With twelve people, a working SaaS product, and a growing customer base, your startup is moving in the right direction. Security matters, but no one carries “compliance manager” in their job title. A potential enterprise customer suddenly requests a SOC 2 report.
What exactly should you do next?
If you’re a founder researching how to get SOC 2 certification, resist the urge to grab dozens of policies immediately. Start by making a few choices that determine what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Decide What Your First SOC 2 Audit Should Cover
SOC 2 evaluates controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. These cover Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Among them, only Security is required. Whether the other categories are included depends on whether they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. A startup running a straightforward business application may start with Security alone, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
The applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved should be identified before collecting evidence. An overly broad scope creates additional work without necessarily improving the report’s usefulness.
Choose the Report Type That Fits Your Timeline
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified usually find two reporting options. The design of controls as of a specified date is what Type 1 evaluates. Type 2 goes further, evaluating design and operating effectiveness throughout a defined period. Type 1 may be a useful first step when an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, as 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. Type 1 isn’t a mandatory prerequisite for Type 2. Before paying for either examination, check your customer’s requirements.
Fix Everyday Security Gaps First
Tying security controls to ordinary business activities makes SOC 2 preparation more manageable. Good first steps include requiring multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be kept by development teams. Leadership should record risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Policies must describe what employees actually do. There is limited value in a well-written procedure that nobody follows.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
At its core, SOC 2 for saas companies means demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. An auditor may request records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Collecting these records as activities occur is much easier than reconstructing them months later. CertAssist supports small teams organize this work with built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
There’s no need for direct integrations with company systems. Evidence gets uploaded by the team, and auditors can be given read-only access.
Why SOC 2 Requires an Independent Auditor
The outcome of SOC 2 is technically an attestation, not a certification. The examination is conducted by a licensed CPA firm, which then issues the SOC 2 report. Nothing replaces the independent auditor, not even compliance software, which helps prepare and organize evidence.
For the software, CertAssist advertises a US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Independent audit fees are separate. A quote from an auditor based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period is worth requesting before you budget.
What Happens After Your First SOC 2 Report
Your security activities shouldn’t end once the SOC 2 examination is done. Your operations keep changing: people join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers arrive. It matters that your controls remain relevant.
Three habits keep things on track: 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.