Your startup has twelve team members, a working SaaS product, and a steadily growing customer base. Nobody in the company holds “compliance manager” in their job title, although security is important. One day, a potential enterprise customer asks for 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 choices decides what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove, and that is where to start.
Settle the Scope of Your First Audit
SOC 2 assesses controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. The criteria are organized into five areas: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Every report includes Security. The other areas are included when they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. A startup offering a straightforward business application may begin with Security alone, as long as that scope meets customer expectations.
Map out the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved prior to collecting evidence. A needlessly broad scope adds additional work without necessarily increasing the report’s usefulness.
Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified usually discover two reporting options. At a specified date, Type 1 evaluates the design of controls. Over a defined period, Type 2 evaluates both their design and operating effectiveness. When an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, Type 1 can be a useful place to start, if the customer accepts it.
For businesses investigating how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification, the process includes an observation period, commonly three to twelve months, followed by an independent examination. You do not have to get Type 1 before Type 2. Confirm your customer’s requirements before paying for either examination.
Fix the Everyday Security Gaps Before Anything Else
SOC 2 preparation is more manageable when security controls are linked to everyday business activities. A sensible place to start is requiring multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Development teams should hold on to evidence of production changes and approvals. Leadership should record risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. What employees actually do must be reflected in the policies. There is limited value in a polished procedure that nobody follows.
Gather Evidence While Things Are Happening
SOC 2 for saas companies comes down to demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. An auditor could request records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Reconstructing these records months later is far harder than gathering them as activities occur. CertAssist helps small teams manage this work with built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
The platform does not require direct integrations with company systems. Auditors can be provided with read-only access, while teams upload evidence themselves.
Why You Still Need an Independent Auditor
The outcome of SOC 2 is formally an attestation, not a certification. The SOC 2 report is issued by a licensed CPA firm that performs the examination. The independent auditor cannot be replaced by compliance software, which helps prepare and organize evidence.
A US$225 monthly promotional subscription that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is offered by CertAssist. The independent audit is a separate expense. Before budgeting, get an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period.
Make the Process Sustainable After Your First Report
Completing a SOC 2 examination shouldn’t be the end of your security efforts. Your operations keep changing: employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers arrive. It’s important that your controls stay relevant.
Three habits keep things on track: setting clear responsibilities, retaining evidence throughout the year, and periodically reviewing whether your documented procedures match reality. As your startup grows, that discipline will make future examinations easier and helps meet the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.