The purpose of compliance software is to make an audit easier. Smaller companies often find themselves stuck in an awkward situation. Before they can put in their SOC 2 controls they must first install, set up and understand the complexities of a compliance system. This brings up a question. What is the point at which the instrument designed to decrease compliance become a separate project of its own?
CertAssist is the result of this frustration. The founders of the company worked on compliance implementations, audits, and ISO 27001 frameworks. The developers of this software were constantly confronted by platforms that offered a wide range of options and integrations, while the companies they worked for still used spreadsheets to prepare critical auditing pieces. For smaller enterprises, simpler SOC 2 compliance software can at times be the most practical answer.
Start with the task that must be completed
Eliminate the terminology used by software and the core requirement becomes simpler to comprehend. The company must work through the pertinent Trust Services Criteria, establish adequate controls, write down policies, collect evidence, monitor progress, and make that material available for audits conducted by an independent entity. Platforms can be used to manage these functions without having to connect them to each cloud service and identity software that the company utilizes.
Automated integrations definitely have value. A large-scale organization that is collecting evidence from a continuously changing environment can save time with automation. That doesn’t automatically make the same architecture necessary for SOC 2 for startups. Startups with a smaller technology infrastructure may choose to provide evidence manually and not maintain a multitude of integrations.
Software and the Audit Are Different Expenses
It can be confusing to budget when businesses consider every compliance expense as one number. The SOC 2 cost includes more than software. Internal staff members are required to spend time on the following: preparing policies and addressing gaps in control. They also manage evidence. The independent audit comes with its own fee as well.
Companies who are researching SOC 2 certification costs must be aware of a difference in terminology: SOC 2 produces an independent attestation report rather than a certification in the exact terms as ISO 27001. ISO 27001. When businesses are looking for pricing, they usually utilize the term “certification cost”. Whatever terminology appears in the budget, software doesn’t take the place of an independent auditor.
The Middle Ground Doesn’t have to be an Excel Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets are inexpensive and familiar They are easy to use, but they can become a little awkward when policies, controls, ownership, evidence, and auditing communication start spreading across several documents.
It is not necessary to utilize an enterprise platform as a alternative. CertAssist puts the SOC 2 controls on a centralized board, and offers editable policy and evidence templates as well as progress management and auditor access with read-only. The platform’s access is secured by a multi-factor authentication requirement. The initial price for the platform is $225 monthly. The regular price is $375 monthly or $3999 per year.
The absence of integration also means less exposure
CertAssist intentionally does not connect to the systems that run a business. Evidence is presented but does not grant the platform with access to cloud environments and the identity environment.
The method is a compromise. It is the responsibility of the business to provide proof that could have been automatically collected. The extra manual work is acceptable for a small team, but it will result in a easier setup, less expense and fewer connections with third party.
Purchase Complexity when it solves the issue
A growing company could eventually arrive at a point where the manual process of gathering evidence becomes inefficient. This is when continuous monitoring and extensive integrations could pay their cost.
The goal of a compliance stack is not to be the most technological one in the market. It’s about getting the compliance process organised, keep solid evidence, and ensure that the independent audit is manageable. A quality software application should reduce friction in this process. If the implementation of the compliance platform begins to feel like a much larger project than preparing for SOC 2 itself, it might be just a different tool than what the business currently requires.