Your startup employs twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and a growing customer base. Security matters, but no one carries “compliance manager” in their job title. Then a would-be enterprise customer asks for a SOC 2 report.
What exactly do you do next?
If you’re a founder researching how to get SOC 2 certification, resist the urge to grab dozens of policies immediately. A handful of choices decides what your company needs to document, implement, and prove, and that is where to start.
Decide What Your First Audit Should Cover
Controls are assessed using the AICPA Trust Services Criteria in a SOC 2 audit. Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy are the areas they cover. Every report includes Security. Include the other areas only when they are relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. A startup offering a straightforward business application may start with Security alone, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
List the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved prior to collecting evidence. An unnecessarily broad scope creates extra work without necessarily increasing the report’s usefulness.
Pick the Report Type Your Deadline Allows
Anyone asking how to get SOC 2 certified soon runs into two reporting options. Type 1 evaluates the design of controls at a specified date. Type 2 goes further, evaluating both design and operating effectiveness throughout a defined period. When an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, Type 1 may be a useful starting point, so long as 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 complete Type 1 before Type 2. Find out what your customer requires before paying for either examination.
Tackle the Day-to-Day Security Gaps First
If security controls are connected to ordinary business activities, SOC 2 preparation gets more manageable. A sensible place to start is requiring multi-factor authentication for important accounts, creating a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be kept by developers. Risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews should be recorded by management. Write policies that reflect what employees actually do. When nobody follows it, even a beautifully written procedure has limited value.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
SOC 2 for saas companies means demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. You might be asked for 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 gathering them as activities occur. Through built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist helps small teams organize this work.
There is no need for direct integrations with company systems. Auditors can be given read-only access, while teams upload evidence themselves.
Understand Exactly What the Independent Audit Involves
SOC 2 is technically an attestation, not a certification. The examination is performed by a licensed CPA firm, which issues the SOC 2 report. Nothing replaces the independent auditor, not even compliance software, though it can help prepare and organize evidence.
CertAssist advertises a US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Audit fees are charged separately. Get an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before budgeting.
Keep the Process Manageable After Your First Report
Finishing a SOC 2 examination isn’t the end of your security efforts. Over time, employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. Your controls have to remain relevant.
Three habits keep things on track: assigning 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.