Your startup counts twelve employees, a live SaaS product, and a growing customer base. Security matters to everyone, but no one has “compliance manager” in their job title. A prospective enterprise customer then asks for a SOC 2 report.
So, where should you start?
Grabbing dozens of policies immediately isn’t the first step for founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification. A handful of decisions defines 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 evaluates controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. There are five categories: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Security is required. Add the other categories only when they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. If a startup is offering a straightforward business application, starting with Security alone may be enough, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
Map out the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved before collecting evidence. Keeping the scope unnecessarily broad creates additional work, but it doesn’t necessarily improve the report’s usefulness.
Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline
There are two reporting options for people searching for how to get SOC 2 certified. At a specified date, Type 1 examines the design of controls. Over a defined period, Type 2 evaluates both the controls’ design and operating effectiveness. When an enterprise customer needs evidence quickly, Type 1 can be a useful starting point, so long as the customer accepts it.
For businesses researching 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. Confirm your customer’s requirements before paying for either examination.
Begin With Day-to-Day Security Basics
Connecting security controls to ordinary business activities makes SOC 2 preparation easier to manage. Think of enforcing multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.
Evidence of production changes and approvals should be retained by development teams. Record risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews at the leadership level. Policies must describe what employees actually do. When nobody follows it, even a polished procedure provides limited value.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
SOC 2 for saas companies involves 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.
It’s easier to collect these records as activities occur than to reconstruct them months afterward. CertAssist helps small teams manage this work with built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage.
There’s no need for direct integrations with company systems. Evidence is uploaded by the team, and auditors can be provided with read-only access.
Understand the Independent Audit Requirement
Strictly speaking, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. A licensed CPA firm carries out the examination and issues the SOC 2 report. Compliance software can help prepare and organize evidence, yet it can’t replace the independent auditor.
A monthly promotional subscription of US$225 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 reflecting your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period is worth getting before budgeting.
Keep the Process Manageable After Your First Report
Security work shouldn’t stop when the SOC 2 examination is finished. As time passes, people join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers become part of your operations. It matters that your controls stay relevant.
Define clear responsibilities, retain evidence throughout the year, and periodically review whether your documented procedures match reality. This discipline helps make future examinations easier as a startup grows, and it supports the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.