A compliance program should aid in auditing. However, small businesses may be placed in a tough spot. They have to implement or configure a compliance platform prior to organising their SOC 2 control. It raises a good question. At what point does the device designed to cut down on compliance work become another project that is its own?
CertAssist resulted from that frustration. The team behind it had been involved in compliance audits and implementations in SOC 2, ISO 27001 and other frameworks. They encountered numerous platforms with features and integrations while companies were still using spreadsheets to manage essential elements of audit preparation. The simpler SOC 2 compliance software is often the ideal solution for smaller companies.
Start With the Job That Should Be Done
If you can eliminate the terminology used by software It becomes much simpler to comprehend. The company must work through the relevant Trust Services Criteria, establish the appropriate controls, establish guidelines, document evidence, monitor progress, and then make that information available for audits conducted by an independent entity. Platforms can be used to streamline these tasks without having to connect them to each cloud service or identity system the company has in place.
Automated integrations can be extremely valuable. Automating the gathering of evidence by a large company in a world which is always changing can save time. That doesn’t automatically make the same architecture necessary for SOC 2 for startups. If a startup operates in a small technology environment it might be better to make the necessary evidence available manually and to avoid the need for many integrations.
The Software and the Audit are separate expenses
It is difficult to budget when companies treat each compliance expense as separate numbers. The SOC 2 cost includes more than just software. Internal staff spend time creating policies, addressing control gaps, organizing evidence, and collaborating with the auditor. Independent audits also have their own fees.
Companies researching SOC 2 certification cost should also understand a terminology distinction: SOC 2 produces an independent attestation report, not a certification in the exact meaning as ISO 27001. ISO 27001. When businesses are looking for prices, they typically employ the term “certification costs”. Whatever terminology is used in a budget, software does not replace the independent audit.
The Middle Ground Doesn’t have to be A Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets may be familiar and inexpensive, but they can become uncomfortable when multiple files are used to share policies, controls, evidence, ownership and audit information.
The alternative doesn’t have to be a business platform. CertAssist places the SOC 2 controls on a central board, and offers editable template templates for policy and evidence as well as progress management and auditor access with read-only. The platform’s access is secured with a multi-factor authentication requirement. Its advertised launch price is $225 per month with a regular cost of $375 monthly or $3,999 annually.
The same system that minimizes exposure could also be achieved by removing the need for it.
CertAssist intentionally does not connect to any company’s operational systems. The evidence provided is not given without giving the compliance platform standing access to cloud or identity environments.
This strategy is not without its tradeoffs. It is the obligation for the company to supply the evidence that could have been collected automatically. The additional manual work is reasonable for a small team, but it will result in a simplified setup, a lower cost and fewer connections with third party.
Complexity Purchase when it Solves a Problem
A company that is growing may get to a point at which the manual method of gathering evidence becomes inefficient. Continuous monitoring and large-scale integrations will pay off at the point you are.
The aim of the compliance stack is not to be the most sophisticated one in the market. It’s about getting the compliance tasks organized, maintain solid evidence, and enable the independent audit to be manageable. The best software will remove any friction from this process. Implementing the compliance platform may be more of a challenge as opposed to preparing the SOC 2 itself. It might be that the company doesn’t require as many tools.
