Your startup employs twelve team members, a working SaaS product, and a steadily growing customer base. Security matters to everyone, but no one has “compliance manager” as a job title. A potential enterprise customer then requests a SOC 2 report.
What do you do next?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer isn’t to download dozens of policies immediately. Instead, start by making a few decisions that decide what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Settle the Scope of Your First SOC 2 Audit
SOC 2 evaluates controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. There are five areas: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Security is required. 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 work, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Before you collect any evidence, map out the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. An unnecessarily broad scope creates extra work without necessarily increasing the report’s usefulness.
Type 1 or Type 2? Let the Deadline Decide
There are two reporting options for anyone researching how to get SOC 2 certified. Type 1 examines the design of controls as of a specified date. Type 2 covers their design and operating effectiveness throughout a defined period. If an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, 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, typically three to twelve months, followed by an independent examination. You do not have to get Type 1 ahead of Type 2. Before paying for either examination, verify your customer’s requirements.
Tackle the Everyday Security Gaps First
Connecting security controls to everyday business activities helps make SOC 2 preparation more manageable. For instance, enforce multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establish a documented employee offboarding process, and review access permissions on a regular basis.
Retain evidence of production changes and approvals inside the development team. Leadership should record risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Policies must reflect what employees actually do. If nobody follows it, even a beautifully written procedure offers limited value.
Keep Your Evidence Organized Before the Auditor Asks
Showing that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently is central to SOC 2 for saas companies. 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 harder than collecting them as activities occur. Through built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist supports small teams manage this work.
The platform does not require direct integrations with company systems. Auditors can be provided with read-only access, while teams upload evidence themselves.
Why SOC 2 Requires an Independent Auditor
SOC 2 is formally an attestation, not a certification. A licensed CPA firm conducts the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. Compliance software can help prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
CertAssist promotes a US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Independent audit fees are not included. An auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period should come first.
Keep the Process Manageable After Your First Report
A completed SOC 2 examination shouldn’t mark the end of your security efforts. As time passes, employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers join your operations. Your controls need to remain relevant.
Assign clear responsibilities, retain evidence throughout the year, and regularly review 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.
