Overview
Aerospace manufacturers operate under increasing security scrutiny from customers, regulators, and supply chain partners. SOC 2 readiness has become a business requirement, not just a compliance checkbox.
This mid-market aerospace supplier had partial controls in place, but lacked unified governance, consistent identity enforcement, and structured evidence collection aligned to the Trust Services Criteria.
Rutter delivered a structured SOC 2 readiness program that aligned policy, technical controls, monitoring, and governance into an operational compliance framework built to support growth and audit sustainability.
Industry: Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing
Client Profile: Mid-market aerospace supplier supporting regulated programs and high-assurance customer requirements
Services Delivered: SOC 2 readiness, security program buildout, Microsoft 365/Azure security hardening, managed security and IT operations
Result: SOC 2 program operationalized with audit-ready evidence, reduced risk exposure, and a scalable compliance foundation
The Challenge
An aerospace manufacturer supporting high-trust customers needed to become SOC 2 compliant to meet vendor security requirements and keep pace with contractual expectations. Their leadership team faced several practical hurdles:
- Security controls were partially in place, but not consistently documented or evidenced
- Policies existed in fragments, with no unified control library mapped to SOC 2
- Identity, endpoint, and logging controls were inconsistent across users and devices
- Vendor management and risk tracking lacked repeatable workflows
- The business needed a program that wouldn’t disrupt engineering and operations—and that could be maintained after the audit
They brought in Rutter Networking Technologies (RNT) to create a clear path to SOC 2 readiness, modernize controls, and build an evidence-driven compliance program that would stand up to auditor review.
Rutter’s Approach
RNT delivered SOC 2 readiness as a structured program—balancing compliance, security, and operational reality.
1) SOC 2 Readiness Assessment and Gap Analysis
RNT started with a readiness assessment to determine where the client stood against SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria (primarily Security, with optional alignment for Availability/Confidentiality depending on customer needs). Key activities included:
- Control inventory and maturity scoring
- Evidence requirements mapping (what auditors will request and how to produce it)
- Risk-based prioritization (what closes the most audit exposure fastest)
- A readiness roadmap with owners, timelines, and measurable outcomes
Deliverable: SOC 2 roadmap + control/evidence matrix the client could manage week-to-week.
2) Security Program Buildout: Policies, Standards, and Governance
RNT helped build the “paper + process” layer that aerospace customers expect—without creating shelfware.
- Security policies and standards aligned to SOC 2 (Access Control, Change Management, Incident Response, Risk Management, Vendor Management, etc.)
- A practical governance cadence: security steering checkpoints, monthly compliance review, and ticket-based control ownership
- A documented system boundary and scope definition to avoid “auditing the whole company” unnecessarily
Deliverable: Audit-ready policy set + governance workflow for maintaining compliance.
3) Technical Controls: Identity, Endpoint, Email, and Data Protection
RNT modernized and standardized core controls in Microsoft 365 and Azure:
- Identity & Access: MFA everywhere, conditional access, least privilege, role-based access control, admin separation
- Endpoint security: EDR rollout, baseline configurations, patching controls, device compliance standards
- Email security: phishing protections, DKIM/DMARC/SPF alignment, security awareness reinforcement
- Data protection: sensitivity controls, encryption, secure sharing defaults, retention/alignment to business needs
Deliverable: Consistent enforcement of SOC 2-aligned technical controls across the environment.
4) Logging, Monitoring, and Evidence Automation
SOC 2 success often hinges on proving controls work—consistently—over time. RNT implemented:
- Centralized logging and security monitoring
- Alerting and incident workflow documentation
- Evidence collection routines (access reviews, patch reports, EDR status, training completion, vendor attestations)
- Repeatable monthly evidence packages
Deliverable: Evidence pipeline that reduced manual effort and supported the audit timeline.
5) Third-Party Risk and Vendor Management
Aerospace supply chains are scrutinized. RNT implemented a practical vendor program:
- Vendor inventory and tiering (critical vs. non-critical)
- Minimum security requirements, contract language alignment, and annual reviews
- Tracking of SOC reports, pen tests, and security attestations for key vendors
Deliverable: Vendor risk program that matched SOC 2 expectations and customer questionnaires.
We engineer stable environments that make compliance achievable.
Results
By standardizing controls and building an evidence-driven program, the client achieved:
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A clearly defined SOC 2 scope and control baseline aligned to the applicable Trust Services Criteria
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Organization-wide enforcement of identity, endpoint, email, and data protection controls across the in-scope environment
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Documented, repeatable evidence collection routines aligned to anticipated auditor request patterns
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Reduced audit friction through automated workflows and clearly assigned control ownership
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A scalable, operational compliance framework capable of supporting evolving customer requirements and future regulatory frameworks
Why It Worked
RNT focused on operational SOC 2, not theoretical compliance.
- Evidence-first: Every control was mapped to documented auditor evidence requirements.
- Practical guardrails: Security controls were implemented to support engineering and operational workflows, not disrupt them.
- Repeatable processes: A defined monthly cadence ensured controls and evidence routines remained operational beyond the audit cycle.
- Aerospace-aware: Scope and governance aligned with the realities of regulated customers and vendor scrutiny.
- Built-in audit readiness: Controls were designed with documented evidence requirements in mind from the outset.
About Rutter Networking Technologies
Rutter Networking Technologies partners with aerospace and regulated manufacturers to modernize IT and cybersecurity programs—including SOC 2 readiness, identity and endpoint security hardening, monitoring, and ongoing managed services—so organizations can meet customer security requirements with confidence.
Related Services
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Cybersecurity & Incident Response
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Managed IT & Cloud Operations
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Business Continuity & Infrastructure Resilience
- Compliance-Driven IT & Secure Infrastructure
