Summary

Not always immediately, but sooner than you might think. Many enterprise sales cycles stall because a prospect requires SOC 2 before signing. If you’re targeting mid-market or enterprise customers, starting SOC 2 at the Series A stage is common and strategic. At minimum, include Security (it’s mandatory). Most SaaS companies also add Availability and Confidentiality. Add Privacy if you handle personal data subject to regulations like GDPR or CCPA. Keep scope as narrow as your customer requirements allow. SOC 2 is not a one-time certification — it requires annual renewal. Maintain compliance by continuing to collect evidence, conducting regular access reviews, updating policies when processes change, and scheduling your next audit before your current report expires.

How to Get SOC 2 Certification for Your Tech Company: A Complete Guide

SOC 2 compliance has become a non-negotiable requirement for tech companies that handle customer data. Whether you’re closing enterprise deals, responding to security questionnaires, or simply building trust with customers, achieving SOC 2 certification signals that your organization takes data security seriously. This guide walks you through exactly how to get SOC 2 for your tech company — from understanding what it is to passing your audit.

What Is SOC 2 and Why Does Your Tech Company Need It?

SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a compliance framework developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). It evaluates how a company manages customer data based on five Trust Services Criteria (TSC):

Security (required for all SOC 2 reports)
Availability
Processing Integrity
Confidentiality
Privacy

Most tech companies — especially SaaS providers, cloud platforms, and data processors — pursue SOC 2 because enterprise customers demand it before signing contracts. A SOC 2 report demonstrates that your security controls are real, documented, and independently verified.

SOC 2 Type 1 vs. Type 2: Which Do You Need?

Before starting, you need to choose the right report type:

SOC 2 Type 1 evaluates whether your controls are designed appropriately at a single point in time. It’s faster (typically 2–3 months) and useful for early-stage companies.
SOC 2 Type 2 evaluates whether your controls operated effectively over a defined period (usually 6–12 months). This is the gold standard that most enterprise buyers require.

Many companies start with Type 1 to close deals quickly, then pursue Type 2 within the same year.

Step-by-Step: How to Get SOC 2 for Your Tech Company

Step 1: Understand the Scope of Your Audit

Before anything else, define what systems, services, and data will be included in your SOC 2 audit. This is called your system boundary. A narrower scope means fewer controls to implement and a faster path to certification.

Ask yourself:

Which products or services handle customer data?
Which infrastructure components support those services?
Which employees have access to sensitive systems?

Work with your auditor early to confirm scope boundaries. Keeping scope tight is one of the best ways to reduce cost and complexity.

Step 2: Conduct a Readiness Assessment

A readiness assessment is an internal or third-party gap analysis that compares your current security posture against SOC 2 requirements. Think of it as a practice run before the real audit.

During a readiness assessment, you’ll identify:

Missing policies and procedures
Gaps in technical controls (e.g., no MFA, no encryption at rest)
Incomplete vendor management processes
Lack of evidence collection workflows

You can conduct a readiness assessment internally using a SOC 2 checklist, or hire a consulting firm. Many companies use compliance automation platforms (like Vanta, Drata, or Secureframe) to streamline this process.

Step 3: Implement the Required Controls

This is the most time-intensive phase. Based on your readiness assessment, you’ll need to implement controls across several domains:

Access Control

Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all systems
Implement role-based access control (RBAC)
Conduct quarterly access reviews

Risk Management

Perform a formal risk assessment
Document a risk treatment plan

Incident Response

Create and test an incident response plan
Establish logging and alerting for security events

Vendor Management

Inventory all third-party vendors
Review vendor security posture and collect their compliance reports

Change Management

Document your software development lifecycle (SDLC)
Implement code review and testing procedures

HR and Employee Security

Conduct background checks on new hires
Deliver security awareness training annually

Step 4: Create Your Policy Documentation

SOC 2 auditors will ask for written evidence that your controls exist and are followed. This means you need a comprehensive set of security policies. At minimum, most auditors expect:

Information Security Policy
Acceptable Use Policy
Access Control Policy
Incident Response Plan
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan
Vendor Management Policy
Data Classification Policy
Change Management Policy
Password Policy

Writing these from scratch is one of the biggest time sinks for tech companies pursuing SOC 2. Many organizations use pre-built policy templates to accelerate this step significantly.

