Compliance software is supposed aid in audits. However, small businesses may be placed in a tough spot. They need to set up, configure and master the platform for compliance before they can organise their SOC 2 control. This poses a question. What happens when a tool designed to reduce compliance work turn into an entirely new project?

CertAssist was born out of this frustration. Its developers had worked on compliance-related implementations and audits for SOC 2, ISO 27001 and various frameworks. The people who developed this software were repeatedly confronted with platforms that had many options and integrations, while the companies they worked for utilized spreadsheets to create crucial audit documents. For smaller enterprises, simpler SOC 2 compliance software can sometimes be the more practical option.

Begin with the job that has to be accomplished

Remove the terms used in software and the essential requirement is simpler to comprehend. It is crucial for a company to understand the Trust Services Criteria. This involves establishing adequate controls, gathering evidence, monitoring progress, and recording policies. A platform is able to manage those activities without necessarily connecting itself to every cloud-based service or identity system that the company operates.

Automated integrations can be beneficial. Automation can save a huge organization a lot of time when collecting evidence in a constantly changing environment. However, it doesn’t mean the same structure will be required for SOC 2 by startups. Startups that have a small technology environment may prefer to gather evidence by hand instead of managing a number of integrations.

The cost of auditing and software are two separate expenses

Budgeting becomes confusing when companies treat every compliance expense as one number. The SOC 2 cost includes more than software. Internal staff members are responsible for preparing policies, addressing weaknesses in control, organizing evidence and working together with the auditor. The independent audit also comes with its own cost.

Companies researching SOC 2 certification cost should also understand a terminology distinction: SOC 2 produces an independent attestation report rather than a certification in the same sense as ISO 27001. But, “certification cost” is often used by businesses searching for pricing information. Whatever the terminology used in the budget, software does not take the place of an independent auditor.

The Middle Ground isn’t required to be A Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets are inexpensive and familiar However, they can be a bit awkward when the policies, controls, ownership evidence, and auditing communications start to be spread across many files.

Alternatives to enterprise-grade platforms don’t necessarily have to be expensive. CertAssist displays the SOC 2 controls in a central board, offers editable templates for policies and evidence, along with progress monitoring, and auditors are able to only see. The mandatory multi-factor authentication safeguards access to the system. The initial price for the platform is $225 per month. The normal price is $375 per month or $3999 annually.

In addition, no integration may mean less exposure

CertAssist deliberately does not connect to a company’s operational systems. Evidence is provided without giving the compliance platform access to identity and cloud environments.

The method is a compromise. The evidence that could have been obtained automatically has to be provided by the company. The additional manual work is acceptable for a small team in exchange for a more simple setup, lower cost and less ties with third party.

Purchase Complexity when Complexity Solves a Problem

A growing company may eventually arrive at a point when manual evidence collection will become inefficient. Continuous monitoring and extensive integrations will be beneficial once you have reached that point.

It is not required to purchase the most complicated compliance system at this point. It’s crucial to ensure that the evidence is credible and to organize compliance work as well as manage the audit independently. Good software should remove friction from the process. Implementing a compliance platform can be more of a challenge than preparing the SOC 2 itself. It could be that a company does not require more tools.