Leveraging Zapier for Enhanced SOC 2 Compliance in Manufacturing Tech

Poka is a manufacturing tech company that was in need of a system to support their information security and compliance processes. They were looking for a solution that would minimize risk and human error, while ensuring their records were always up-to-date. The company was also looking for a system that was agile enough for their startup and would provide the flexibility to create their own SOC 2 controls that exactly fit their needs. The company's information security, risks, and compliance analyst, Mathieu Marcotte, was tasked with finding this solution.

Poka, a manufacturing tech company, was facing challenges in maintaining SOC 2 compliance and other security workflows. The company's information security, risks, and compliance analyst, Mathieu Marcotte, was tasked with finding a system that would minimize risk and human error while ensuring their records were always up-to-date. The software solutions they found were either outdated, too expensive, or not agile enough for their startup. They needed a system that would support their information security and compliance processes, and provide the flexibility to create their own SOC 2 controls that exactly fit their needs.

Poka decided to create their own system using Zapier, a tool that allowed them to design their own processes using the tools they already had: Slack, Jira, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, Gmail, Github, and Intercom. They used Zapier to automate tasks such as sending weekly reminders to employees who needed to complete security awareness training for SOC 2 compliance. They also used Zapier to kick off security reviews, ensuring all code merged into production had been reviewed, and to manage the process of giving employees access to approved SaaS applications. Furthermore, they used Zapier with Google Calendar for more fine-tuned reminders, creating recurring calendar events and automatically creating tasks in Jira and sending messages in Slack.

• The use of Zapier has significantly improved Poka's operational efficiency. The automation of tasks has allowed the team to focus on more important work, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring that nothing is forgotten. The flexibility provided by Zapier has allowed Poka to create their own SOC 2 controls that exactly fit their needs, enhancing their compliance processes. The use of Zapier has also allowed Poka to be more agile, adapting quickly to changes and needs as they arise. Furthermore, the use of Zapier has fostered a culture of continuous improvement within the company, with team members always looking for ways to make their processes more efficient and effective.

• Zapier saves Mathieu about 3-5 hours per week

• Automated reminders ensure 100% completion of security awareness training

• Automated alerts ensure all code merged into production is reviewed