Your startup employs twelve people, a functioning SaaS product, and an expanding customer base. Security matters to everyone, yet no one holds “compliance manager” in their job title. Then a potential enterprise customer wants to see a SOC 2 report.
What should you do next?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer isn’t to download dozens of policies immediately. Instead, start by making a few choices that define what your company needs to document, implement, and prove.
Decide What Your First Audit Should Cover
The AICPA Trust Services Criteria serve as the standard that SOC 2 evaluates controls against. Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy are the areas they cover. Among them, only Security is required. The other categories are included when they are relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. If a startup is offering a straightforward business application, beginning with Security alone may work, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Before collecting evidence, identify the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. A broader scope brings extra work, though not always a more valuable report.
Pick the Report Type Your Deadline Allows
Anybody asking how to get SOC 2 certified soon runs into two reporting options. Type 1 looks at the design of controls at a specified date. Type 2 goes further, examining both design and operating effectiveness over a defined period. Type 1 may be a useful first step when an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, provided 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, and ends with an independent examination. Type 1 is not a mandatory prerequisite for Type 2. Before paying for either examination, verify your customer’s requirements.
Begin With Day-to-Day Security Gaps
SOC 2 preparation is more manageable when security controls are linked to existing business activities. Good first steps include requiring multi-factor authentication for important accounts, creating a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Retain evidence of production changes and approvals within the engineering team. Management should keep records of risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. What employees actually do must be reflected in the policies. When nobody follows it, even a polished procedure has limited value.
Keep Your Evidence Organized Before the Auditor Asks
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.
Rebuilding these records months later is much harder than gathering them as activities occur. Small teams that need help can manage 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. Evidence gets uploaded by the team, and auditors can be provided with read-only access.
Understand the Independent Audit Requirement
What SOC 2 produces is formally an attestation, not a certification. The examination is performed by a licensed CPA firm, which then issues the SOC 2 report. Software can help prepare and organize evidence, but it can’t replace the independent auditor.
CertAssist advertises a US$225 monthly promotional subscription that includes SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. The independent audit is a separate expense. Get an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before budgeting.
What Comes After the First SOC 2 Report
Security work shouldn’t stop once the SOC 2 examination is finished. Over time, employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. It matters that your controls stay relevant.
Make sure each responsibility has a clear owner, evidence is retained throughout the year, and documented procedures are reviewed regularly against reality. That discipline makes future examinations easier as a startup grows, and it supports the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.