A deep dive into Freshdesk security and SOC 2 compliance for 2025

Choosing a helpdesk is a big deal. You're not just picking a new tool for your team; you're picking a home for your customer data. Freshdesk is a popular name in the customer support world, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, how does its security hold up? And does it meet tough standards like SOC 2?

If you're serious about protecting customer data (and let's be honest, who isn't?), this isn't just about checking a box on a compliance sheet. It's about building trust. In this guide, we'll walk through Freshdesk's security setup, clear up the question of its SOC 2 status, and talk about how to build a support system that’s not just compliant, but genuinely secure.

We'll cover the platform itself, but we'll also dig into how data is managed inside the platform, which has become a much bigger conversation with the rise of AI.

What is Freshdesk?

Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer service tool that helps businesses wrangle all their customer conversations. Think of it as the central command center for all your support channels, whether it's email, phone calls, social media messages, or live chat.

At its core, it turns every customer question into a ticket. This lets your support team track, manage, and solve issues from one shared inbox. It’s packed with features for ticketing, automation, and reporting that aim to make the whole support process a lot smoother. While it's a solid tool by itself, it gets even better when you connect it with other systems, which is easy to do with something like the eesel AI Freshdesk integration.

A look at the Freshdesk shared inbox, where teams manage customer conversations from multiple channels. This highlights the platform's core ticketing feature and its role in Freshdesk security SOC 2.

What is SOC 2 and why does it matter for Freshdesk security?

You’ve probably seen "SOC 2 compliant" on a lot of websites, but what does that label actually mean? Simply put, SOC 2 is an auditing standard that proves a service provider manages its data securely. It was created by the American Institute of of CPAs (AICPA), and it's a pretty big benchmark for SaaS companies.

The audit looks at five main principles, called the Trust Services Criteria:

1. Security (the mandatory one): Is the system protected against unauthorized access?

2. Availability: Is the system up and running when you need it to be?

3. Processing Integrity: Does the system do what it says it will do, accurately and on time?

4. Confidentiality: Is information that's marked as confidential kept that way?

5. Privacy: How is personal information handled, from collection to deletion?

There are two flavors of SOC 2 reports. A Type I report is like a snapshot, confirming that a company has the right security controls in place at a single moment in time. A Type II report is the one you really want to see. It tests those controls over several months (usually six to twelve) to prove they actually work day in and day out. For any business that's serious about security, a Type II report is the real proof. It's the difference between having a fire escape plan and actually running fire drills.

When a vendor is SOC 2 compliant, it means you can spend less time filling out security forms and feel more confident that you're working with a partner who takes data protection as seriously as you do.

An overview of Freshdesk's security features

Freshdesk, being part of the larger Freshworks ecosystem, has put a lot of effort into building a secure platform. Let's break down the main parts of their security.

How Freshdesk protects infrastructure and your data

Freshdesk is built on a pretty solid foundation designed to keep your data locked down.

• Hosting: The platform runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is known for its top-tier security. It uses dedicated Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) to create isolated networks, basically putting a digital fence around the application so unwanted traffic can't get in.

• Encryption: Your data is encrypted whether it's just sitting there or being sent across the internet. Freshdesk uses AES-256 bit encryption for data at rest (on the server) and TLS 1.2 for data in transit (moving online). These are the industry-standard methods for keeping information safe.

• Data Segregation: Freshdesk has a multi-tenant setup, which means different customers share the same infrastructure. To keep everyone's information separate, they use a unique tenant ID to logically wall off each customer's data. This setup ensures you can't accidentally stumble into someone else's account information.

Access and application security in Freshdesk

On top of the core infrastructure, Freshdesk gives you tools to manage who can get into your helpdesk and what they’re allowed to do once they're inside.

• Access Controls: You can set up role-based access, which lets you give agents permissions that match their job duties. It also supports two-factor authentication (2FA) and lets you whitelist specific IP addresses, adding a couple more locks on the door to prevent unauthorized logins.

• Secure Development: The team at Freshworks follows a secure development process. This involves regular code reviews, vulnerability scans, and hiring outside experts for penetration testing to find and patch security holes before they become a problem.

• Logging: Freshdesk keeps audit logs that track important actions, like when a setting is changed or what an agent has been doing. This leaves a digital paper trail that helps you spot any unusual activity and makes troubleshooting easier.

Is Freshdesk security SOC 2 compliant?

Yes, it is. Freshworks, the parent company of Freshdesk, goes through annual third-party audits and holds a SOC 2 Type II report that specifically covers the Freshdesk service. This is a strong sign that their security isn't just for show, it's consistently effective.

