Think of a startup that has twelve employees, a working SaaS product, and an expanding customer base. Everyone cares about security, but no one holds “compliance manager” in their job title. A potential enterprise customer next requests a SOC 2 report.
What exactly should you do first?
Grabbing dozens of policies right away is not the first step for founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification. A handful of choices determines 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. Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy are the areas they cover. Security is the one required category. The other areas are added when they’re relevant to the organization’s services and commitments. If a startup is offering a straightforward business application, beginning with Security alone may be enough, provided that scope meets customer expectations.
List the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved prior to collecting evidence. Making the scope overly broad adds extra work, and it doesn’t necessarily improve the report’s usefulness.
Type 1 or Type 2? Let the Deadline Choose
People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified often discover two reporting options. The design of controls at a specified date is what Type 1 examines. Type 2 covers their design and operating effectiveness throughout a defined period. Type 1 may be a useful starting point when an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, assuming the customer accepts it.
For businesses researching how to get SOC 2 type 2 certification, the process includes an observation period, typically three to twelve months, followed by an independent examination. Type 2 does not depend on a Type 1 report first. Before paying for either examination, confirm your customer’s requirements.
Close the Everyday Security Gaps Before Anything Else
SOC 2 preparation becomes more manageable when security controls are tied to existing business activities. Good first steps include 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. Risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews should be recorded by management. Policies must reflect what employees actually do. There is limited value in a polished procedure that nobody follows.
Organize Evidence Before It Becomes a Problem
At its core, SOC 2 for saas companies involves 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.
Reconstructing these records months later is much harder than collecting them as activities occur. Through built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist helps small teams manage this work.
The platform does not require direct integrations with company systems. Evidence is uploaded by the team, and auditors can be given read-only access.
Understand the Independent Audit Requirement
Strictly speaking, SOC 2 is an attestation rather than a certification. The examination is conducted by a licensed CPA firm, which issues the SOC 2 report. Software can help prepare and organize evidence, yet it cannot replace the independent auditor.
CertAssist offers a US$225 monthly promotional subscription that covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. Fees for the independent audit are separate. An auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period should come first.
What Comes After the First SOC 2 Report
Finishing a SOC 2 examination isn’t the end of your security work. Your operations keep changing: employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers arrive. Your controls need to remain relevant.
Define clear responsibilities, retain evidence throughout the year, and regularly review whether your documented procedures match reality. That discipline helps make future examinations easier as a startup grows, while also supporting the security expectations of customers who depend on your software.