NorthStar Education Services Receives SOC 2 Type II Attestation
by Sarah Harvey / November 6th, 2020
Independent Audit Verifies NorthStar Education Services’ Internal Controls and Processes
Eagan, MN – NorthStar Education Services, a student financial aid, and payment company, announced that it has completed its SOC 2 Type II audit, performed by KirkpatrickPrice. This attestation provides evidence that NorthStar Education Services has a continued commitment to security.
A SOC 2 audit provides an independent, third-party validation that a service organization’s information security practices meet industry standards stipulated by the AICPA. During the audit, a service organization’s controls as they relate to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of a system are tested. A Type II report specifically tests these controls over a period of time in order to validate their implementation and operating effectiveness.
Taige Thornton, President of NorthStar Education Services, said, “All organizations should ask for SOC reporting from their outsourced service vendors. Whether a vendor can provide a SOC report is a serious risk component that companies need to consider during any vendor due diligence analysis.”
“NorthStar Education Services delivers trust-based services to their clients, and by communicating the results of the Type II audit, their clients can be assured of their reliance on NorthStar Education Services’ controls,” said Joseph Kirkpatrick, President of KirkpatrickPrice.
About NorthStar Education Services
NorthStar Education Services is an affiliate of Ascendium Education Group. For 50 years, our focus has been to deliver industry leading tools to support educational accessibility and success through student loan repayment, employee benefit/payment assistance, next generation financial wellness, and education loan refinancing programs.
About KirkpatrickPrice
KirkpatrickPrice is a licensed CPA firm, PCI QSA, and a HITRUST CSF Assessor, registered with the PCAOB, providing assurance services to over a thousand clients in North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. The firm has more than a decade of experience in information security by performing assessments, audits, and tests that strengthen information security practices and internal controls. KirkpatrickPrice most commonly performs assessments on SOC 1, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, HITRUST CSF, GDPR, ISO 27001, FISMA, and FERPA frameworks, as well as advanced-level penetration testing. For more information, visit www.kirkpatrickprice.com, connect with KirkpatrickPrice on LinkedIn, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
