Third Party Assurance

Your Partner for all assurance needs

Information technology and digitalisation affect everything and everyone. The impact of this on our lives is increasing every day, both privately and professionally. Every organisation will have to embrace technology to become and remain successful. Embracing technology also has a downside, where competition, (chain) dependencies, risks and compliance requirements only increase. 

• Are your organisation's and your customers' data well protected? 
• How do you know whether measures are properly designed and whether you can act appropriately in the event of incidents? 
• Is the availability, integrity and confidentiality of your data guaranteed? 

Just a few questions that are more topical than ever and to which supervisors increasingly expect concrete answers. An assurance report can be the answer to these questions. With an assurance report, you demonstrate that the business operations and services comply with agreements made, are controlled and are in accordance with applicable standards. 

What can BDO do for you when it comes to certainty and insight in the field of IT? 

BDO's Technology risk assurance specialists have a great deal of experience and can help you gain insight into your IT risks and control over the quality of IT management. With our knowledge and experience, we provide you with certainty about the quality of your current IT environment or when implementing complex changes. 

We combine our expertise in the field of IT risks with our extensive industry expertise and perform our services based on your data, using modern methods and techniques. Thanks to this approach, we can provide you with direct and targeted support for your digital needs and challenges. 

ISAE 3000 

The International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 is a general standard for assurance engagements that does not focus on historical financial information. It includes guidelines for conducting assurance engagements on a variety of topics, such as internal control, compliance and other non-financial information. The form of these reports is largely fixed but it is up to the organisation to determine which framework(s) and/or specific processes within the business or technological environment will be reported on. 

SOC2/SOC3 

SOC2 and SOC3 reports are assurance reports issued based on the Service Organization Control 2/3 (SOC 2/3) standard. It provides customers and other stakeholders with insight into the control measures and security level of a service organization. Service organisations include cloud service providers, data centers, SaaS (Software as a Service) companies and other service providers that are critical to the processing and storage of sensitive data of their customers. A SOC2 report is intended for your customers and stakeholders, such as auditors or security officers of your customers. Do you want to share your SOC report with a broader audience, for example by placing it on your website? Choose a SOC3 report. 

SOC for Cyber 

Businesses and governments are becoming increasingly aware of the need for robust cybersecurity risk management programmes. With a SOC for Cyber report, you can demonstrate that your organisation meets the applicable standards. SOC for Cyber differs from SOC 2 in two fundamental perspectives:   

• SOC for Cyber is applicable to all types of organisations and not limited to service organisations   
• SOC for Cyber compliance can be tested against the Trust Services Criteria framework but equally against other applicable standards and frameworks such as ISO 27002, NIST CSF or the ISF Standard of Good Practice for Information Security framework. 

SOC for Cyber reports provide organisations with an established framework to demonstrate adherence to key elements of a Cybersecurity risk management system based on the following building blocks:

• Nature of Business and Operations  
• Nature of Information at Risk  
• Factors that Have a Significant Effect on Inherent Cybersecurity Risks  
• Cybersecurity Risk Governance Structure  
• Cybersecurity Risk Assessment Process  
• Monitoring of the Cybersecurity Risk Management Program  
• Cybersecurity Control Processes  

SOC2+ 

In a world of ever-evolving cyber threats, customers and partners want to know that the companies they do business with take cybersecurity and privacy seriously. That’s why it’s critical to update your organization’s risk management and strengthen your SOC 2 process. This demonstrates your commitment to protecting data, mitigating risk, and staying ahead of trends. Improving your SOC 2 report establishes trust, which is critical to your bottom line and can be a competitive differentiator when it comes to closing new business.  

Most organisations are familiar with SOC 2, which is a minimum security requirement for organizations providing services and processing and/or storing customer data in the cloud. It focuses on securing and protecting customer data in five categories, which are discussed in detail in the SOC 2 section. 

SOC 2+ provides a full-fledged implementation of several frameworks, with significant overlap between SOC 2 TSC and ISO 27001 criteria, allowing the client to achieve greater efficiency. SOC 2+ also includes several additional criteria:   

• ISO 27001 -  Specifies requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information system and security management system within the context of an organization. 
• HITRUST -  Provides standards for all phases of health information transmission and storage that help ensure integrity and confidentiality. 
• NIST -  The NIST framework focuses on improving the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure. 
• Cloud Controls Matrix - The Cloud Control Matrix is specifically designed to provide basic security policies that cloud service providers and potential clients should follow. 

Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP) 

This is a report of findings based on carrying out specific test or reviewing a particular business process. It lays out the facts but does not provide an overall opinion. 

ESG assurance 

As with annual accounts, users of non-financial information consider it important that this information is reliable. Reliability can be increased by performing an audit by an independent accountant. In addition, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires this information to be provided with assurance. BDO has extensive experience in performing assurance on non-financial information, such as emission reporting assurance and Green Bond and Impact report assurance. 

Privacy Attestation 

Since the launch of GDPR in 2018, there has been a surge in customer queries regarding the use of privacy data and how service providers ensure compliance with these regulations. You can demonstrate compliance with relevant privacy regulations to your customers and stakeholders through SOC 2 reports, which include the Trust Service Criteria regarding Privacy, or a dedicated Privacy assurance report. 

How can BDO help?

At BDO, we have dedicated TPA professionals in every major region of the world with deep experience working in the industry verticals that we serve. BDO understands varying international standards and works with clients to determine the most appropriate standards to adopt. These professionals are backed by a global assurance practice that includes deep expertise in all the primary areas of TPA. 

Whether you are looking for TPA for your own internal processes or for external vendors, we have the expertise and breadth of experience to help you navigate a complex world full of both opportunities and threats.

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