The Definitive SOC 2 Jumpstart Guide is a comprehensive resource provided by Schellman to help organizations scope and plan their SOC 2 examinations. The guide is divided into four sections that progressively tailor SOC 2 examination options to specific organizational needs. Section 1 helps organizations confirm their starting point by determining whether SOC 2 is the appropriate compliance framework, or if alternatives like SOC 1 or ISO 27001 would be more suitable. It addresses organizations that host customer systems, process transactions, or work with financial information. Section 2 covers decisions about additional examination components and extras that may be relevant to the organization's specific circumstances. Section 3 focuses on determining the type of assurance the organization wants to provide to customers, addressing Trust Service Categories and service commitments. Section 4 examines the relevance of third-party relationships in the context of the SOC 2 examination. The guide explains how SOC 2 examinations assess controls against AICPA criteria, focusing on security, service availability, transaction processing, data confidentiality, and privacy. It also provides information on bridging from SOC 1 to SOC 2 and mapping between SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications.