Software designed to facilitate audits is referred to as compliance software. However, small businesses may be put in a tricky situation: before they are able to arrange their SOC 2 controls, they must first implement, configure, and learn an extensive compliance system. This brings up a question. What are the conditions that make a tool to lower compliance work become a new project?
CertAssist was a result of this discontent. The team behind it focused on compliance implementations, audits as well as ISO 27001 frameworks. They came across platforms that offered a variety of functions and integrations, yet companies used spreadsheets for the main components of preparation for audits. The simpler SOC 2 compliance software is often the best option for smaller businesses.
Begin by listing the Tasks That Are Required to be Completed
If you remove the software terminology It becomes much simpler to comprehend. The company should work through Trust Services Criteria and establish suitable control measures. They must also write down the policy, collect evidence, track their performance, and making this information available to independent auditors. A platform can help organize these processes without having to be connected to each cloud-based service or identity system the business uses.
Integrations that are automated offer many advantages. A large company that gathers evidence in a constantly evolving environment could save significant time via automation. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the same technology is required to be used for SOC 2 by startups. A startup that has a compact technology environment may prefer to provide evidence manually and avoid the need to maintain numerous integrations.
Software and Audits Are Two Different Costs
The process of budgeting can become confusing when companies make every compliance expense one number. SOC 2 includes more than just software. Internal staff are required to spend time on making guidelines and addressing any gaps in control. They also organize evidence. Independent audits also have fees of their own.
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. When companies seek pricing, they usually use the term “certification costs”. Software cannot replace the independent auditor irrespective of the terms employed in the budget.
The Middle Ground isn’t required to be A Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets can be inexpensive and easy to access But they aren’t as easy when policies, controls, ownership evidence, and auditing communications start to be spread across many documents.
The alternative doesn’t need to be a business platform. CertAssist integrates the SOC 2 controls on a centralized board, which includes editable template templates for policy and evidence as well as progress management and read-only auditor access. Multi-factor authentication is required to safeguard the platform. The platform’s launch price is $225 per month. The regular price is $375 per month, or $3999 annually.
The same system that minimizes exposure could also be achieved by removing the need for it
CertAssist deliberately does not connect to the operational systems of a company. The evidence provided is not given without giving the platform with standing access to cloud or identity environments.
This method involves a tradeoff. The company must provide evidence that could have been collected from an automated system. The manual effort is reasonable for a smaller team in exchange for a simpler setup, lower costs and fewer connections with third parties.
Buy Complexity When Complexity Solves a problem
A growing organization may eventually get to the point that manual evidence gathering is no longer efficient. Monitoring and monitoring continuously and integration could be justifiable by the increase in efficiency.
The purpose of a compliance stack is not to be the most technological one on the market. The objective is to manage compliance, preserve evidence that is credible and ensure that independent audits are managed. Good software should remove the friction from that process. The implementation of the compliance platform could feel more like a project than preparing the SOC 2 itself. It might be that the company does not require as many tools.