Services
Compliance Engineering: Technical Controls That Survive Audits
SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance isn't a policy document—it's infrastructure, access controls, and logging implemented correctly. We build the technical side.
The Gap Between Compliance Documentation and Technical Reality
Most compliance failures aren't policy failures—they're engineering failures. Policies say access controls exist; the implementation has gaps. Policies say audit logs are maintained; the logs don't capture the events auditors ask about. Policies say encryption is in place; a development environment is storing data unencrypted.
Compliance engineering is the work of making technical reality match compliance requirements. It's implementing access controls that actually enforce minimum necessary principles. It's configuring logging that captures what auditors need. It's designing systems that generate compliance evidence automatically—not through manual effort that introduces inconsistency.
What We Implement
- Access control architecture — Role-based access controls that enforce minimum necessary access, with consistent implementation across application, API, and infrastructure layers
- Audit logging infrastructure — Log collection, storage, and retention configured to capture access events, changes, and anomalies with the detail compliance teams require
- Encryption configuration — Encryption at rest and in transit implemented consistently across all environments, including development and staging
- Network security controls — VPC architecture, security group configuration, and network isolation that matches the sensitivity of the data being processed
- Vulnerability management — Processes and tooling for tracking and remediating security vulnerabilities across infrastructure and application dependencies
- Incident response infrastructure — Detection, alerting, and response tooling configured for security events and compliance-relevant anomalies
- Backup and recovery controls — Backup configuration, restoration testing, and disaster recovery documentation aligned with business continuity requirements
SOC 2 and HIPAA: Where We Fit
SOC 2 Type II requires evidence collected over a 6-12 month observation period showing that controls operate effectively over time. The work that matters happens before the audit period begins—designing systems that generate compliance evidence automatically, implementing controls that operate without manual intervention, and establishing monitoring that detects failures.
We implement the technical controls in the Security, Availability, and Confidentiality trust service criteria. This includes access management, change management, monitoring, and incident response controls that pass SOC 2 audit review.
HIPAA Technical Safeguards require specific access controls, audit controls, integrity controls, and transmission security for any system that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits PHI. We implement these safeguards at the infrastructure and application layer and document them in the format your compliance team needs to complete risk analysis and policy documentation.
We build the technical controls. We don't perform compliance audits or issue certifications—that is the role of your qualified auditor or compliance team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compliance consulting addresses policies, procedures, and risk management frameworks—typically the work of attorneys, auditors, and compliance professionals. Compliance engineering implements the technical controls those frameworks require: the actual infrastructure configuration, access control logic, logging systems, and monitoring that auditors evaluate. We do the engineering side. Your compliance team or auditor handles policy and certification.
Yes. SOC 2 Type II audit preparation involves ensuring technical controls are implemented correctly before the observation period begins. We assess your current control environment, identify gaps, implement remediation, and document controls in a format your auditor can evaluate. We also help configure the monitoring and evidence collection systems that demonstrate controls operated effectively during the observation period.
Both. Greenfield builds are simpler because compliance controls are designed in from the start. For existing systems, we conduct a technical assessment of current controls, identify gaps against the applicable framework, and implement remediation incrementally to minimize disruption. We prioritize by risk level—addressing the most significant gaps before less critical ones.
Compliance gaps in non-production environments create real risk—sensitive data that ends up in development, logging that only exists in production, controls that work differently across environments. We implement consistent controls across all environments and use automated configuration management to prevent environment drift from creating compliance gaps over time.
What's the difference between compliance consulting and compliance engineering?
Can you help us prepare for a SOC 2 Type II audit?
Do you work with existing systems or only greenfield builds?
How do you handle compliance across development, staging, and production?
Related Pages
Get started
Request a Compliance Engineering Assessment
Describe your compliance framework requirements, current control gaps, and audit timeline. We will follow up within one business day.