Picture a startup with twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and a growing customer base. Security matters, but no one carries “compliance manager” in their job title. Soon, a prospective enterprise customer asks for a SOC 2 report.
So where do you start?
If you’re a founder researching how to get SOC 2 certification, don’t grab dozens of policies right away. Begin by making a few choices that define what your company needs to document, implement, and prove.
Decide What Your First Audit Should Cover
SOC 2 assesses controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. These cover Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Every report includes Security. Whether the other categories are included depends on whether they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. A startup offering a straightforward business application may start with Security alone, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Before you collect any evidence, list the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. Keeping the scope overly broad creates additional work, but it doesn’t necessarily increase the report’s value.
Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified usually find 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. Where an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, Type 1 can be a useful place to start, so 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. Make sure you know what your customer requires before you pay for either examination.
Close the Everyday Security Gaps First
SOC 2 preparation gets more manageable when security controls are connected to ordinary business activities. For instance, require multi-factor authentication for important accounts, create a documented employee offboarding process, and review access permissions regularly.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be kept by engineering teams. Risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews should be documented by management. Actual employee practice needs to be described in the policies. When nobody follows it, even a polished procedure offers limited value.
Keep Your Evidence Organized Before Problems Start
At its core, SOC 2 for saas companies means demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. You could be asked for records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Collecting these records as activities occur is far easier than reconstructing them months afterward. Small teams that need help can manage this work with CertAssist’s built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
Direct integrations with company systems aren’t required. Evidence is uploaded by the team, and auditors can be given 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.
A monthly promotional subscription of US$225 covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is offered by CertAssist. Independent audits are a separate cost. A quote from an auditor based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period is worth getting before budgeting.
Keep Compliance Manageable After the First Report
Completing a SOC 2 examination shouldn’t be the end of your security work. Over time, people join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. It matters that your controls stay relevant.
Set clear responsibilities, retain evidence throughout the year, and regularly review 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.