The purpose of compliance software is to help audits go more smoothly. But small-sized companies may be in a difficult situation: before they are able to arrange their SOC 2 controls, they must first implement or configure an elaborate compliance platform. It raises a good question. When does the tool which is intended to lower compliance turn into a separate project?

CertAssist is the result of this discontent. The team behind it have worked on compliance implementations and audits, and ISO 27001 frameworks. The developers of this software faced numerous challenges with platforms that offered a wide range of functions and integrations. However, their employers still used spreadsheets to prepare important audit pieces. For smaller organizations, simpler SOC 2 compliance software can sometimes be the more practical answer.

Start by identifying the tasks that Have to be completed

Remove the terms used in software and the primary requirement becomes easier to understand. It is important that a company know the Trust Services Criteria. This includes setting the right controls, gathering evidence, monitoring the progress of the process and establishing policies. Platforms can be used to organize these activities without having to connect them with every cloud service and identity system used by the company.

Integrations that are automated offer many advantages. A large company that gathers evidence from a continuously changing environment can save time through automation. However, that doesn’t make the same architecture mandatory for SOC 2 for startups. If a startup is operating in an insufficient technology environment it might be better to manually provide evidence and to avoid the need for many integrations.

The Audit and the Software Are Two Different Costs

Budgeting becomes difficult when companies treat each compliance expense as an individual number. SOC 2 includes more than simply software. The internal staff must spend time on preparing policies, addressing weaknesses in control, arranging evidence as well as cooperating with auditors. The audit independent also has its own fee.

Businesses researching SOC 2 Certification Cost must 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 instead of a standard certification. Nevertheless, “certification cost” is frequently used by companies searching for pricing data. Software does not replace the independent auditor irrespective of the terminology used within the budget.

The Middle Ground Doesn’t Have to be an Excel Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets might be familiar and cost-effective, but they may be uncomfortable if multiple spreadsheets are used to convey policies, control the ownership of evidence, prove ownership, and audit information.

The alternative doesn’t need be a business platform. CertAssist shows the SOC 2 controls on a central board, provides editable templates for policies and evidence, as well as progress tracking, and auditors have the ability to only read. The platform’s access is protected by the requirement for multi-factor authentication. Its advertised launch price is $225 monthly and the regular price is $375 monthly or $3,999 annually.

The same process that can reduce exposure can be accomplished without the need to it

CertAssist does not purposely connect to an organization’s operating system. The evidence is presented without granting the compliance platform standing access to cloud and identity environments.

This strategy is not without its tradeoffs. Evidence that could have easily been collected automatically must instead be provided by the business. The manual effort is acceptable for a small group in exchange for simpler setup, lower costs and less ties with third party.

If Complexity Solves a Problem, Buy It

If a company is growing it is possible that manual evidence collection will be inefficient. The expense of monitoring and integration can be justified by the increased efficiency.

It’s not necessary to buy the most complex compliance platform until then. The objective is to manage the compliance process, collect evidence and make independent audits manageable. Software that’s well designed will help with this. Implementing the compliance platform may appear more like a job rather than preparing the SOC 2 itself. It could be that the company does not need the same tools.