Think of a startup that has twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and an expanding customer base. Nobody on the team has “compliance manager” in their job title, but security is important. Then a prospective enterprise customer asks for a SOC 2 report.
Where do you start?
If you’re a founder researching how to get SOC 2 certification, resist the urge to download dozens of policies immediately. What matters is to make a few choices that define what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove.
Start by Deciding What Your First Audit Will Cover
The AICPA Trust Services Criteria serve as the standard that SOC 2 evaluates controls against. These include Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Of these, only Security is mandatory. Inclusion of the other categories depends on whether they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. Provided that scope meets customer expectations, a startup offering a straightforward business application may begin with Security alone.
Before you collect any evidence, map out the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. Making the scope unnecessarily broad creates additional work, and it doesn’t necessarily increase the report’s usefulness.
Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified usually find two reporting options. The design of controls as of a specified date is what Type 1 covers. Over a defined period, Type 2 evaluates both the controls’ design and operating effectiveness. If an enterprise customer needs evidence in a hurry, Type 1 may be a useful first step, 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 get 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 makes SOC 2 preparation easier to manage. A sensible place to start is requiring multi-factor authentication for important accounts, setting up a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Keep evidence of production changes and approvals inside the engineering team. Risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews should be documented by management. What employees actually do must be reflected in the policies. A beautifully written procedure provides limited value if nobody follows it.
Gather Evidence While Things Are Happening
Showing that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently is the heart of SOC 2 for saas companies. Expect an auditor to ask about when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Rebuilding 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 supports small teams manage this work.
No direct integrations with company systems are required. Teams upload evidence themselves and can provide auditors with read-only access.
Understand Exactly What the Independent Audit Involves
SOC 2 is in fact an attestation, not a certification. The SOC 2 report is issued by a licensed CPA firm that conducts the examination. Software can help prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
A US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is advertised by CertAssist. Independent audit fees are billed separately. Before budgeting, request an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period.
What Comes After Your First SOC 2 Report
A completed SOC 2 examination shouldn’t mark 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.
Define clear responsibilities, retain evidence throughout the year, and periodically review whether your documented procedures match reality. This discipline helps make future examinations easier for a growing startup, and it supports the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.