Your startup counts twelve employees, a working SaaS product, and an expanding customer base. Security matters, but not one person holds “compliance manager” in their job title. Then a would-be enterprise customer requests a SOC 2 report.
Where do you start?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer is not to collect dozens of policies right away. Begin by making a few choices that decide what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Start by Deciding Your Audit Scope
SOC 2 measures controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. The criteria are organized into five areas: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Security is mandatory. Include the other categories only when they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. If a startup is offering a straightforward business application, starting with Security alone may work, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Before you collect any evidence, list the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. Keeping the scope unnecessarily broad creates additional work, but it doesn’t necessarily increase the report’s value.
Type 1 vs. Type 2? Let the Deadline Decide
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. Type 2 examines those controls’ design and operating effectiveness across a defined period. If an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, Type 1 may be a useful starting point, 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. You don’t have to get Type 1 ahead of Type 2. Before paying for either examination, check your customer’s requirements.
Fix Everyday Security Gaps First
When security controls are tied to everyday business activities, SOC 2 preparation gets more manageable. 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 kept by development teams. Document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews at the leadership level. Policies must match what employees actually do. If nobody follows it, even a beautifully written procedure offers limited value.
Collect Evidence as You Go
At its core, SOC 2 for saas companies involves demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. An auditor could ask for records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
It’s easier to collect these records as activities occur than to reconstruct them months later. With built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist helps small teams manage this work.
There is no need for direct integrations with company systems. Teams add evidence themselves and can give auditors read-only access.
Why You Still Need an Independent Auditor
Strictly speaking, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. A licensed CPA firm conducts the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. Compliance software helps prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
A monthly promotional subscription of US$225 that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is offered by CertAssist. The independent audit is a separate cost. Ask for an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before budgeting.
Keep the Process Manageable After the First Report
Security work shouldn’t stop once the SOC 2 examination is done. People join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. Your controls need to stay relevant.
Set clear responsibilities, retain evidence throughout the year, and periodically review whether your documented procedures match reality. As your startup grows, keeping this up makes future examinations easier and supports the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.