With twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and a growing customer base, your startup is moving in the right direction. Security matters to everyone, but nobody holds “compliance manager” as a job title. A potential enterprise customer next requests a SOC 2 report.
So where do you start?
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 decide what your company needs to document, implement, and prove.
Decide What Your First Audit Should Cover
Controls are assessed against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria in a SOC 2 examination. Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy are the categories they address. Security is the one required category. Add the remaining categories only when 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 start with Security alone.
The applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved should be identified before anyone starts collecting evidence. A broader scope brings additional work, but not always a more valuable report.
Type 1 or Type 2? Let the Deadline Choose
Anyone asking how to get SOC 2 certified quickly finds two reporting options. As of a specified date, Type 1 examines the design of controls. Over a defined period, Type 2 evaluates both the controls’ design and operating effectiveness. Where an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, Type 1 may be a practical place to start, if the customer accepts it.
Anyone exploring how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification should expect an observation period, commonly three to twelve months, followed by an independent examination. Type 1 is not a mandatory prerequisite for Type 2. Confirm your customer’s requirements before paying for either examination.
Begin With Everyday Security Gaps
Linking security controls to everyday business activities makes SOC 2 preparation more manageable. Good first steps include requiring 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. Company leadership should record risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Policies must match what employees actually do. A beautifully written procedure has limited value if nobody follows it.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
At its core, SOC 2 for saas companies means demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. You may be asked for records showing when a former employee’s access was removed or whether a production deployment received appropriate approval.
Collecting these records as activities occur is much easier than reconstructing them months later. Small teams that need help can organize this work with CertAssist’s built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
There’s no need for direct integrations with company systems. Auditors can be given read-only access, while teams upload evidence themselves.
Understand the Independent Audit Requirement
The outcome of SOC 2 is formally an attestation, not a certification. The SOC 2 report is issued by a licensed CPA firm that performs the examination. Nothing replaces the independent auditor, not even compliance software, which can help prepare and organize evidence.
CertAssist advertises a US$225 monthly promotional subscription that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. The independent audit is a separate expense. Request an auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period before budgeting.
What Happens After the First SOC 2 Report
Finishing a SOC 2 examination shouldn’t be the end of your security activities. People join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. It’s important that your controls remain relevant.
Three habits help: assigning clear responsibilities, retaining evidence throughout the year, and regularly 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.