What is the main characteristic of a SOC 3 report?

A SOC 3 report is primarily designed to provide assurance to stakeholders regarding the service organization's controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. The key characteristic of a SOC 3 report is that it serves as a high-level summary, offering a seal of approval that indicates the organization has undergone an audit and meets the relevant criteria without divulging the detailed findings of the audit.

This functionality is particularly beneficial for organizations that want to demonstrate their trustworthiness to clients and partners while maintaining confidentiality around sensitive operational details. The report is generally made available to the public, making it distinct from other types of SOC reports, which may contain more sensitive information meant for internal stakeholders or specific clients.

While detailed findings are included in reports such as SOC 1 and SOC 2, which offer more comprehensive insight suitable for internal use or financial reporting, the SOC 3 report simplifies this information, presenting an overall assessment instead. Thus, the main characteristic that sets the SOC 3 report apart is its provision of a seal of approval that is accessible to a wider audience without the detailed granularity of other reports.