SOC 2 Type 2 Compliance Report for UrComped

Introduction

URComped, a leading platform sought to achieve SOC 2 Type 2 compliance to ensure the highest levels of data security, operational excellence, and customer trust. To support this goal, URComped undertook an AWS Well-Architected Framework Review (WAFR) to align their cloud infrastructure with industry best practices across six core pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, and Sustainability.

What does URComped do ?

URComped is a platform that connects casino players with complimentary (comp) offers from various casinos and cruise lines.

Problem/Client Challenges

As a business managing sensitive customer information, URComped faced the challenge of strengthening its cloud security and operational processes to meet SOC 2 Type 2 compliance standards. The primary concern was identifying and addressing gaps in their AWS cloud environment while ensuring performance and cost optimization.

Solution

To address these challenges, URComped engaged in an AWS Well-Architected Framework Review. We didn’t just perform the assessment; we also handled the remediation process. This thorough assessment provided valuable insights and a clear action plan to enhance their cloud infrastructure, ultimately guiding them toward compliance.

The review identified several key issues, and AllCode managed the remediation, including the following critical steps:

• Implementing Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) through Bitbucket Pipeline Runner
• Establishing separate Dev, Staging, and Production environments
• Creating a Disaster Recovery solution using CloudFormation templates
• Migrating from Elastic Beanstalk to Elastic Container Service (ECS)

Review Process

1. Initial Consultation:
• Identified URComped’s business objectives and critical workloads.
• Engaged key stakeholders and application owners to understand operational needs.
2. Workload Identification:
   • Focused on primary workloads running on AWS RDS, EC2, S3, Lambda, and other AWS services.
   • Mapped dependencies and pinpointed mission-critical components.
3. Pillar-Based Evaluation:
   • Conducted an in-depth analysis across the six AWS Well-Architected pillars.
   • Utilized the AWS Well-Architected Tool to document findings and remediation plans.
4. Analysis & Remediation Planning:
   • Prioritized areas for improvement based on risk levels and business impact.
   • Delivered detailed, actionable recommendations to align with SOC 2 Type 2 compliance.

Findings & Recommendations

1. Operational Excellence
   • Findings: Limited automation and lack of standardized incident response.
   • Recommendations: Implement AWS Systems Manager for operational insights, adopt Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using AWS CloudFormation, and enhance incident response automation.
2. Security
   • Findings: Overly permissive IAM policies and lack of enforced encryption.
   • Recommendations: Implement least privilege access with refined IAM policies, enforce AWS KMS encryption for sensitive data, and conduct ongoing security assessments using AWS Security Hub.
3. Reliability
   • Findings: Lack of automated cross-region backups and single points of failure.
   • Recommendations: Enable Amazon RDS automated cross-region backups, implement AWS Auto Scaling and Multi-AZ for critical workloads, and configure AWS Route 53 for DNS failover.
4. Performance Efficiency
   • Findings: Inefficient database queries and underutilized EC2 instances.
   • Recommendations: Optimize database queries, use AWS Compute Optimizer to right-size EC2 instances, and leverage AWS Lambda for serverless execution.
5. Cost Optimization
   • Findings: Overprovisioned resources and lack of cost-saving mechanisms.
   • Recommendations: Purchase Reserved Instances for predictable workloads, use AWS Cost Explorer for ongoing expense monitoring, and implement AWS Lambda to reduce reliance on EC2.
6. Sustainability
   • Findings: High resource utilization without sustainability practices.
   • Recommendations: Optimize storage and compute resources, adopt AWS Graviton instances for energy efficiency, and incorporate AWS sustainability best practices.

Results

By implementing the AWS Well-Architected recommendations, URComped significantly improved its security posture and operational resilience, achieving the necessary controls for SOC 2 Type 2 compliance. Key outcomes included:

• Enhanced Security: Enforced least privilege access and encryption for sensitive data.
• Improved Reliability: Automated cross-region backups and mitigated single points of failure.
• Operational Efficiency: Increased automation and improved incident response.
• Cost Savings: Optimized resource utilization and implemented cost-saving plans.
• Sustainability: Reduced energy consumption with more efficient AWS resources.

Conclusion

The AWS Well-Architected Framework Review and subsequent remediation were crucial in helping URComped achieve SOC 2 Type 2 compliance. By addressing gaps across security, reliability, and operational processes, URComped not only met compliance requirements but also enhanced performance and optimized costs. Moving forward, URComped will continue to implement AWS best practices to maintain a secure, resilient, and cost-efficient cloud environment, further demonstrating their commitment to protecting customer data and ensuring operational excellence.

Key Milestones:

• AWS Well-Architected Framework Review
• AWS Well-Architected Framework Remediation
• SOC 2 Type 1 Assessment
• SOC 2 Type 2 Remediation
• SOC 2 Type 2 Assessment
• SOC 2 Type 2 Remediation