Why BNO is the Go-To CPA Firm for SOC 2 Audits on Vanta
For companies using Vanta, SOC 2 readiness can become much easier to see: controls are mapped, integrations are connected, evidence is collected, and gaps are easier to identify. But a successful SOC 2 audit on Vanta still depends on an independent CPA firm that can evaluate the controls, evidence, scope, and operating history behind the platform.
Vanta can organize a security and compliance program, automate evidence collection where integrations are available, and give auditors a structured environment for review. The auditor still determines whether the system description is accurate, relevant controls are suitably designed, and, for a Type 2 engagement, those controls operated effectively during the audit period. Vanta describes the audit as an independent review of controls, processes, documentation, and evidence. (help.vanta.com)
This guide explains what auditors actually look for, where Vanta helps, where management remains responsible, and why choosing a CPA firm that knows the platform can materially reduce friction during the engagement.
What Vanta Does—and What It Does Not Do—for a SOC 2 Audit
Vanta is a governance, risk, and compliance platform designed to centralize compliance work. For SOC 2, it can connect to business and technology systems, collect evidence from supported integrations, monitor certain controls, organize policies and documents, map evidence to controls, and provide an audit workspace. Vanta also supports auditor access and evidence-request workflows, depending on the customer’s setup and plan. (help.vanta.com)
That automation is valuable because SOC 2 evidence often lives across cloud infrastructure, identity providers, source-control systems, HR systems, ticketing tools, and policy repositories.
Vanta does not issue a SOC 2 report or make the auditor’s professional judgments. SOC 2 is an attestation engagement performed by an independent CPA firm. The Trust Services Criteria are the AICPA criteria used to evaluate controls relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. (aicpa-cima.com)
The practical takeaway is simple: Vanta can make audit evidence easier to collect and organize, but management still owns the compliance program, and the auditor still owns the independent examination.
What a SOC 2 Auditor Actually Evaluates in Vanta
A strong Vanta dashboard is not the same thing as a completed audit. Auditors evaluate the substance behind the dashboard.
Scope and the Trust Services Criteria
Every engagement begins with scope. The auditor and management need to understand which products, services, systems, locations, personnel, vendors, and processes are relevant to the report.
For SOC 2, Security is the baseline Trust Services Criterion, while Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy are included when they are relevant to the company’s commitments and system. (vanta.com)
Vanta can help organize this scope by showing connected systems, in-scope resources, controls, and evidence. But management still needs to decide what is truly part of the system being described, and the auditor must evaluate whether that scope is reasonable.
Type 1 Versus Type 2
A SOC 2 Type 1 report evaluates whether controls are suitably designed as of a specified date. A SOC 2 Type 2 report goes further by evaluating both control design and operating effectiveness over a defined period of time. Vanta refers to that Type 2 period as the audit or observation period, meaning the span of time during which the relevant controls are expected to operate. (help.vanta.com)
This difference changes the evidence burden. A Type 1 engagement may focus on policies, configurations, documented procedures, and evidence showing that controls existed at the selected date. A Type 2 engagement requires evidence that relevant controls operated throughout the period, such as access reviews, onboarding and termination records, change-management tickets, security training, or other control-specific evidence.
CUECs and Subservice Organizations
Complementary user entity controls, or CUECs, are controls that the service organization assumes its customers will implement for the overall control environment to work as intended. For example, a service provider may secure its own application while expecting customers to manage authorized users appropriately.
Subservice organizations are third parties used to help deliver the service whose controls may be relevant to the system, such as certain hosting or infrastructure providers. Management is responsible for identifying relevant third parties and describing how they fit into the system. The auditor evaluates whether the system description and related controls appropriately address those dependencies.
A GRC platform can help inventory vendors and organize supporting documentation, but it cannot decide those audit judgments automatically.
Why Platform Experience Matters in a Vanta SOC 2 Audit
The audit requirements do not change because a company uses Vanta. The workflow can, however, become much more efficient when the SOC 2 auditor understands the platform.
An auditor unfamiliar with the customer’s GRC environment may request evidence that is already available or create a separate request process that duplicates work already organized in the platform.
A CPA firm experienced with Vanta knows where common evidence is likely to appear, how automated tests relate to controls, when manual evidence is necessary, and how to use auditor access efficiently. Vanta recommends aligning with the auditor early on scope, evidence expectations, access, and workflow, and tailoring default controls to the customer’s actual environment. (help.vanta.com)
This is one reason BNO emphasizes platform fluency as part of its SOC 2 process. When the audit team already understands Vanta, fewer requests need to be translated between “audit language” and “platform language.” That can reduce back-and-forth without lowering the quality of the examination.
A Step-by-Step SOC 2 Audit Process for Vanta Users
Although every engagement depends on the organization’s scope and controls, a practical Vanta SOC 2 audit process usually follows these stages.
1. Confirm Scope Before the Audit Window
Start by confirming the services, systems, environments, locations, personnel, vendors, and Trust Services Criteria included in the engagement. Review which resources are marked in or out of scope in Vanta.
Vanta recommends reviewing integrations and scope before the audit begins and documenting systems that require manual evidence when an integration is not available. (help.vanta.com)
2. Review Controls and Evidence Mapping
Next, determine whether the control set accurately reflects how the company operates. Default controls can be a useful starting point, but they should not be treated as untouchable boilerplate.
Management should understand each control, its owner, its frequency, and the evidence that demonstrates performance.
3. Resolve Readiness Gaps
Before a Type 2 observation period begins—or before the Type 1 as-of date—address known failures, missing policies, incomplete risk assessments, overdue access reviews, untracked vendors, or other readiness issues.
Not every Vanta test must show “passing” at all times. Some tests may need context, scoping adjustments, alternative evidence, or auditor discussion. The goal is to understand the reason behind a gap rather than treat the dashboard as a score.
