Your startup has twelve employees, a working SaaS product, and a growing customer base. Security matters, but nobody carries “compliance manager” in their job title. One day, a potential enterprise customer asks for a SOC 2 report.
What exactly do you do first?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer isn’t to download dozens of policies immediately. Start by making a few choices that decide what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Settle the Scope of Your First SOC 2 Audit
SOC 2 measures controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. The criteria are organized into five categories: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Every SOC 2 report must include Security. Whether the other categories are included depends on whether they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. If a startup is offering a straightforward business application, beginning with Security alone may be enough, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Map out the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved prior to collecting evidence. Making the scope unnecessarily broad creates extra work, and it doesn’t necessarily increase the report’s usefulness.
Pick the Report Type That Fits Your Timeline
Anybody wondering how to get SOC 2 certified will soon meet two reporting options. Type 1 examines the design of controls as of a specified date. Throughout a defined period, Type 2 examines both their design and operating effectiveness. If an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, Type 1 may be a useful first step, provided the customer accepts it.
For businesses investigating how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification, the process includes an observation period, usually three to twelve months, followed by an independent examination. You don’t have to complete Type 1 ahead of Type 2. Find out what your customer requires before paying for either examination.
Close the Everyday Security Gaps First
Linking security controls to ordinary business activities helps make SOC 2 preparation easier to manage. For instance, require multi-factor authentication for important accounts, set up a documented employee offboarding process, and review access permissions regularly.
Keep evidence of production changes and approvals inside the development team. Management should record risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Draft policies that reflect what employees actually do. A polished procedure has limited value if nobody follows it.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
Demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently is the heart of SOC 2 for saas companies. An auditor might ask for records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Rebuilding these records months later is much harder than gathering them as activities occur. Small teams that need help can organize this work with CertAssist’s built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
There is no need for direct integrations with company systems. Evidence gets uploaded by the team, and auditors can be provided with read-only access.
Why SOC 2 Requires an Independent Auditor
SOC 2 is technically an attestation, not a certification. A licensed CPA firm conducts the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. Software can help prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
A monthly promotional subscription of US$225 covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is advertised by CertAssist. Independent audit fees are separate. An auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period is worth getting before budgeting.
Keep the Process Manageable After Your First Report
Security work shouldn’t stop once the SOC 2 examination is completed. As time passes, employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. Your controls need to stay relevant.
Three habits help: setting clear responsibilities, retaining evidence throughout the year, and periodically reviewing whether your documented procedures match reality. For a growing startup, that discipline makes future examinations easier while supporting the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.