With twelve people, a working SaaS product, and an expanding customer base, your startup is well on its way. No one at the company has “compliance manager” in their job title, but security matters. Then a potential enterprise customer asks for a SOC 2 report.
Where do you begin?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer is not to collect dozens of policies immediately. A handful of choices determines what your company needs to document, put in place, and prove, and that is where to start.
Decide What Your First Audit Should Cover
SOC 2 measures controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. The criteria are organized into five areas: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Every SOC 2 report must include Security. Whether the other categories are included depends on whether they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. As long as that scope meets customer expectations, a startup running a straightforward business application may begin with Security alone.
Before collecting evidence, list the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. A needlessly broad scope adds additional work without necessarily improving the report’s value.
Pick the Report Type Your Deadline Allows
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified frequently discover 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 their design and operating effectiveness. Type 1 may be a useful first step when an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, as long as the customer accepts it.
The process for how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification begins with an observation period, typically three to twelve months, and ends with an independent examination. You don’t have to finish Type 1 before Type 2. Before paying for either examination, verify your customer’s requirements.
Begin With Day-to-Day Security Basics
SOC 2 preparation gets more manageable when security controls are tied to existing business activities. For example, require multi-factor authentication for important accounts, set up a documented employee offboarding process, and review access permissions on a regular basis.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be kept by engineering teams. Company leadership should document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Policies must describe what employees actually do. A polished procedure offers limited value if nobody follows it.
Collect Evidence as You Go
SOC 2 for saas companies involves 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 much easier than reconstructing them months afterward. CertAssist helps small teams manage this work through built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
The platform doesn’t require direct integrations with company systems. Teams add evidence themselves and can give auditors read-only access.
Understand the Independent Audit Requirement
Technically, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. The SOC 2 report is issued by a licensed CPA firm that performs the examination. Software can help prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
CertAssist advertises a US$225 monthly promotional subscription that includes SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Independent audit fees are billed separately. Request an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before you set a budget.
What Happens After the First SOC 2 Report
Completing a SOC 2 examination isn’t the end of your security efforts. Your operations keep changing: employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers appear. Your controls need to remain relevant.
Three habits keep things on track: setting clear responsibilities, retaining evidence throughout the year, and periodically reviewing 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.