Step 5: Collect Evidence Continuously

SOC 2 Type 2 auditors don’t just look at your policies — they test whether controls actually operated over time. This means you need to collect evidence throughout your audit period, including:

Access review records
Security training completion logs
Penetration test reports
Vulnerability scan results
Change management tickets
Incident response records
Vendor review documentation

Set up automated evidence collection early. Compliance automation tools can pull this data directly from your tech stack (AWS, GitHub, Okta, etc.).

Step 6: Choose a SOC 2 Auditor

Only a licensed CPA firm can issue a SOC 2 report. When selecting an auditor, consider:

Experience with tech companies — look for firms that specialize in SaaS or cloud environments
Timeline — confirm how long the audit process takes
Cost — SOC 2 audits typically range from $15,000 to $60,000+ depending on scope and firm
Communication — you’ll work closely with them, so responsiveness matters

Get quotes from at least three firms. Some well-known SOC 2 audit firms include A-LIGN, Schellman, Johanson Group, and Prescient Assurance.

Step 7: Complete the Audit and Receive Your Report

During the audit, the CPA firm will review your documentation, interview key personnel, and test your controls. For Type 2, this happens after your observation period ends.

Once complete, you’ll receive a SOC 2 report containing:

An auditor’s opinion letter
A description of your system
Details of your controls and test results

You can then share this report with customers and prospects — typically under NDA — to demonstrate your compliance.

How Long Does SOC 2 Take?

Report Type	Typical Timeline
SOC 2 Type 1	2–4 months
SOC 2 Type 2	6–12 months (plus audit fieldwork)

The biggest variable is how prepared your company is before the audit begins. Companies with strong existing security practices and documented policies move significantly faster.

How Much Does SOC 2 Cost?

Total costs vary widely, but here’s a realistic breakdown:

Auditor fees: $15,000–$60,000
Compliance automation software: $10,000–$30,000/year
Internal staff time: Often the largest hidden cost
Penetration testing: $5,000–$20,000
Policy and documentation: $0–$10,000 (depending on whether you use templates)

Using ready-made policy templates and automation tools can cut your total investment significantly.

FAQ: SOC 2 for Tech Companies

Do I need SOC 2 if I’m an early-stage startup?

Can I get SOC 2 certified without a compliance tool?

Yes, but it’s significantly harder. Manual evidence collection, spreadsheet tracking, and policy management are error-prone and time-consuming. Compliance platforms automate much of the heavy lifting, though they do add cost.

Which Trust Services Criteria should my tech company include?

At minimum, include Security (it’s mandatory). Most SaaS companies also add Availability and Confidentiality. Add Privacy if you handle personal data subject to regulations like GDPR or CCPA. Keep scope as narrow as your customer requirements allow.

How do I maintain SOC 2 compliance after the audit?

SOC 2 is not a one-time certification — it requires annual renewal. Maintain compliance by continuing to collect evidence, conducting regular access reviews, updating policies when processes change, and scheduling your next audit before your current report expires.

What’s the difference between SOC 2 and ISO 27001?

Both are security frameworks, but SOC 2 is more common in North American markets while ISO 27001 is preferred internationally. SOC 2 produces a report (not a certificate), while ISO 27001 results in a formal certification. Some companies pursue both.

Start Your SOC 2 Journey Faster With Ready-to-Use Templates

The most time-consuming part of SOC 2 is creating all the documentation auditors require. Writing security policies, procedures, and control frameworks from scratch can take weeks — time your team doesn’t have.

Our professionally written SOC 2 policy templates are built specifically for tech companies. They’re auditor-approved, fully editable, and cover every policy you need to pass your SOC 2 audit — from your Information Security Policy to your Incident Response Plan.

✅ Save 40+ hours of documentation work
✅ Written to meet SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria
✅ Immediately customizable for your company
✅ Trusted by hundreds of SaaS companies

[Browse our SOC 2 compliance template library →] and get audit-ready in days, not months.