Software that facilitates audits is known as compliance software. But small-sized companies may find themselves in a strange situation: before they are able to manage their SOC 2 controls, they first have to implement, configure, and learn an extensive compliance platform. This raises an interesting question. What happens when a tool designed to make compliance easier turn into an entirely new project?
CertAssist was a result of this frustration. CertAssist’s founders had experience with compliance audits, as well as implementations under the ISO 27001 and SOC 2 frameworks. The people who developed this software had to contend with platforms with a variety of functions and integrations. However, the organizations they worked for still used spreadsheets to prepare crucial audit documents. For smaller businesses, a less complicated SOC 2 compliance software can occasionally be the best answer.
Start by identifying the tasks that Must Be Completed
Eliminate the jargon of software and it’s much easier to understand. The business must follow the Trust Services Criteria and establish appropriate controls. They must also create the policy, collect evidence, monitor their development, and provide this information to independent auditors. Platforms can be used to streamline these processes without needing to connect them to each cloud service and identity system used by the company.
Integrations that are automated can be extremely valuable. Automating the gathering of evidence by large companies in a world which is always changing can make it easier to save time. It doesn’t necessarily mean the same structure is required to be used for SOC 2 by startups. Startups that have a small technology environment may choose to take evidence in a manual manner instead of maintaining a multitude of integrations.
Software and the Audit Are different expenses
The process of budgeting can become confusing when companies treat every compliance expense as one number. The SOC 2 cost includes more than software. Internal staff have to spend time creating policies, addressing weaknesses in control, arranging proof and working with auditors. The independent audit comes with its own fees as well.
Companies who are researching SOC 2 certification cost must be aware of a distinction in terminology: SOC 2 produces an independent attestation report, not an actual certification in the same sense as ISO 27001. However the phrase “certification cost”, which is often utilized by businesses searching for pricing information, is nevertheless popular. Whatever the terminology used in the budget, the software is not a substitute for an independent audit.
Middle Ground Doesn’t Need to be an Excel Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets are cheap and easy to use They are easy to use, but they can become a little awkward when the policies, controls, evidence, ownership, and audit communication begin spreading across several documents.
Alternatives to enterprise-grade platforms do not necessarily need to be costly. CertAssist displays the SOC 2 controls on the central board. It offers editable templates for policy and evidence, and progress tracking, and auditors can only view. The platform’s access is secured with a multi-factor authentication requirement. The initial price for launch of $225 will be followed by regular pricing at $375 per month, or $3,999 annually.
The same process that can reduce exposure can also be achieved by removing the need for it
CertAssist is not apposed to connecting with the company’s operating systems. The evidence is presented without granting the compliance platform standing access to cloud and identity environments.
The downside is that this option requires an arrangement. It is the responsibility of the business to provide evidence that could have otherwise been automatically collected. The additional manual work required is reasonable for a small team in exchange of a simplified setup, a lower cost and less connections to third party.
Purchase Complexity when it solves the issue
An expanding company could eventually come to a point that manually capturing evidence becomes inefficient. The cost of continuous monitoring and integration is justifiable by the increase in efficiency.
For now, the aim isn’t to purchase the most sophisticated compliance software available. It’s crucial to make sure that the evidence is reliable, organize the compliance work and oversee the independent audit. Software that is designed well can make this process much easier. If implementing the compliance platform begins to feel like a much larger task than preparing for SOC 2 itself, it might be just a different tools than the company requires.