The goal of a SOC 2 audit is to evaluate and verify how a service provider, whether an IT provider, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, or other outsourced solution, handles sensitive customer data. Companies are pursuing SOC 2 certification because it is an industry-recognized way to show customers that their security program is worthy of their trust. When thinking about how to prepare for a SOC 2 audit, cyber risk assessment and penetration testing should be on your list.

Large-scale data breaches are flooding headlines, as major security incidents like ransomware and supply chain attacks become more strategic by the day. Organizations that fail to address their cybersecurity blindspots in such a volatile threat landscape will inevitably suffer a data breach.

In order to maintain compliance, enforce governance, and build transparency, teams across your organization need deep insight into how their users and automation interact with Datadog. For stakeholders in leadership roles, such as CIOs and CDOs, knowing what actions users took and when is essential for spotting gaps in enablement, budgeting, and reporting, as well as building a modern compliance strategy for the organization as a whole.

My time at NERC had me involved with quite a few projects over my seven-year career there. I was involved with CIP compliance audits, investigations, auditor training, and many advisory sessions. Typically, I was advising entities across North America on different tactics, techniques, and insight from best practices I have seen. I wanted to share a few of the dos and don’ts during my experience out in the field.

Kubernetes is a valuable resource and a leading container management system in development pipelines across the world, but it’s not exempt from malicious attacks. Using Kubernetes requires a deep understanding of Kubernetes’ environment—including the different vulnerabilities you can be exposed to while creating, deploying, or running applications in your clusters.