Baker Newman Noyes (BNN), one of the nation's top 100 accounting and consulting firms, is pleased to announce that principal Pat Morin has earned the Advanced SOC for Service Organizations Certificate through the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA). He is the first in Maine to earn this designation.

Morin serves as principal and director of the firm's Risk and Business Advisory (RBA) practice and is a recognized industry leader in SOC (System and Organization Controls) auditing. The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants selected Morin to advise on the development of coursework for the Advanced SOC Certificate, working with him and RBA experts from around the country for the past two years to develop the program. Morin is also the AICPA's author for its Introduction to SOC Auditing and its SOC School education courses.

"There is a large deviation in the quality of SOC audits from one firm to another," said Morin. "Ultimately, it is the client who pays the price if an auditor misses an important weakness in a company's systems. This new certificate is designed to help clients choose the highest-quality SOC auditors by weeding out those who are not at the top of their game."

Introduced in 2012, SOC audits have evolved significantly over the years to keep up with changes in technology and cyber risk. SOC audits are designed for organizations that provide a range of services such as payroll processing, medical claims, outsourced human resources, cloud hosting, managed network services, etc. SOC auditors review the service providers' description of their systems; examine and test the related information systems, processes and internal controls; and provide an opinion on the effectiveness of the controls to provide assurance to those who use the system.

BNN offers SOC services as part of its growing RBA practice. The practice brings together a diverse team of professionals with a comprehensive set of certifications, including CPA, CISA, CISM, CITP, CISSP, and PMP, who are adept at helping clients in highly-regulated industries invest in technologies that align with their business goals, including healthcare, banking, finance, and life sciences. For more information about BNN and its full array of accounting and consulting services, please visit www.bnncpa.com.

Morin is a graduate of the University of Maine, Orono and holds certifications in SOC auditing and Information Systems auditing. He resides in Brunswick with his wife and three children.

About Baker Newman Noyes

Baker Newman Noyes is one of the nation's top 100 accounting and consulting firms with offices throughout New England in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The firm supports a variety of clients with a special focus on banking and financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution, not-for-profit, public sector entities and privately held and family-owned businesses. Baker Newman Noyes is an independent member of Baker Tilly International.