Software designed to facilitate audits is called compliance software. Small businesses are usually stuck in an awkward situation. Before they can put in their SOC 2 controls they must first install, configure and master a complex compliance platform. This raises an interesting question. What happens when the tool that is designed to reduce compliance become a separate project?
CertAssist was born out of that frustration. Its creators focused on compliance implementations, audits and ISO 27001 frameworks. The program’s creators were constantly confronted by platforms with a variety of features and connections, while their employers used spreadsheets to write crucial audit documents. SOC 2 software that is simple is more appropriate for smaller companies.
Start by identifying the task that needs to be done
Remove the terms used in software and the core requirement becomes simpler to comprehend. The company should work through Trust Services Criteria and establish appropriate control measures. They should also record policies, gather evidence, monitor their progress, and making this information available to independent auditors. A platform can help organize these activities without necessarily connecting itself to each cloud-based service or identity system that the business uses.
Automated integrations can be extremely valuable. A large organization collecting evidence across a constantly changing environment could save significant time via automation. That doesn’t automatically make the same architecture necessary for SOC 2 for startups. If a startup has limited technology resources, it may be preferable to make the necessary evidence available manually and not have a lot of integrations.
The Software and the Audit are distinct expenses
Budgeting becomes difficult when companies treat each compliance expense as an individual number. SOC 2 costs include more than software. Internal staff members are required to spend time on creating policies and addressing gaps in control. They also arrange evidence. Independent audits have fees of their own.
Companies looking into SOC 2 Certification Cost should also be aware of the terminology differentiating the two: SOC 2 is not a certificate in the sense of ISO 27001. Instead, it is an independent attestation rather than the standard certification. When companies seek pricing, they often use the term “certification cost”. Whatever terminology appears in the budget, software does not take the place of an independent auditor.
The Middle Ground isn’t required to be an Excel Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets can be inexpensive and easy to access, but they become awkward when controls, policies, evidence, ownership and audit communication begin spreading across many files.
The alternative doesn’t have to be a enterprise-level platform. CertAssist centralizes the SOC2 controls and provides editable policies as well as templates for evidence. It also allows auditors with progress management as well as read-only access. Access to the platform is secured with the requirement for multi-factor authentication. Its advertised launch price is $225 per month and the regular price is $375 monthly, or $3999 annually.
The same kind of integration that decreases exposure is also possible without the need to it
CertAssist intentionally does not connect to a company’s operational systems. Evidence is presented but does not grant the platform with access to cloud environments and identity environments.
This method has its drawbacks. Evidence that could have been collected automatically must instead be supplied by the company. However, for small teams, the extra work could be justified in exchange with a simpler set-up and lower costs for software and less external connections.
Purchase Complexity when it solves the issue
In an organization that is growing the manual process of collecting evidence may end up being inefficient. Continuous monitoring and large-scale integrations will pay off when you get to that point.
The goal until then isn’t to purchase the most advanced compliance system available. It is important to ensure that the evidence is credible and to organize compliance work and handle the audit independently. Good software should remove the friction from the process. If the process of implementing the compliance platform feels like it takes longer than preparing for SOC 2 in itself, then the tool may be too expensive.