With twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and a growing customer base, your startup is moving in the right direction. Nobody on the team has “compliance manager” in their job title, even though security matters. Soon, a prospective enterprise customer requests a SOC 2 report.
What should you do next?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the first step isn’t to download dozens of policies immediately. Instead, start by making a few decisions that define what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Define the Scope of Your First Audit
The AICPA Trust Services Criteria are what SOC 2 evaluates controls against. The criteria are organized into five areas: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Every SOC 2 report must include Security. Whether the other categories are included depends on whether they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. For a startup running a straightforward business application, starting with Security alone may be enough, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Map out the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved before collecting evidence. A needlessly broad scope brings additional work without necessarily improving the report’s usefulness.
Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified often discover two reporting options. At a specified date, Type 1 evaluates the design of controls. Throughout a defined period, Type 2 evaluates both the controls’ design and operating effectiveness. Type 1 may be a useful starting point when an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, as long as the customer accepts it.
The process for how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification begins with an observation period, typically three to twelve months, and ends with an independent examination. Type 1 is not a mandatory prerequisite for Type 2. Check your customer’s requirements before paying for either examination.
Fix Everyday Security Gaps First
When security controls are linked to everyday business activities, SOC 2 preparation gets more manageable. A sensible place to start is requiring multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Development teams should hold on to evidence of production changes and approvals. Risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews should be documented by management. Write policies that reflect what employees actually do. When nobody follows it, even a polished procedure provides limited value.
Get Your Evidence Organized Before Problems Start
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.
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 helps small teams manage this work.
No direct integrations with company systems are required. Evidence is uploaded by the team, and auditors can be given read-only access.
Understand Exactly What the Independent Audit Requires
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. Software can help prepare and organize evidence, yet it cannot replace the independent auditor.
CertAssist offers a US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Fees for the independent audit are separate. A quote from an auditor reflecting your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period is worth getting before budgeting.
What Happens After the First SOC 2 Report
Finishing a SOC 2 examination isn’t the end of your security efforts. Employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. Your controls need to remain relevant.
Three habits keep things on track: setting clear responsibilities, retaining evidence throughout the year, and regularly 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.