Imagine a startup with twelve people, a working SaaS product, and an expanding customer base. Everyone cares about security, yet nobody holds “compliance manager” in their job title. Then a prospective enterprise customer requests a SOC 2 report.
What do you do next?
Grabbing dozens of policies right away isn’t the first step for founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification. The real first step is to make a few choices that determine what your company needs to document, implement, and prove.
Decide What Your First SOC 2 Audit Should Cover
SOC 2 assesses controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. The criteria include Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Security is mandatory. Add the other areas only when they are relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. If a startup is offering a straightforward business application, starting with Security alone can work, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
The applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved should be identified before collecting evidence. A broader scope brings extra work, but not necessarily a more useful report.
Type 1 or Type 2? Let the Deadline Choose
There are two reporting options for anyone searching for how to get SOC 2 certified. The design of controls as of a specified date is what Type 1 evaluates. Type 2 evaluates their design and operating effectiveness throughout 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 do not have to complete Type 1 ahead of Type 2. Find out what your customer requires before committing to either examination.
Close the Day-to-Day Security Gaps Before Anything Else
Connecting security controls to everyday business activities helps make SOC 2 preparation 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 regularly.
Developers should hold on to evidence of production changes and approvals. Risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews should be recorded by leadership. Policies must describe what employees actually do. If nobody follows it, even a well-written procedure offers limited value.
Collect Evidence as You Go
At its core, SOC 2 for saas companies means demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. You might be asked for records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Gathering these records as activities occur is far easier than reconstructing them months later. With built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist supports small teams manage this work.
There’s no need for direct integrations with company systems. Evidence gets uploaded by the team, and auditors can be given read-only access.
Understand Exactly What the Independent Audit Requires
Technically, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. The examination is performed by a licensed CPA firm, which issues the SOC 2 report. Compliance software can help prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
CertAssist promotes a US$225 monthly promotional subscription that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Independent audits are a separate cost. Get an auditor’s quote that reflects your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before budgeting.
Make Compliance Manageable After the First Report
Finishing a SOC 2 examination isn’t the end of your security work. Employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. Your controls need to remain relevant.
Make sure responsibilities are clearly assigned, evidence is retained throughout the year, and documented procedures are reviewed periodically against reality. As your startup grows, keeping this up makes future examinations easier and supports the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.