At Bitly, we’re committed to helping our users build stronger digital connections. As part of that commitment, we work hard to make our platforms as secure as possible for every user, from scrappy solopreneurs to some of the largest enterprises.
We’re excited to share that Bitly has earned SOC 2 compliance. This status reinforces our focus on data security, platform reliability, and enterprise trust. But what can our customers expect? Let’s explore SOC 2 and what it means for users of the Connections Platform.
SOC 2: What you need to know
SOC 2 (short for “Systems and Organization Controls 2”) is a cybersecurity framework created to ensure that service providers sufficiently protect customer data. Developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), SOC 2 evaluates organizations for five Trust Services Criteria:
- Security: Data protection from unauthorized access.
- Availability: Data access for the employees and users who need it.
- Processing integrity: Operation of company systems as expected.
- Confidentiality: Protection of confidential data through limiting access, storage, and use.
- Privacy: Safety of sensitive personal information from unauthorized users.
SOC 2 compliance isn’t mandatory. Instead, organizations can choose to undergo a SOC 2 audit. This audit assesses their tools and processes across those five criteria.
If an independent auditor finds the organization meets the defined criteria, it achieves SOC 2 compliance. This serves as a marker of above-and-beyond commitment to security.
Why SOC 2 matters
SOC 2 helps build trust between vendors and buyers, especially for enterprise organizations. For enterprises, cloud-based customer data represents both their most valuable and most vulnerable asset. As a result, data security has become a top business priority.
Because enterprises face increasingly complex cyberthreats today, companies need confidence in every vendor they partner with. When enterprise teams source a new B2B tech tool, they want reassurance about vendor reliability and security. SOC 2 compliance sends a clear signal: This service provider is committed to comprehensive security and has invested in software safety over time.
SOC 2 compliance creates value for everyone:
- Brands can reassure current and potential customers that their data is in good hands.
- Customers can easily distinguish compliant and secure vendors from the rest of the pack, making buying decisions easier.
The recognition requires a significant investment of time and resources. But for brands committed to staying secure, the process pays off.
What Bitly customers can expect
Bitly’s SOC 2 compliance is the latest milestone in our commitment to building trusted connections—both for and with our customers.
For our SOC 2 audit, we focused on Security and Availability—the two Trust Service Criteria most critical to ensuring our platform reliably protects your data and stays accessible when you need it. Security is required for all SOC 2 audits, while organizations choose additional criteria based on what’s most relevant to their services and customers.
So what does all of this actually mean for Bitly customers?
The best part? Nothing changes for users. You can continue using Bitly exactly as you always have. SOC 2 compliance works behind the scenes to strengthen our security infrastructure without affecting your day-to-day experience.
Current users already trust our brand reputation. They look to us for user-friendly touchpoints, intuitive branding tools, and in-depth analytics for data-driven marketing campaigns. Now, they can feel even more confident about what goes on behind the scenes at Bitly.
What’s more, for potential enterprise customers, SOC 2 compliance plays a key role in ensuring a smoother and more efficient procurement process. Anyone who’s been through vendor procurement knows the struggle of lengthy security reviews when you just need a new tool to help you evolve your growing business. SOC 2 is a clear signal that Bitly has been vetted and meets industry standards, making it that much easier to get final approval for purchase and adoption.
Since Bitly got its start as an industry leader in link shortening, our team’s focus has always been to make the world more digitally connected—and SOC 2 compliance shows we’re out to make the digital world safer, too.
Bitly’s approach to trust, safety, and security
At Bitly, security means building controls into every part of our infrastructure—a commitment now validated by our SOC 2 compliance. This spans from teams creating user-friendly digital touchpoints to users clicking links or scanning QR Codes.
Our proven solutions help marketers securely drive clicks and brand recognition while signaling trust and safety to audiences. We offer:
- Custom links and domains that indicate a link comes from a known and trusted source.
- Branded QR Codes that stand out with your company’s style elements, color, and logos.
- Mobile-friendly landing pages with engaging media and design that reassure users that the page is professionally crafted by a reputable brand.
In addition to our core security controls and compliance, Bitly’s commitment to Trust & Safety includes:
- The Trust Center: A central hub providing easy access to safety resources for our users.
- Security & Compliance Center: Documentation of our security certifications and compliance standards that validate our commitment to data protection and platform security.
- The Threat Detection Service (TDS): The first line of defense against harmful URLs. This system scans each new link or QR Code created to uncover threats to the Bitly community.
- The Abuse API: Works with our TDS to dynamically catalog untrustworthy or harmful URLs and stop the spread of those links.
To us, trust and security aren’t just about responding reactively when something goes wrong. They’re about proactively creating a safer platform for digital connections and a safer marketing ecosystem altogether.
Where we’re headed from here
What’s next at Bitly? We’re building for scale and doubling down on trust through every aspect of our platform.
We will continue to invest in compliance outside of SOC 2, as well as platform reliability and enterprise-grade features to ensure the world’s most pioneering brands have the tools to connect with their audiences around the world. All of our customers will continue to enjoy the same user-friendly experience they are familiar with, now backed by trusted security standards.
For more details on how Bitly supports secure enterprise workflows, visit our Trust Center. If you’re ready to build safe digital connections at scale with a trusted vendor, connect with our team to find the solution that’s right for you.