4. Operate Controls During the Observation Period
For a Type 2 audit, controls need to operate during the defined period. That makes consistency important. Recurring controls should be performed on schedule, evidence should be retained, and changes to key processes should be documented.
Automation can help capture evidence continuously, but manual controls still need disciplined ownership. A beautifully configured platform cannot compensate for a process that did not actually occur.
5. Give the Auditor Structured Access
Vanta provides dedicated auditor-access capabilities so the auditor can review selected frameworks, controls, tests, documents, policies, integrations, and related evidence without receiving unrestricted access to the customer’s entire environment. (help.vanta.com)
Both sides should agree in advance on how requests, comments, additional evidence, and status updates will be handled.
6. Complete Testing, Follow-Up, and Reporting
The auditor performs testing based on the engagement scope and professional standards. That may involve inspecting documents, reviewing system-generated evidence, selecting samples, asking follow-up questions, or evaluating exceptions.
If exceptions are identified, management may provide additional evidence or context before the auditor completes the evaluation and report.
Common Mistakes Companies Make When Using Vanta for SOC 2
Vanta can simplify preparation, but companies can still create avoidable audit friction. Common mistakes include:
Assuming a passing dashboard equals a passed audit. Automated monitoring is helpful, but the auditor evaluates controls and evidence independently.
Failing to tailor controls. A control library should match the company’s real processes, not merely exist because it was enabled in the platform.
Waiting too long to confirm scope. Incorrectly included or excluded systems can lead to missing evidence and late changes.
Ignoring manual controls. Not every important control can be tested automatically through an integration.
Treating policies as evidence of operation. A written policy explains what should happen; the auditor may also need evidence that the process actually occurred.
Using stale evidence. Evidence must support the relevant as-of date or observation period.
Overlooking vendor dependencies. Third-party systems can affect the service and may need to be addressed in the system description, risk process, or control environment.
Choosing the auditor after the audit window is already underway. Early alignment helps establish expectations before evidence problems become harder to fix.
Vanta encourages customers to align with auditors early and review scope, controls, policies, vendors, and evidence before the engagement progresses. (help.vanta.com)
What to Look for in a CPA Firm for a Vanta SOC 2 Audit
Price matters, but audit efficiency and clarity matter too. When evaluating a SOC 2 auditor for Vanta, ask practical questions:
Question | Why It Matters |
Does the firm regularly audit companies using Vanta? | Platform familiarity can reduce duplicate evidence requests and workflow confusion. |
Will the auditor work directly in the platform? | A shared workflow can keep evidence and comments centralized. |
How will scope be confirmed? | Early scope alignment reduces rework later. |
How are additional evidence requests handled? | You want a clear process for items Vanta does not collect automatically. |
Is pricing fixed or hourly? | The billing model affects budget predictability. |
Who will perform the audit work? | Direct access to experienced audit professionals can improve communication. |
BNO’s model is designed around these concerns. BNO offers fixed-fee SOC 2 audits, so companies can plan for the engagement without open-ended hourly billing. Its auditors work deeply with major GRC platforms, including Vanta, which helps them recognize where relevant evidence is already organized and where additional support is genuinely required. BNO’s Vanta-focused materials also emphasize configuration, audit preparation, and continuous compliance support. (bnocpa.com)
The value is not less rigor. It is a more direct process: fewer unnecessary requests, less evidence duplication, and a clearer path from readiness through reporting.
FAQ About SOC 2 Audits on Vanta
Does Vanta complete the SOC 2 audit for you?
No. Vanta helps companies organize controls, monitor compliance activities, collect evidence from supported systems, and collaborate with auditors. The independent SOC 2 examination and report must still be performed by a qualified CPA firm. (help.vanta.com)
Can I get a SOC 2 Type 2 report using Vanta?
Yes. Vanta supports workflows for both SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 engagements. A Type 2 audit evaluates whether controls operated effectively over a defined observation period, so the company must maintain evidence across that period. (help.vanta.com)
What evidence does a SOC 2 auditor review in Vanta?
The exact evidence depends on scope and controls, but it can include policies, configuration data, user-access information, training records, risk assessments, vendor reviews, tickets, system logs, security settings, and other documents or system-generated artifacts. Vanta can automate some evidence collection, while other items may need to be uploaded or explained manually. (help.vanta.com)
Do all Vanta controls have to pass before the audit starts?
Not necessarily. A failing test may indicate a real control issue, but it may also require scoping clarification, different evidence, or additional context. The important step is to review failures, understand why they exist, and discuss material items with the auditor rather than assuming the dashboard alone determines audit readiness.
How should I choose a SOC 2 auditor if I already use Vanta?
Look for a CPA firm that understands SOC 2 standards and is comfortable working directly with Vanta. Platform familiarity can make evidence review, follow-up, and communication more efficient. Also compare scope, billing model, communication process, and who will actually perform the engagement.
Conclusion
A SOC 2 audit on Vanta works best when automation and independent assurance are treated as complementary—not interchangeable. Vanta can centralize controls, evidence, integrations, monitoring, and auditor collaboration. Management still needs to define an accurate scope, operate its controls, maintain evidence, and explain how its system works. The CPA firm still has to independently evaluate that information under the applicable SOC 2 criteria.
That is where auditor platform experience matters. A firm that understands both SOC 2 and Vanta can spend less time rediscovering where evidence lives and more time evaluating what the evidence actually proves. For companies comparing auditors, that combination of technical audit judgment, platform fluency, predictable pricing, and efficient communication is worth evaluating carefully.
Ready to learn more about fixed-fee SOC 2 audits for Vanta users? Contact BNO at info@bnocpa.com to learn more.
