With twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and an expanding customer base, your startup is moving in the right direction. Everyone cares about security, but nobody holds “compliance manager” as a job title. A prospective enterprise customer suddenly requests a SOC 2 report.
Where do you begin?
Downloading dozens of policies right away isn’t the answer for founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification. Begin by making a few choices that decide what your company needs to document, implement, and prove.
Begin by Deciding What Your First Audit Will Cover
Your controls are assessed against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria in a SOC 2 audit. The criteria cover Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Of these, only Security is mandatory. Include the other categories only when they are relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. As long as that scope meets customer expectations, a startup offering a straightforward business application may begin with Security alone.
The applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved should be listed before anyone starts collecting evidence. Making the scope unnecessarily broad creates extra work, but it doesn’t necessarily increase the report’s value.
Type 1 or Type 2? Let the Deadline Decide
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified often discover two reporting options. As of a specified date, Type 1 evaluates the design of controls. Type 2 goes further, evaluating both design and operating effectiveness over a defined period. Where an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, Type 1 can be a useful starting point, if the customer accepts it.
The process for how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification starts with an observation period, typically three to twelve months, followed by an independent examination. You don’t have to finish Type 1 before Type 2. Before paying for either examination, verify your customer’s requirements.
Tackle the Everyday Security Gaps First
Connecting security controls to everyday business activities makes SOC 2 preparation more manageable. Consider requiring multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions regularly.
Retain evidence of production changes and approvals inside the development team. Company leadership should record risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Policies must match what employees actually do. There is limited value in a beautifully written procedure that nobody follows.
Collect Evidence as You Go
Showing that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently is what lies at the core of SOC 2 for saas companies. An auditor may well ask when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Reconstructing these records months later is much harder than collecting them as activities occur. CertAssist assists small teams structure this work using built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
Direct integrations with company systems aren’t required. Auditors can be given read-only access, while teams upload evidence themselves.
Why SOC 2 Requires an Independent Auditor
What SOC 2 produces is technically an attestation, not a certification. A licensed CPA firm performs the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. The independent auditor cannot be replaced by compliance software, which helps prepare and organize evidence.
CertAssist advertises a US$225 monthly promotional subscription that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Fees for the independent audit are separate. An auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period is worth requesting before you budget.
Keep the Process Manageable After Your First Report
A completed SOC 2 examination shouldn’t mark the end of your security efforts. Things keep changing: people join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers appear. Controls have to remain relevant.
Define 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.