Beyond its Freshdesk security SOC 2 certification, Freshworks also holds several other important compliance credentials, showing a wider commitment to security and privacy:

• ISO 27001 / ISO 27701 (Global standards for information security and privacy)

• PCI DSS (For protecting credit card information)

• GDPR & CCPA (Compliance with major European and Californian data privacy laws)

If you want to dig into the details, you can ask for these reports through the Freshworks Trust Center.

The gaps in Freshdesk security: AI, data handling, and third-party apps

Even with a secure and compliant platform like Freshdesk, you're not completely covered. The platform’s security is great at protecting the container, but it doesn't always protect the sensitive data inside that container, especially once you start bringing AI and other tools into the mix.

Sensitive data: A challenge for Freshdesk security

Your support tickets are full of useful customer information, but they can also be a minefield of sensitive data. Things like personally identifiable information (PII), credit card details, and other confidential info can easily end up in a conversation.

Here's the problem: Freshdesk doesn't have a built-in, comprehensive feature for Data Loss Prevention (DLP). It can't automatically scan tickets to find and remove sensitive data. This means if a customer accidentally types their credit card number into a ticket, it will just sit there in plain text. That creates a huge compliance risk, and the responsibility to deal with it lands on your shoulders, not Freshdesk's.

Why you need a secure AI layer for Freshdesk

AI can make your support team way more efficient, but it also brings a new set of security questions. You can't just feed your entire ticket history into any AI model without thinking about privacy, that's asking for trouble.

This is where a dedicated, secure AI platform comes in handy. Instead of relying on a helpdesk's native AI, which might have its limits, you can add a tool like eesel AI on top of Freshdesk. eesel AI works like a secure brain that connects to your helpdesk and other knowledge sources without making you change your existing workflows.

An example of a secure AI layer like eesel AI drafting a reply within Freshdesk, which is crucial for maintaining Freshdesk security SOC 2 when using AI.

Here’s what a security-first AI approach looks like:

• Your data is always your data: This is the big one. With eesel AI, your data is never used to train general AI models. It's kept separate and is only used to power the AI for your company.

• Built on certified tech: eesel AI uses SOC 2 Type II-certified services like OpenAI and Pinecone, so you get enterprise-level security right out of the box.

• You're in control of the knowledge: You get to decide exactly which documents and data sources the AI can access. This means you can stop it from ever seeing or sharing information from sensitive files or certain types of tickets.

• Get started in minutes: Forget about complicated DLP projects that take months and a team of developers. A secure AI layer like eesel AI connects directly to Freshdesk and can be set up in just a few minutes, all by yourself.

Freshdesk pricing and the cost of their native AI

If you want to use Freshdesk's own AI features, called "Freddy AI," you'll usually need to be on one of their pricier plans or buy it as an add-on. This can make your monthly bill grow pretty fast.

Freshdesk's native AI, Freddy AI, assisting an agent with a customer ticket, a factor to consider for your Freshdesk security SOC 2 strategy.

The per-agent cost for tools like the AI Copilot means your bill goes up as your team grows, which doesn't always line up with the value you're getting.

This is pretty different from eesel AI's pricing model, which is based on how much you use the AI across all its products (like AI Agent, AI Copilot, and AI Triage). You're not paying for seats that might not even use the AI features. This makes your costs easier to predict and helps ensure you're only paying for what you actually use.

Building a smarter support system with Freshdesk security SOC 2

Freshdesk gives you a strong, secure, and SOC 2 Type II compliant platform that works as a great foundation for any support team. It covers the basics of platform-level security and provides the essential tools for managing customer support.

But platform security isn't the whole story. It doesn't solve the modern challenges of protecting sensitive data inside tickets or using AI in a way that's both effective and safe.

The smartest move isn't to ditch your helpdesk and start over. It's to build on top of it with best-in-class, secure tools. eesel AI is designed to be that extra layer, filling the gaps in data handling and AI by giving you a powerful, secure, and flexible intelligence engine that fits right in with Freshdesk and all your other knowledge sources.

Your next steps for Freshdesk security

If security is a top priority, choosing a compliant helpdesk like Freshdesk is a great start.

The next step is to look beyond the platform itself and figure out how you can better protect your data and safely automate support. Instead of getting locked into a pricey and limited native AI, think about how a dedicated AI platform can give you more power, more control, and more peace of mind.

Try eesel AI for free and see for yourself how you can securely automate your Freshdesk support in minutes, not months.