A compliance program should help auditing become easier. Yet small companies can be in a difficult situation. Before they can set up their SOC 2 controls, they first have to implement an SOC 2 system, then configure and master the intricate compliance system. This poses a question. What are the conditions that make a tool to make compliance easier turn into a new project?
CertAssist was born out of that frustration. The founders of the company focused on compliance implementations, audits and ISO 27001 frameworks. They came across platforms that offered a variety of features and integrations, but companies used spreadsheets to handle the most crucial parts of audit preparation. For smaller organizations, simpler SOC 2 compliance software can sometimes be the more practical answer.
Start With the Job That Has to be Done
Take out the jargon in software and it is easier to understand. The company needs to work through Trust Services Criteria and establish appropriate controls. They must also write down the policy, collect evidence, keep track of their performance, and provide this information for independent auditors. Platforms are able to manage these activities without needing to be linked with all cloud services or identity systems that the company uses.
Integrations that are automated offer many advantages. Automating can save a large organization lots of time when collecting evidence in an ever-changing environment. However, this doesn’t mean the same structure is required for SOC 2 in startups. If a startup is operating in an insufficient technology environment it could be best to provide the evidence manually and to avoid the need for many integrations.
Both the Software and Audit are two different costs.
Budgeting becomes difficult when companies make each compliance expense an individual number. SOC 2 includes more than just software. The internal staff is required to dedicate time to creating policies and addressing control gaps. They also arrange evidence. Independent audits also have its own fee.
Businesses looking for information about SOC 2 Certification Costs should also be aware of the terminology differences: SOC 2 is not a certification in the sense of ISO 27001. Instead, it creates an independent attestation rather than an official certification. When companies seek pricing, they frequently utilize the term “certification costs”. Software cannot replace an independent auditor, irrespective of the terms employed in the budget.
The Middle Ground Doesn’t Need to Be a Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets can be inexpensive and comfortable, but they are cumbersome when they are spread across several files.
It is not necessary to use an enterprise platform as a alternative. CertAssist displays the SOC 2 controls in the central board. It offers editable templates for policies and evidence, along with progress monitoring, and auditors are able to only see. Multi-factor authentication is required for security purposes to ensure the system is secure. The price of its launch is $225 monthly, and the regular price is $375 monthly or $3,999 annually.
No Integration Can Also Mean A Less Exposed
CertAssist intentionally doesn’t connect to an organization’s operational systems. The compliance platform isn’t given access to the cloud or to the identity environment.
The drawback is that this method requires the use of compromise. It is the duty of the business to provide evidence that could have otherwise been collected automatically. For smaller teams, the extra work could be justified for a less complicated setup with lower software expenses, and less external connections.
Complexity Purchase when it Solves a Problem
An expanding company could eventually come to a point that manually capturing evidence can become unproductive. The cost of continuous monitoring and integration can be justifiable by the increase in efficiency.
The goal until then isn’t buying the most sophisticated compliance platform available. It is important to maintain the credibility of the evidence and organize the compliance process, and manage the independent audit. Good software should remove friction from that process. Implementing a compliance platform can be more of a challenge as opposed to preparing the SOC 2 itself. It could be that the company doesn’t require as many tools.
