With twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and a growing customer base, your startup is well on its way. People take security seriously, though no one holds “compliance manager” in their job title. A potential enterprise customer suddenly requests a SOC 2 report.
So where should you begin?
Grabbing dozens of policies right away isn’t the answer for founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification. Begin by making a few choices that define what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Define the Scope of Your First Audit
SOC 2 evaluates controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. The criteria cover Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Of these, only Security is mandatory. The remaining categories are added when they are relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. If a startup is offering a straightforward business application, starting with Security alone may work, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
List the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved prior to collecting evidence. Keeping the scope unnecessarily broad adds extra work, and it doesn’t necessarily improve the report’s usefulness.
Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified often discover two reporting options. Type 1 evaluates the design of controls at a specified date. Throughout a defined period, Type 2 examines both their design and operating effectiveness. If an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, Type 1 may be a useful starting point, provided the customer accepts it.
The process for how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification starts with an observation period, commonly three to twelve months, and ends with an independent examination. Type 1 isn’t a mandatory prerequisite for Type 2. Find out what your customer requires before you pay for either examination.
Fix the Everyday Security Gaps Before Anything Else
SOC 2 preparation becomes more manageable when security controls are linked to everyday business activities. For instance, enforce multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establish a documented employee offboarding process, and review access permissions regularly.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be retained by development teams. Document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews at the leadership level. Write policies so they describe what employees actually do. If nobody follows it, even a well-written procedure has limited value.
Get Your Evidence Organized Before Problems Start
SOC 2 for saas companies involves demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. You might be asked for records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
It’s much easier to gather these records as activities occur than to reconstruct them months later. CertAssist assists small teams organize this work with built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
The platform does not require direct integrations with company systems. Teams add evidence themselves and can provide auditors with read-only access.
Understand the Independent Audit Requirement
What SOC 2 produces is technically an attestation, not a certification. The SOC 2 report is issued by a licensed CPA firm that conducts the examination. The independent auditor cannot be replaced by compliance software, which can help prepare and organize evidence.
CertAssist promotes a US$225 monthly promotional subscription that includes SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. The independent audit is a separate expense. A quote from an auditor based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period is worth requesting before you budget.
What Comes After Your First SOC 2 Report
Your security work shouldn’t end when the SOC 2 examination is finished. Team members join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. Your controls must stay relevant.
Three habits help: setting clear responsibilities, retaining evidence throughout the year, and regularly reviewing whether your documented procedures match reality. That discipline makes future examinations easier for a growing startup, and it supports the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.