Your startup employs twelve employees, a functioning SaaS product, and an expanding customer base. Security matters, but no one holds “compliance manager” in their job title. A prospective enterprise customer then requests a SOC 2 report.
Where do you start?
For founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification, the answer isn’t to download dozens of policies immediately. What matters is to make a few decisions that define what your company needs to document, implement, and prove.
Decide What Your First Audit Should Cover
The AICPA Trust Services Criteria are what SOC 2 evaluates controls against. These include Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Security is the one required category. Add the remaining areas only when they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. As long as that scope meets customer expectations, a startup with a straightforward business application may begin with Security alone.
Before you collect any evidence, identify the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. Keeping the scope unnecessarily broad adds extra work, but it doesn’t necessarily increase the report’s usefulness.
Type 1 or Type 2? Let the Deadline Choose
Anyone asking how to get SOC 2 certified soon runs into two reporting options. The design of controls as of a specified date is what Type 1 evaluates. Over a defined period, Type 2 evaluates both the controls’ design and operating effectiveness. Type 1 may be a useful starting point 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 starts with an observation period, commonly three to twelve months, and ends with an independent examination. You don’t have to finish Type 1 before Type 2. Find out what your customer requires before paying for either examination.
Fix the Everyday Security Gaps Before Anything Else
Linking security controls to ordinary business activities helps make SOC 2 preparation more manageable. For example, enforce multi-factor authentication for important accounts, create a documented employee offboarding process, and review access permissions on a regular basis.
Developers should keep evidence of production changes and approvals. Document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews at the leadership level. Actual employee practice needs to be described in the policies. A well-written procedure provides limited value if nobody follows it.
Keep Your Evidence Organized Before Problems Start
SOC 2 for saas companies comes down to demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently. Expect an auditor to 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 gathering them as activities occur. Through built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist helps small teams manage this work.
There’s no need for direct integrations with company systems. Evidence gets uploaded by the team, and auditors can be given read-only access.
Know What the Independent Audit Involves
Technically, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. The examination is conducted by a licensed CPA firm, which issues the SOC 2 report. Compliance software helps prepare and organize evidence, but it cannot replace the independent auditor.
A US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks is offered by CertAssist. Independent audit fees are billed separately. A quote from an auditor 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
Your security activities should not end when the SOC 2 examination is completed. Your operations keep changing: employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers arrive. Controls must stay relevant.
Make sure each responsibility has a clear owner, evidence is retained throughout the year, and documented procedures are reviewed regularly against reality. For a growing startup, that discipline makes future examinations easier while supporting the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.