For organizations that depend on project management tools—whether Jira, Asana, Monday.com, Trello, or similar—data security and compliance are critical priorities. Organizations subject to SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance must pay particular attention to how they handle, store, and archive project data. With growing reliance on cloud-based project management solutions, understanding SOC 2 archiving requirements and practical ways to meet them is essential.

In this comprehensive article, we’ll demystify SOC 2’s requirements for project data archiving, review best practices, and provide actionable strategies for compliance-readiness during project tracker migrations or transitions.

What Is SOC 2 Compliance?

SOC 2 is an auditing framework developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) to help organizations demonstrate their commitment to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data. Unlike other compliance frameworks, SOC 2 reports are unique to each organization, outlining controls relevant to its business practices, technologies, and data handling activities.

SOC 2 is particularly important for SaaS providers, technology firms, and any enterprise that manages or processes customer data—including teams using project management systems to track business-critical information.

Why SOC 2 Impacts Project Data Archiving

Project management tools store a wealth of sensitive information—from schedules, workflow statuses, attachments, and communications to user activities and historical project records. For many organizations, these records are subject to SOC 2 controls.

SOC 2 requires companies to implement controls that secure and retain customer data according to stated policies, including:

  • Data retention: Defining how long project data must be kept.
  • Data integrity: Ensuring archived records cannot be altered or deleted without traceability.
  • Secure storage: Protecting backup and archived data against unauthorized access.
  • Deletion and disposal: Securely removing data when retention periods expire.

Migrating from one project management tool to another or exporting historical records for compliance archiving can be especially challenging—and risky—if not handled with an eye toward SOC 2 compliance.

Key SOC 2 Project Data Archiving Requirements

Understanding SOC 2’s archiving requirements helps organizations avoid compliance gaps during platform transitions. Here are the core expectations for project data:

1. Retention Policies

SOC 2 expects organizations to establish and enforce retention schedules for project data. These policies define how long records must be retained to meet business, contractual, and regulatory needs. When exporting project records from systems such as Jira, Linear, or Monday.com, teams must preserve data according to these policies—often for multiple years.

2. Audit Trails

A crucial element of SOC 2 is maintaining a clear audit trail. When archiving project data:

  • Maintain records of who accessed or exported data, and when.
  • Document all migration or archiving processes.
  • Ensure that exported files and archived snapshots are verifiably complete and authentic.

3. Data Integrity and Security

SOC 2 requires organizations to prevent unauthorized changes to archived project records. That means tools used for exporting or archiving should produce immutable or write-protected formats, such as static HTML, PDF snapshots, or access-controlled databases. Encryption, access controls, and tamper-evidence are essential safeguards.

4. Secure Data Disposal

SOC 2 also sets requirements for secure deletion. Once data is no longer needed under the retention policy, it must be securely deleted or destroyed to prevent unauthorized recovery or exposure.

Best Practices for SOC 2-Compliant Project Data Archiving

When migrating between project management tools or preparing for an audit, organizations should consider these actionable best practices:

Choose an Export Tool Designed for Compliance

Not all export or migration tools produce records suitable for SOC 2 archiving. Look for solutions like ptmigration that offer:

  • Static export options (e.g., exporting project records to HTML or PDF for tamper-resistant archiving).
  • Detailed export logs to provide evidence of data handling.
  • Secure storage integrations (cloud vaults, encrypted drives, etc.).

Map Out Your Archiving Process

Document your migration and archiving workflows—including:

  • Data selection criteria (what gets archived, what does not).
  • Timing and frequency of exports.
  • How backups and archives are stored, protected, and accessed.

Test Your Archived Data

Perform routine tests to ensure that:

  • Archives are accessible and readable in the required formats.
  • Records are complete and accurate.
  • Audit trails and access controls are functioning as expected.

Manage Access

Strictly limit access to archived project records. Use role-based permissions, and monitor all access to archives, maintaining logs per SOC 2 guidelines.

Plan For Secure Disposal

Establish processes for securely deleting archived records when retention periods expire—ensuring data cannot be reconstructed or retrieved.

SOC 2-Ready Migrations: How ptmigration Supports Compliance

Migrating from one project tracker to another can create compliance challenges. Ptmigration was designed to facilitate seamless, secure project data transfers while supporting SOC 2 requirements:

  • Comprehensive exports: Export all relevant project data, activity logs, files, and comments from tools like Jira, Linear, Asana, Trello, and more.
  • Static archiving: Archive snapshots in non-editable formats, with verification logs to prove data integrity.
  • Process documentation: Each export includes metadata and a full audit history to meet SOC 2 traceability requirements.
  • Security-first design: All exports are encrypted and can be routed directly to secure archives, cloud vaults, or retention repositories.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Even diligent organizations can run afoul of SOC 2 archiving requirements. Beware of:

  • Partial or incomplete exports: Always validate that migrated archives include all required project records, attachments, and context.
  • Insecure storage locations: Avoid storing archives on personal drives or unsecured clouds.
  • Poor documentation: Failure to document export and archiving activities can sink a SOC 2 audit.

Preparing for a SOC 2 Audit

If your organization is preparing for a SOC 2 audit, consider these steps:

  • Review and update archiving policies for all project data.
  • Perform trial exports and audits using your migration tool.
  • Verify full visibility and traceability of export activities.
  • Ensure retention, access, and deletion policies are enacted and enforced.

Conclusion

SOC 2 compliance is a critical obligation for organizations that handle sensitive project data. Meeting the framework’s archiving requirements involves more than routine backups—it demands thoughtful data selection, secure export, auditable archives, and robust access controls.

By leveraging specialized tools like ptmigration and adhering to SOC 2-aligned best practices, organizations can confidently migrate, export, and archive project management data—ensuring both seamless continuity and full regulatory compliance.