Navigating Trust: SOC 2 Compliance in the Indonesian Market

For many Indonesian tech companies, especially SaaS and B2B startups, SOC 2 is no longer a “nice to have”. When you sell to US customers or enter the global field, SOC 2 often becomes a gate to deals. This guide explains what SOC 2 is, why it matters in Indonesia, how it relates to local law (UU PDP) and ISO 27001, and most importantly; how you can get ready without breaking your team.

^{What is SOC 2 (in simple words)?}

SOC 2 is an independent report from a licensed auditor that shows how well your company protects customer data. It checks controls against the Trust Services Criteria: Security (required), Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy.

There are two types:

• Type I — checks your control design at a single point in time.

• Type II — checks control operation over a period (usually 3–12 months).

Type II is stronger and more valuable for customers because it proves controls work consistently.

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^{Why SOC 2 matters for Indonesian businesses}

1. Sales enablement: US and global buyers often require SOC 2. Having a report speeds vendor onboarding and shortens sales cycles.

2. Trust & maturity: SOC 2 signals that your business operates with consistent controls, not just polished policies.

3. Regulatory fit: Many SOC 2 controls overlap with Indonesia’s UU PDP (data protection law). Aligning with SOC 2 helps with local privacy obligations.

4. Competitive advantage: A solid SOC 2 report separates you from competitors when dealing with enterprise customers.

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^{SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 — do you need both?}

They overlap a lot. ISO 27001 is an international standard for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). SOC 2 is an auditor’s report against specific trust criteria. If you already have ISO 27001, you’re ahead of many technical controls and evidence items will carry over to SOC 2. The smart approach is to build one control set that maps to both frameworks.

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^{Real case — Jakarta SaaS that won US clients with SOC 2}

A Jakarta-based B2B SaaS (25 people) wanted US mid-market clients. They had backups and MFA but lacked documented restore tests, centralized logging, and vendor intake processes. After a 3-week gap analysis and 8 weeks of fixes (MFA everywhere, restore tests, central logs, lightweight change approvals), they ran a Type I audit and then a 6-month Type II period. Result: SOC 2 Type II issued, faster sales cycles, and two new US customers within 90 days.  

Key win: automation + simple, repeatable evidence.

Solution with FEHA

• Mapped SOC 2 controls (like access management, encryption, and logging) to UU PDP articles.

• Automated evidence collection through FEHA’s platform, cutting manual work.

• Used AI + expert review to prepare for both SOC 2 audit and UU PDP compliance.

• Within 6 months, the startup achieved SOC 2 Type I while proving full readiness for UU PDP; building trust with both local regulators and global clients.

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^{How SOC 2 maps to UU PDP (Indonesia’s Personal Data Protection Law)}

SOC 2 controls help with UU PDP topics like access control, data minimization, incident handling, vendor oversight, and transparency. Treat SOC 2 as part of your broader compliance program: map once, comply many.

Indonesia’s UU PDP (Undang-Undang Perlindungan Data Pribadi) is the country’s first comprehensive data protection law, often compared to the EU’s GDPR. On the other hand, SOC 2 is an international framework focused on how companies manage customer data based on five Trust Service Criteria: Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy.

Even though they were developed in different contexts, there are strong overlaps:

^{1. Data Security & Protection}

• SOC 2: Requires businesses to implement access controls, monitoring, encryption, and incident response.

• UU PDP: Mandates businesses to safeguard personal data from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure.

✅ Mapping: SOC 2 Security criteria directly support UU PDP’s data protection obligations.

^{2. Privacy & Consent}

• SOC 2: The Privacy principle covers how personal information is collected, used, retained, disclosed, and disposed of, aligned with customer consent.

• UU PDP: Explicitly requires consent before collecting and processing personal data, with clear rights for data subjects (like access, correction, and deletion).

✅ Mapping: SOC 2 Privacy principle aligns with UU PDP’s consent and data subject rights requirements.

^{3. Data Retention & Disposal}

• SOC 2: Businesses must define how long data is retained and ensure secure disposal.

• UU PDP: Requires personal data to be retained only as long as necessary for processing purposes, then securely destroyed or anonymized.

✅ Mapping: Both frameworks enforce strict data lifecycle management.

^{4. Audit & Accountability}

• SOC 2: Businesses undergo independent third-party audits to verify compliance.

• UU PDP: Requires businesses to demonstrate accountability, including documentation and the appointment of a Data Protection Officer (for certain businesses).

✅ Mapping: SOC 2 audits provide a strong foundation to demonstrate compliance with UU PDP’s accountability principles.

^{5. Incident Response & Breach Notification}

• SOC 2: Businesses must establish and test incident response plans.

• UU PDP: Requires mandatory breach notifications to regulators and affected individuals within 3 x 24 hours.

✅ Mapping: SOC 2 incident response controls can be adapted to meet UU PDP’s strict reporting timelines.

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^{Final thought}

SOC 2 is about trust; proving to customers that your service is run securely and reliably. It’s not just a certificate; it’s an operational discipline. For Indonesian businesses, SOC 2 can open markets, shorten sales cycles, and make your operations stronger. Do it the right way: practical controls, clear evidence, and steady operation.

If you want a SOC 2 readiness checklist or a short gap review tailored to your stack, FEHA can help! We combine automation with expert guidance to make the journey faster and less painful.

^{Ready to get started? Reach out to us at contact@feha.io}

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