Picture a startup with twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and an expanding customer base. Security matters, but not one person carries “compliance manager” in their job title. Then a potential enterprise customer wants to see a SOC 2 report.
What exactly should you do next?
If you’re a founder researching how to get SOC 2 certification, don’t download dozens of policies immediately. Instead, begin by making a few choices that determine what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Define the Scope of Your First Audit
SOC 2 assesses controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. These include Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Among them, only Security is required. The remaining areas are added when they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. For a startup offering a straightforward business application, starting with Security alone may be enough, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Before you collect any evidence, map out the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. A broader scope brings additional work, though not always a more useful report.
Type 1 vs. Type 2? Let the Deadline Decide
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified often discover two reporting options. Type 1 looks at the design of controls as of a specified date. Type 2 goes further, examining design and operating effectiveness throughout a defined period. If an enterprise customer needs evidence in a hurry, Type 1 may be a useful first step, as long as the customer accepts it.
For businesses researching how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification, the process includes an observation period, commonly three to twelve months, followed by an independent examination. Type 2 doesn’t depend on a Type 1 report first. Find out what your customer requires before you pay for either examination.
Begin With Everyday Security Gaps
SOC 2 preparation becomes more manageable when security controls are connected to ordinary business activities. Think of enforcing multi-factor authentication for important accounts, setting up a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions regularly.
Engineering teams should retain evidence of production changes and approvals. Risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews should be documented by leadership. What employees actually do must be described in your policies. There is limited value in a polished procedure that no one follows.
Collect Evidence as You Go
Demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently is the heart of 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.
It’s easier to collect these records as activities occur than to reconstruct them months afterward. Through built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist helps small teams manage this work.
The platform does not require direct integrations with company systems. Evidence gets uploaded by the team, and auditors can be provided with read-only access.
Why You Still Need an Independent Auditor
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 can help prepare and organize evidence, yet it can’t replace the independent auditor.
For the software, CertAssist offers a US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. The independent audit is a separate expense. Before budgeting, ask for an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period.
What Comes After Your First SOC 2 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. It’s important that your controls remain relevant.
Make sure each responsibility has a clear owner, evidence is retained throughout the year, and documented procedures are reviewed regularly against reality. For a growing startup, keeping this up makes future examinations easier and supports the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.
