Compliance software is intended aid in audits. However, small companies can be placed in a tough spot. They must implement the configuration, set up and manage a compliance system before they can organize their SOC 2 control. This brings up a question. When did the device intended to decrease compliance, become a separate program?
CertAssist is the result of this discontent. CertAssist’s founders had previous experience in compliance audits as well as implementations within the ISO 27001 and SOC 2 frameworks. They came across platforms that offered a variety of integrations and features, but organizations were still using spreadsheets for the primary components of preparation for audits. For smaller organizations, simpler SOC 2 compliance software can sometimes be the more practical answer.
Start by identifying the tasks that Must Be Completed
Strip away the software terminology and the core requirement becomes more understandable. It is important that businesses know the Trust Services Criteria. This involves establishing appropriate controls, collecting evidence, evaluating progress and documenting policies. A platform can help organize these tasks without having to connect to every cloud-based service or identity system that the company operates.
Integrations that are automated have many benefits. Automation can save a large company a lot of time while collecting evidence in a constantly changing environment. That doesn’t automatically make the same structure necessary to be used for SOC 2 for startups. Startups that have a limited technology environment might choose to make evidence by hand and avoid maintaining numerous integrations.
The cost of the audit and the software are two distinct costs.
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 are busy developing policies, fixing control gaps, organizing evidence and collaborating with the auditor. Independent audits have their own fees as well.
Businesses researching SOC 2 Certification Costs should be aware of the differences: SOC 2 is not a type of certificate within the meaning of ISO 27001. Instead, it is an independent attestation instead of an official certification. When companies are searching for pricing, they often utilize the term “certification costs”. Software does not replace the independent auditor regardless of the terminology employed in the budget.
The Middle Ground Doesn’t Have to Be A Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets may be familiar and cost-effective, but they can become uncomfortable when multiple spreadsheets are used to convey policies, control, evidence, ownership and auditing communication.
It is not required to use an enterprise platform for alternative. CertAssist places the SOC 2 controls on a centralized board, and offers editable templates for policies and evidence as well as progress management and auditor access with read-only. Mandatory multi-factor authentication helps protect access to the platform. The price of the platform’s initial launch is $225 a month. The regular price is $375 a month or $3999 per year.
In addition, no integration could mean Less Exposure
CertAssist intentionally does not connect to any company’s operational systems. The evidence is presented without giving the compliance platform access to cloud environments as well as identities environments.
The disadvantage is that this strategy requires an agreement. It is the obligation of the company to provide the evidence that could have been collected automatically. The extra manual work is reasonable for a tiny team in exchange for a simpler setup, lower costs and less connections to third party.
Purchase Complexity When Complexity Resolves the issue
An expanding company may reach the point where the manual process of gathering evidence becomes inefficient. Continuous monitoring and extensive integrations will be beneficial at the point you are.
It is not necessary to buy the most complex compliance platform until later. It’s important to ensure that the evidence is credible, organize the compliance work, and manage the independent audit. A quality software application should reduce friction in this process. If the implementation of the compliance platform is beginning to feel like a much larger task than the preparation for SOC 2 itself, it could be a tool than the company currently requires.