With twelve team members, a working SaaS product, and a growing customer base, your startup is well on its way. Security matters to everyone, though nobody holds “compliance manager” in their job title. A prospective enterprise customer suddenly requests a SOC 2 report.
What should you do first?
Downloading dozens of policies right away isn’t the first step for founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification. A handful of decisions decides what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove, and that is where to start.
Decide What Your First SOC 2 Audit Should Cover
Controls are assessed using the AICPA Trust Services Criteria in a SOC 2 examination. The criteria address Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Every SOC 2 report includes Security. The remaining areas are added when they are relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. Provided that scope meets customer expectations, a startup with a straightforward business application may start with Security alone.
The applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved should be identified before anyone starts collecting evidence. More scope means additional work, but not always a more valuable report.
Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified often discover two reporting options. At a specified date, Type 1 examines the design of controls. Type 2 goes further, examining both design and operating effectiveness throughout a defined period. If an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, Type 1 may be a useful starting point, assuming the customer accepts it.
Businesses investigating how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification should expect an observation period, commonly three to twelve months, and then an independent examination. You don’t have to complete Type 1 ahead of Type 2. Before paying for either examination, confirm your customer’s requirements.
Start With Everyday Security Gaps
Tying security controls to everyday business activities helps make SOC 2 preparation more manageable. Good first steps include requiring multi-factor authentication for important accounts, setting up a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions regularly.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be retained by developers. Management should document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Write policies that reflect what employees actually do. When nobody follows it, even a beautifully written procedure offers limited value.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
Showing that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently is central to SOC 2 for saas companies. Expect an auditor to ask about when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Collecting these records as activities occur is far easier than reconstructing them months later. Through built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist helps small teams manage this work.
There is no need for direct integrations with company systems. Teams upload evidence themselves and can give auditors read-only access.
Know Exactly What the Independent Audit Requires
Technically, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. A licensed CPA firm performs the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. Compliance software can help prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
A monthly promotional subscription of US$225 that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is advertised by CertAssist. Independent audits are a separate cost. A quote from an auditor reflecting your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period should come first.
What Comes After the First SOC 2 Report
A completed SOC 2 examination shouldn’t mark the end of your security efforts. Over time, employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers join your operations. Your controls need to remain relevant.
Make sure responsibilities are clearly assigned, evidence is retained throughout the year, and documented procedures are reviewed periodically against reality. For a growing startup, keeping this up makes future examinations easier and helps meet the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.