A-LIGN

Day 2 of our Customer Advisory Board: Napa Summit was even better than the first.  We spent the day in working sessions on what our customers need next, where A-LIGN is headed, and how we can partner for years to come. Scott Price, CPA, CISA, CIA, Steve Simmons, Nicholas Ludy, and Stephanie Oyler-Rankin each shared a piece of A-LIGN’s work, setting a collaborative tone for the day. Rick Orloff, CISSP, CAPI, CISO and strategic advisor to A-LIGN, closed the sessions with a keynote on the role of the CISO in the modern age.  That evening, we gathered at Thomas Keller’s RO Restaurant and Lounge, where we were treated to a custom menu, standout wine, and live entertainment. It was more time to build the relationships that make these sessions worthwhile. To everyone who made the trip to Napa: thank you. Your candor and your time shape how we serve you, and we’re grateful for the partnership. We look forward to continuing to support your compliance efforts.

On November 2 and 3, A-LIGN is a silver sponsor of The Federal Cyber Certification Series (Fed Cert Week) for Software Supply Chain Day and FedRAMP Day.   💻Software Supply Chain Day will cover the SBOM requirements, secure software development, vulnerability management, provenance, and software assurance expectations reshaping government and commercial procurement.   📄FedRAMP Day will cover federal cloud authorization modernization, continuous monitoring, OSCAL automation, cloud-native security architectures, and operational compliance expectations under FedRAMP 20X.   Stop by booth #4 both days to talk with Pete Dudek, Mike Gallagher, Sean Quinton, and Matthew Skinner.   During FedRAMP Day catch Petar Besalev on the panel “Independent Assessment Services After the 3PAO Reset” at 11:30 a.m. in Salon 1. The discussion will cover the FedRAMP Consolidated Rules that took effect July 4, 2026, A2LA dependence, performance standards, the two-year advisory-separation rule, and more.   Register today to secure your spot for the series 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gu3fnczw

Last night, our Customer Advisory Board: Napa Summit opened with a welcome reception and dinner at the beautiful Castello di Amorosa, an authentically styled 14th-century Tuscan castle winery set among the vineyards of Napa Valley. Our guests took in sweeping vineyard views, watched a drone show that lit up over the castle grounds, and spent the evening in the kind of conversation that only happens when people share a table. To our valued customers: thank you. You made time to be here, and your trust and partnership mean more to us than a single evening can express. We’re so grateful for every one of you. We’re looking forward to the next few days of quality discussion and collaboration in Napa Valley.

On October 19, the AICPA and Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Company (AIUC) announced a joint offering: SOC 2 and AIUC-1 in a single CPA-led engagement. The pilot is live now with full launch expected early 2027. https://lnkd.in/g56XM_fF   SOC 2 is familiar territory. AIUC-1 is the new piece. It’s the standard built for agent safety, security, and reliability. It selects 2,000 to 4,000 evaluations that mirror your agent’s exposure, grades every result pass or fail, and blocks certification until P0 and P1 findings are resolved. Then it re-tests every quarter.   Who you test with matters as much as the standard. Here’s what A-LIGN brings: 🔹 Unmatched scale and experience : We’re the largest SOC 2 auditor in the world, with 20+ years across ISO 27001, FedRAMP, PCI, and more. 🔹 Efficient technology: A-SCEND, our audit management platform, combines technology and human expertise across the audit lifecycle and saves teams meaningful time in audit prep, without compromising rigor. 🔹 AI governance expertise: Our experts have delivered multiple AI governance services hands-on, so they provide the right solution for you. 🔹 Quality-first approach: Collaborative engagements that go beyond checkbox compliance.   Here’s the full breakdown of how AIUC-1 works: https://lnkd.in/gjdSFXJg

This week our recruitment team will be at Quality Leadership University in Panama!   Join Ana Matilde Garcia Prosperi on October 22 to learn more about upcoming opportunities and what it is like working at A-LIGN.   We look forward to seeing you at the career fair ⬇️

The System Security Plan (SSP) is the first document a CMMC assessor sees, and it shapes how your assessment runs. In his latest blog, Michael Brooks CISSP, PMP, MBA outlines the traits that make a strong SSP, the gaps that slow assessments down, and the five questions assessors ask of every statement. Read through the full blog here➡️ https://lnkd.in/eNzKSjjW

Steven Ferretti outlines management's responsibility outlined in the White House accord on super intelligence in this video.

In our latest video, Steven Ferretti breaks down the first layer of accountability in The White House accord and what it means for management to own AI controls under it: 1️⃣ Give AI only the data and access it needs 2️⃣ Log every action and decision 3️⃣ Send AI traffic through a proxy or gateway 4️⃣ Build a register of where AI touches your business, what data it uses, who owns it, and its risk level While the market works to respond to the accord, ISO 42001 is a strong starting point for AI compliance: https://lnkd.in/gGi6XyFv Follow along as we continue to break down the accord and what it means for your AI compliance program.

Another opportunity to connect with A-LIGN at the University of Tampa! On October 21, Samantha Bensch, MBA will be back on campus connecting with students and sharing more about career opportunities in cybersecurity compliance. If you haven’t had a chance to meet us yet, stop by, say hello, and learn more about where a career at A-LIGN could take you. See you on campus next week!

A SOC 2 report is more than just a checkbox. Done right, it accelerates sales, opens new markets, and lays a durable foundation for the frameworks that come next. But organizations who pay for low-cost compliance run the risk of lost revenue, internal cost from remediation and rework, and reputational damage. Scott Price, CPA, CISA, CIA shares how A-LIGN goes beyond check-the-box compliance with a rigorous, proven methodology. We stay transparent from kickoff to final report, provide clear guidance at every step, and help you resolve gaps proactively – so you're not just audit-ready, but set up to succeed long after the engagement.