It all started with a customer request for compliance

Ehsan Jalilian, Hifi Engineering’s Vice President of R&D, recognized a shift in the industrial machinery manufacturing industry and a growing demand for cybersecurity compliance. In 2019, Hifi’s major client requested a SOC 2 report and this prompted the fiber optic sensing and data networking company to begin evaluating auditing firms.

“At the time, not many small companies were earning a SOC 2 report unless they were providing services to a large organization,” said Ehsan. “I could see this was the direction our industry was moving, and I knew it was important for our business to undergo a SOC 2 examination.”

Finding the right fit

Hifi was looking for experts in the auditing industry with a great reputation, professional demeanor, knowledgeable staff and the ability to offer customizable services. “When we began evaluating auditing firms, many were comparable to a rag tag army conducting audits by piecemeal,” said Ehsan. “I knew Hifi wouldn’t fit existing templates so we needed a firm who would take our uniqueness into account during the audit.”

During their vetting process, a client of Hifi’s recommended A-LIGN. “While I was interviewing the big four players in the area, I found their quotes to be very expensive,” Ehsan said. “On the other hand, while reviewing small organizations, their quotes were reasonable, but the services they were offering were not to the scale or quality we needed. Luckily, A-LIGN was recommended, and everything seemed to fall into place. Their pricing was reasonable, their services matched our organization’s expectations, and their experts were very professional. When I received a tour of their software platform, A-SCEND, it sealed the deal.”

Hifi found A-SCEND, A-LIGN’s audit and compliance management software, to be easy to use and intuitive, making the auditing process much more streamlined. As a result, Ehsan decided to partner with A-LIGN for Hifi’s first audit experience.

Earning a SOC 2 report

As soon as Hifi partnered with A-LIGN, they immediately kicked-off the SOC 2 examination process. “Our first SOC 2 examination with A-LIGN was a smooth, easy process,” said Ehsan. “Initially, we were worried about the assessment being a painful, slow grind but A-SCEND made the process unproblematic. In speaking with colleagues, many have experienced tracking thousands of emails, difficult spreadsheets, lost evidence and more. A-SCEND, combined with A-LIGN’s expert auditors, created a straightforward, hassle-free process.”

Hifi’s security felt that the A-LIGN team was professional and friendly at every touchpoint. “I expected to be put through the ringer during the examination since the auditor’s job is to find holes in our program,” said Ehsan. “Instead, A-LIGN’s auditors, relationship manager and senior staff were supportive and acted as mentors throughout the process. Their insight and guidance were very much appreciated and made a huge difference in our overall audit experience.”

Increasing customer interest

While many other small companies in the industrial machinery manufacturing industry have not yet earned cybersecurity compliance certifications, Hifi Engineering is setting the gold standard with their SOC 2 report. “Many potential customers come to us knowing we have a SOC 2 report and the correct policies and procedures in place to protect their data,” explained Ehsan. “Security reassurance is invaluable and is becoming increasingly important.”

Following the initial SOC 2 examination, Hifi gained audit experience and an understanding of the process moving forward. “A-LIGN has a great team in place and a smooth process that consistently results in a successful experience.”

Next steps

To learn more about how A-LIGN can help your organization through a variety of cybersecurity compliance assessments and audits, please visit www.a-lign.com/services or complete this form and an A-LIGN expert will reach out to you within 24 hours.

About Hifi Engineering

Hifi is a privately held Canadian company, with minority ownership from Enbridge, Cenovus and BDC, specializing in the development, supply and commercial operation of next generation fiber optic sensing technologies and machine learning software, primarily used for preventative leak detection for pipelines and monitoring of critical assets. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Hifi currently has a number of commercialized products based on its high fidelity distributed sensing (HDS™) technology platform, over 70 patents, and was named the winner of the 2019 Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) Foundation Innovation Award, the Digital Innovator of the year for the 2019 Global Petroleum Show (GPS) awards, and the Technology Innovation Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan for 2021. For more information, visit https://hifieng.com/