Your startup employs twelve team members, a working SaaS product, and a steadily growing customer base. No one in the company has “compliance manager” in their job title, but security is important. A potential enterprise customer suddenly requests a SOC 2 report.
So where do you begin?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer is not to grab dozens of policies right away. Instead, start by making a few choices that define 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. There are five areas: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Every SOC 2 report must include Security. The remaining categories are added when they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. If a startup is running a straightforward business application, beginning with Security alone can work, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Before collecting evidence, identify the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. A broader scope brings additional work, but not necessarily a more useful report.
Choose the Report Type Your Deadline Allows
Anyone asking how to get SOC 2 certified quickly finds two reporting options. At a specified date, Type 1 evaluates the design of controls. Type 2 goes further, examining both design and operating effectiveness over a defined period. If an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, Type 1 may be a useful starting point, assuming 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 is not a mandatory prerequisite for Type 2. Find out what your customer requires before you pay for either examination.
Fix Everyday Security Gaps First
SOC 2 preparation gets more manageable when security controls are linked to ordinary business activities. A sensible place to start is enforcing multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions regularly.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be retained by developers. Company leadership should document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Actual employee practice must be reflected in your policies. A beautifully written procedure offers limited value if nobody follows it.
Get Your Evidence Organized Before the Auditor Asks
At its core, SOC 2 for saas companies means demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. An auditor might ask 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. With 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. Teams upload evidence themselves and can give auditors read-only access.
Understand the Independent Audit Requirement
What SOC 2 produces is technically an attestation, not a certification. A licensed CPA firm carries out the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. Compliance software can help prepare and organize evidence, yet it can’t replace the independent auditor.
CertAssist advertises a US$225 monthly promotional subscription that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Independent audit fees are billed separately. Get an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before budgeting.
Keep the Process Sustainable After the 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 need to stay 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 as a startup grows, and it supports the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.