a look at our overview of the BoloSign eSignature platform.

By being deliberate about how you connect your SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform, you build something that’s not just automated and powerful, but fundamentally secure. It turns compliance from a single-vendor checkbox into a shared strength across your entire business.

More Than Just a Certification: Building a Culture of Document Security

Getting a SOC 2 report isn't the finish line; it's the starting line. Think of it as the solid foundation for a house. It proves the ground is stable and the core structure is sound, but it's not the whole house. True, enterprise-grade security is a much bigger strategy, one that’s built on top of that certified foundation.

It’s really about creating a culture where every single document workflow is designed for trust and can stand up to scrutiny. When you're looking for an eSignature partner, it's this deeper commitment that separates the merely compliant from the truly secure.

At BoloSign, we see our SOC 2 compliance as the technical proof of our systems. But the real peace of mind comes from the layers we add on top. These features ensure every signature, every click, and every document interaction is secure and legally ironclad. It’s how we help companies move beyond just checking a compliance box to truly embedding security into their day-to-day work.

Your Non-Negotiable: The Audit Trail

At the end of the day, a signature on a contract is only as good as the proof behind it. That's why every document that passes through BoloSign is backed by a comprehensive, tamper-proof audit trail. This isn't just a simple timestamp. It's a detailed, court-admissible log of the entire signing journey.

This legally binding audit trail captures every critical moment, including:

• When the document was first created and sent out.
• The exact time each person viewed and signed the agreement.
• The IP addresses and device details of every signer involved.

For a law firm finalizing a major settlement or a real estate agent closing a complex property deal, this level of detail is absolutely non-negotiable. It provides the concrete evidence needed to prove an agreement's validity, making every signature as strong legally as it is digitally.

Global Compliance and a Helping Hand from AI

Our view on security has to be global, because business is global. BoloSign is built to comply with major international standards like the ESIGN Act in the U.S. and eIDAS in the European Union. This makes your cross-border agreements legally sound, which is critical for anyone doing business in the US, Canada, Australia, the UAE, or beyond.

But we don't stop at just meeting the rules. We use technology to actively protect you. Our platform comes with AI-powered contract intelligence tools that act like an extra set of eyes for your legal and procurement teams. It can flag potential risks or unusual clauses before a contract is ever signed, turning a reactive review process into a proactive one. This helps cut down on manual proofreading and lets your team focus on the important stuff—the negotiation.

A SOC 2 compliant foundation is the table stakes. The real win comes from combining it with legally binding audit trails, global compliance, and smart risk detection to create a document ecosystem you can actually trust.

Security That Scales With You, Not Against You

Finally, security isn't truly secure if it's not accessible. Many eSignature tools seem affordable at first, but they penalize you for growing. Per-user fees and per-envelope charges pile up, forcing you to make tough decisions about who gets access to the secure tools they need.

We decided to do things differently. BoloSign’s pricing is straightforward.

You get unlimited documents, team members, and templates for one fixed price, which makes our solution up to 90% more affordable. This means you can roll out a secure, SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform to every single department—from HR and sales to legal and finance—without ever worrying about a surprise bill. You can scale your business with confidence, knowing your budget is just as protected as your data.

To get a closer look at how we protect your business, we invite you to download our comprehensive security whitepaper.

Got Questions? We've Got Answers.

When you're digging into compliance, a lot of questions pop up. It's only natural. Here are a few of the most common ones we hear from legal, procurement, and IT teams as they evaluate a SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform.

Is an ISO 27001 Certification the Same as SOC 2?

Great question, and the short answer is no—but they’re a powerful combination.

Think of it this way: ISO 27001 is like the architect's blueprint for a secure building. It proves a company has designed and documented a formal Information Security Management System (ISMS). It's all about having the right framework in place.

SOC 2, on the other hand, is the independent building inspection. The auditor comes in and stress-tests everything to see how well that framework actually performs in the real world against specific criteria like security, availability, and confidentiality.

A vendor who has both, like BoloSign, is showing you two things: they have a rock-solid, documented security plan (ISO 27001), and they have the operational muscle to execute it effectively day-in and day-out (SOC 2).

How Often Should We Review Our Provider’s SOC 2 Report?

It’s smart to make this an annual ritual. We recommend reviewing your eSignature provider’s SOC 2 Type II report every year.

Why? Because security isn’t a “set it and forget it” deal. It's a living, breathing process. An annual review confirms that your provider’s controls are still holding up and that their security has evolved to meet new threats or changes in their own services. It’s your yearly check-up to ensure nothing has slipped.

Does Using a SOC 2 Compliant Tool Make My Business Compliant?

Not on its own, no. This is a common misconception.

Using a SOC 2 compliant eSignature platform is a huge piece of the puzzle, and it’s a non-negotiable part of your vendor due diligence. It means you’ve done your part in choosing a secure third-party service.

But it’s just one piece. Your organization's overall compliance also depends on your own internal security policies, how your team handles data, and the access controls you have in place. Think of it as a shared responsibility—we handle the platform's security, and you handle your organization's.

Can a Small Business Benefit from a SOC 2 Platform?

Absolutely. In fact, it's one of the biggest competitive advantages a small or growing business can have.

When you choose a SOC 2 compliant tool from the get-go, you're building your business on a foundation of enterprise-grade security. It’s like starting with a commercial-grade kitchen instead of a dorm room hotplate.

This doesn't just protect your own sensitive data. It also sends a powerful signal to bigger clients and partners that you take security as seriously as they do. It helps you punch above your weight, build trust instantly, and grow without having to rip and replace your core tools later.

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At BoloSign, we know that robust security is the absolute cornerstone of trust. If you want to take a deeper dive into our multi-layered approach to protecting your most critical agreements, we invite you to download our comprehensive security whitepaper. To experience firsthand how BoloSign makes eSignatures simple, affordable, and secure, start your 7-day free trial today.