Your startup counts twelve team members, a functioning SaaS product, and an expanding customer base. Nobody at the company has “compliance manager” in their job title, but security is important. A prospective enterprise customer suddenly requests a SOC 2 report.
What exactly do you do next?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer isn’t to download dozens of policies immediately. Begin by making a few choices that decide what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Decide What Your First Audit Should Cover
The AICPA Trust Services Criteria are what SOC 2 evaluates controls against. Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy are the areas they address. Every report must include Security. Add the remaining categories only when they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. Provided that scope meets customer expectations, a startup with a straightforward business application may start with Security alone.
The applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved should be identified before collecting evidence. An overly broad scope brings extra work without necessarily improving the report’s usefulness.
Pick the SOC 2 Report That Fits Your Timeline
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified often discover two reporting options. As of a specified date, Type 1 examines the design of controls. Type 2 goes further, examining design and operating effectiveness over a defined period. Type 1 may be a useful first step when an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, 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. Type 2 does not depend on completing Type 1 first. Confirm your customer’s requirements before paying for either examination.
Close the Everyday Security Gaps Before Anything Else
Connecting security controls to everyday business activities makes SOC 2 preparation more manageable. Good first steps include enforcing multi-factor authentication for important accounts, setting up a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Retain evidence of production changes and approvals inside the engineering team. Leadership should record risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Actual employee practice needs to be reflected in the policies. A well-written procedure provides limited value if nobody follows it.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
SOC 2 for saas companies involves demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. Expect an auditor to ask about when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Reconstructing these records months later is much harder than gathering them as activities occur. With built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist helps small teams organize this work.
The platform doesn’t require direct integrations with company systems. Teams upload evidence themselves and can give auditors read-only access.
Understand the Independent Audit Requirement
SOC 2 is technically an attestation, not a certification. A licensed CPA firm performs the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. The independent auditor cannot be replaced by compliance software, though it helps prepare and organize evidence.
A US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is advertised by CertAssist. The independent audit is a separate expense. Request an auditor’s quote that reflects your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before you set a budget.
Make Compliance Manageable After Your First Report
A completed SOC 2 examination shouldn’t mark the end of your security work. As time passes, employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers join your operations. Your controls must remain relevant.
Three habits keep things on track: assigning clear responsibilities, retaining evidence throughout the year, and regularly reviewing whether your documented procedures match reality. That discipline helps make future examinations easier for a growing startup, while also supporting the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.