With twelve team members, a working SaaS product, and a growing customer base, your startup is well on its way. Security matters, but not one person holds “compliance manager” in their job title. One day, a potential enterprise customer requests a SOC 2 report.
So where should you start?
If you’re a founder researching how to get SOC 2 certification, don’t grab dozens of policies right away. A handful of choices determines what your company needs to document, implement, and prove, and that is where to start.
Decide What Your First SOC 2 Audit Should Cover
The AICPA Trust Services Criteria serve as the standard that SOC 2 assesses controls against. Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy are the categories they cover. Of these, only Security is mandatory. The other areas are included when they are relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. Provided that scope meets customer expectations, a startup offering a straightforward business application may start with Security alone.
Before you collect any evidence, identify the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. Keeping the scope unnecessarily broad adds additional work, and it doesn’t necessarily increase the report’s usefulness.
Type 1 or Type 2? Let the Deadline Choose
There are two reporting options for anyone researching how to get SOC 2 certified. The design of controls at a specified date is what Type 1 examines. Type 2 goes further, examining design and operating effectiveness over a defined period. If an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, Type 1 may be a useful first step, assuming 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 don’t have to finish Type 1 ahead of Type 2. Confirm your customer’s requirements before paying for either examination.
Close the Everyday Security Gaps Before Anything Else
SOC 2 preparation gets more manageable when security controls are connected to ordinary business activities. Think of enforcing multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions regularly.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be kept by developers. Leadership should document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. What employees actually do must be reflected in the policies. When nobody follows it, even a well-written procedure offers limited value.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
In practice, SOC 2 for saas companies involves demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. You could be asked 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 harder than collecting them as activities occur. Small teams can organize this work with CertAssist’s built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
There’s no need for direct integrations with company systems. Auditors can be given read-only access, while teams upload evidence themselves.
Know What the Independent Audit Involves
Strictly speaking, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. The SOC 2 report is issued by a licensed CPA firm that performs the examination. Compliance software helps prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
For the software, CertAssist advertises a US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Fees for the independent audit are charged separately. Before budgeting, request an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period.
What Happens After Your First SOC 2 Report
Security work shouldn’t stop when the SOC 2 examination is done. Your operations keep changing: people join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers arrive. It’s important that your controls stay 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, that discipline makes future examinations easier while supporting the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.
