A compliance program should make auditing easier. Yet small companies can be put in a tricky position: before they can organize their SOC 2 controls, they must first implement or configure an extensive compliance platform. This brings up a fascinating question. At what point does the tool that was designed to ease compliance work turn into a project that is its own?
CertAssist was born out of the frustration. The creators of CertAssist had previous experience in compliance audits and implementations in ISO 27001 and SOC 2 frameworks. They frequently encountered platforms brimming with features and integrations. Moreover, organizations used spreadsheets for crucial aspects of auditing process. For smaller organizations, simpler SOC 2 compliance software can sometimes be the more practical answer.
Start with the Tasks That Need to Be Done
If you eliminate the terminology used by software it is much easier to comprehend. The company must work through the pertinent Trust Services Criteria, establish proper controls, create policies, gather evidence, monitor progress, and make the material accessible for independent audit. A platform is able to manage those processes without having to be connected to each cloud-based service or identity system the company operates.
Automated integrations certainly have value. Automating the process of gathering evidence for a large company in an environment which is always changing can help save time. It doesn’t necessarily mean the same system is required to be used for SOC 2 by startups. Startups with a limited technology environment might choose to present evidence in person and avoid maintaining numerous integrations.
The Software and the Audit are separate expenses
If companies view all compliance costs in one number, budgeting can be complicated. The SOC 2 cost includes more than just software. Internal staff are required to spend time on things like preparing policies and addressing control gaps. They also organize evidence. Independent audits also have their own set of fees.
Businesses looking for information about SOC 2 Certification Costs must also be aware of the terminology difference: SOC 2 is not a certificate in the sense of ISO 27001. Instead, it creates an independent attestation instead of an official certification. When businesses are looking for pricing, they usually utilize the term “certification costs”. Software does not replace an independent auditor, regardless of the language employed within the budget.
The Middle Ground Doesn’t have to be a Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets can be inexpensive and easy to access They are easy to use, but they can become a little awkward when controls, policies, ownership, evidence, and audit communications begin to spread across multiple documents.
The alternative does not have to be an enterprise platform. CertAssist centralizes the SOC2 controls and lets you edit policies and templates for proving. It also gives progress management and auditors with access that is read-only. Access to the platform is secured by a multi-factor authentication requirement. The price of its launch is $225 monthly, and the regular price is $375 per month or $3,999 annually.
In addition, no integration could mean More Exposure
CertAssist deliberately does not connect to any company’s operational systems. Evidence is presented, but without granting the compliance platform access to cloud environments or identities environments.
That approach involves a tradeoff. The company must prove that could have been obtained from the automated system. In the case of small teams, the additional work could be justified in exchange with a simple set-up, lower software costs, and with fewer external connections.
Purchase Complexity When Complexity Resolves a problem
In a business that is expanding the manual process of collecting evidence may turn into inefficient. Continuous monitoring and extensive integrations will pay off when you get to that point.
The goal of the compliance stack isn’t to be the best one on the market. The objective is to manage compliance, maintain credible evidence and allow independent audits to be managed. The right software will simplify the process. If implementing the compliance platform starts to feel like a larger task than preparing for SOC 2 itself, it may be simply a more powerful software than a company requires.