With twelve employees, a working SaaS product, and a growing customer base, your startup is moving in the right direction. No one on the team holds “compliance manager” in their job title, even though security is important. Then a would-be enterprise customer asks for a SOC 2 report.
So, where should you start?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer is not to download dozens of policies straight away. A handful of decisions defines what your company needs to document, implement, and prove, and that is where to start.
Begin by Defining What Your First Audit Will Cover
Your controls are assessed using the AICPA Trust Services Criteria in a SOC 2 examination. Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy are the categories they cover. Security is required. Whether the other categories are included depends on whether they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. Provided that scope meets customer expectations, a startup running a straightforward business application may start with Security alone.
Identify the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved prior to collecting evidence. An overly broad scope creates extra work without necessarily increasing the report’s usefulness.
Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline
There are two reporting options for anyone researching how to get SOC 2 certified. The design of controls at a specified date is what Type 1 examines. Throughout a defined period, Type 2 evaluates both their design and operating effectiveness. If an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, Type 1 may be a useful starting point, provided 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. Type 1 isn’t a mandatory prerequisite for Type 2. Before paying for either examination, confirm your customer’s requirements.
Tackle the Everyday Security Gaps First
Linking security controls to everyday business activities makes SOC 2 preparation easier to manage. A sensible place to start is enforcing multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Retain evidence of production changes and approvals inside the engineering team. Document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews at the leadership level. Policies must match what employees actually do. There is limited value in a beautifully written procedure that nobody follows.
Collect Evidence While Things Are Happening
SOC 2 for saas companies comes down to demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. An auditor might request records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Rebuilding these records months later is harder than collecting them as activities occur. Small teams can organize this work with CertAssist’s built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
The platform doesn’t require direct integrations with company systems. Auditors can be given read-only access, while teams upload evidence themselves.
Understand Exactly What the Independent Audit Requires
Strictly speaking, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. A licensed CPA firm performs the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. Software can help prepare and organize evidence, yet it cannot replace the independent auditor.
A monthly promotional subscription of US$225 that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is offered by CertAssist. Audit fees are separate. Request an auditor’s quote that reflects your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before you set a budget.
Keep the Process Manageable After Your First Report
Completing a SOC 2 examination isn’t the end of your security activities. Employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. Your controls need to stay relevant.
Assign 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.