Tier 2: Compliance Guardrail Pack
Prepare the Azure side of a SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or NIST audit. We deploy Azure Policy initiatives in Audit and Deny modes, map every policy to your framework, and hand you evidence exports your auditor can sample.
- Fixed fee
- $24,000
- Delivery
- 5–10 business days
- Azure idle cost
- $0/mo
- Framework
- One of five
How the guardrails enforce your framework
One policy initiative at the management group root. Non-compliant deployments are refused; compliant ones go through; the state is exported as evidence.
(SOC 2 / ISO 27001 / PCI-DSS / HIPAA / NIST)"] Initiative --> RuleTLS["Deny below TLS 1.2 and unencrypted disks"] Initiative --> RulePub["Deny public IPs and public storage"] Initiative --> RuleCMK["Audit or enforce customer-managed keys"] Initiative --> RuleLog["Audit diagnostic logging to central analytics"] end subgraph EvaluationEngine["Azure Policy engine"] RuleTLS --> Evaluator{"Resource evaluation"} RulePub --> Evaluator RuleCMK --> Evaluator RuleLog --> Evaluator end Evaluator -->|"Non-compliant"| Block["Deployment refused"] Evaluator -->|"Compliant"| Allow["Resource deployed"] Evaluator -->|"State export"| Dossier["Evidence export
(traceability matrix + compliance CSV)"]
What the $24,000 covers
For SaaS, fintech, and healthtech teams whose customers or auditors ask for a framework report.
-
One framework initiative
Your choice of SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, PCI-DSS v4.0, HIPAA Security Rule, or NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5.
- Assigned at the landing zones management group root
- Audit mode for staging, Deny mode for production
- Exemption process with recorded justifications
-
Control traceability matrix
The document your auditor works from: each Azure Policy mapped to the framework clause it enforces.
- One-to-one mapping against your chosen framework
- A plain description of how each control is enforced
- Formatted to hand to your external auditor
-
Evidence exports
A script and dashboard that pull current policy compliance, exemption records, and configuration evidence from Azure Resource Graph.
- CSV and PDF exports
- Historical compliance state
- Queries for the samples auditors usually request
-
No runtime services
Tier 2 is control-plane policy only. No firewalls or compute are provisioned, so Azure idle cost stays at $0 a month.
-
Documentation
Delivered into your repository, and yours to keep.
- Architecture design document and decision records
- Control traceability matrix
- RACI and runbooks for exemptions and remediation
-
Handoff workshop
A half-day session with your security and engineering leads, including a walkthrough of the evidence pack you will hand your auditor.
- Exception procedures and approval templates
- Repository handover with full code ownership
Policies that are enforced, not just documented
Advisory engagements often stop at policy documents and gap spreadsheets. Tier 2 ends with enforced policies in your repository.
| Aspect | Advisory-only engagement | Compliance Guardrail Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | Billed by time | $24,000 fixed |
| Timeline | Discovery-led | 5–10 business days |
| Policies | Often left for your team to write | Written, assigned, and enforced |
| Evidence | Collected by your team | Traceability matrix and exports included |
| Code | Varies | In your repository, and yours to keep |
What you provide
Framework choice
The standard you are being asked for: SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or NIST.
A compliance owner
One security or audit lead who approves policy thresholds and exceptions.
Policy rights
Management group Resource Policy Contributor, to assign the initiative.
Questions
Which frameworks can we choose from?
One of SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, PCI-DSS 4.0, HIPAA Security Rule, or NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5. If you need two at once, for example SOC 2 and ISO 27001, an additional framework can be added as a modular add-on.
Will Deny mode break our development environments?
No. Rollout is staged: sandbox and staging get Audit mode, so engineers see findings without blocked deployments, and production gets Deny mode. Exemption templates cover temporary edge cases.
Can Tier 2 go onto an existing Azure environment?
Yes. The initiative is scoped to your existing management groups. We run an initial audit scan for a non-compliance baseline and work through remediation with your team before switching critical guardrails to Deny.
Will this make us pass our SOC 2 or ISO audit?
No. The outcome is your auditor's decision, and organizational controls such as background checks and HR policy stay with your team. Tier 2 covers the Azure infrastructure controls in your framework: enforced in code, mapped clause by clause, with evidence your auditor can sample.
Related field notes
On the frameworks Tier 2 supports, and on the Azure questions buyers and investors ask.
- Passing SOC 2 Type II on Azure
Which SOC 2 criteria the failing infrastructure tests map to, and how to enforce them with Azure Policy.
- Preparing Azure for an ISO 27001:2022 audit
Mapping the Annex A technological controls to Azure Policy ahead of certification.
- PCI-DSS 4.0 on Azure: keeping audit scope small
Isolating the cardholder data environment with Key Vault HSM and Private Link.
- Preparing Azure for a hospital security review
Protecting ePHI with customer-managed keys and no public ingress.
- What investors check in your Azure tenant
The Azure issues technical diligence reviews tend to raise.
Start audit preparation with enforced guardrails.
$24,000 fixed fee, 5 to 10 business days. Not sure it is the right tier? Answer three questions.