With twelve team members, a working SaaS product, and a growing customer base, your startup is off to a good start. No one at the company holds “compliance manager” in their job title, even though security is important. One day, a prospective enterprise customer asks for a SOC 2 report.

What exactly do you do next?

Grabbing dozens of policies immediately isn’t the first step for founders researching how to get SOC 2 certification. Start by making a few decisions that define what your company needs to document, implement, and prove.

Settle the Scope of Your First Audit

Your controls are evaluated using the AICPA Trust Services Criteria in a SOC 2 examination. There are five areas: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Security is mandatory. Inclusion of the other categories depends on whether 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.

Before you collect any evidence, identify the applications, infrastructure, employees, and service providers involved. A broader scope brings additional work, but not necessarily a more useful report.

Choose the Report That Matches Your Deadline

People searching for how to get SOC 2 certified frequently discover two reporting options. The design of controls at a specified date is what Type 1 examines. Type 2 evaluates their design and operating effectiveness across a defined period. If an enterprise customer needs evidence fast, Type 1 may be a useful starting point, assuming the customer accepts it.

For businesses investigating 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 2 does not depend on completing Type 1 first. Find out what your customer requires before you pay for either examination.

Start With Everyday Security Gaps

SOC 2 preparation becomes more manageable when security controls are tied to ordinary business activities. Consider enforcing multi-factor authentication for important accounts, establishing a documented employee offboarding process, and reviewing access permissions on a regular basis.

Keep evidence of production changes and approvals inside the development team. Leadership should document risk assessments and relevant supplier reviews. Draft policies that describe what employees actually do. There is limited value in a well-written procedure that nobody follows.

Collect Evidence as You Go

Demonstrating that relevant controls exist and, for Type 2, operate consistently is central to SOC 2 for saas companies. 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 far harder than collecting them as activities occur. With built-in controls, editable policy templates, evidence checklists, and document storage, CertAssist helps small teams manage this work.

There is 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

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, though it helps prepare and organize evidence.

CertAssist offers a US$225 monthly promotional subscription covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, and its other supported frameworks. The independent audit is a separate cost. An auditor’s quote based on your business size, selected criteria, and intended reporting period is worth getting before budgeting.

Keep the Process Manageable After Your First Report

Completing a SOC 2 examination shouldn’t be the end of your security activities. Your operations keep changing: employees join and leave, applications change, and new suppliers appear. It’s important that your controls remain relevant.

Make sure each responsibility has a clear owner, evidence is retained throughout the year, and documented procedures are reviewed regularly against 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.