Software designed to facilitate audits is referred to as compliance software. However, small businesses may find themselves in a strange situation. Before they can arrange their SOC 2 controls, they first have to implement an SOC 2 system, then configure and master the intricacy of a compliance system. This raises an interesting question. What are the conditions that make a tool to lower compliance work become the creation of a new project?
CertAssist was conceived out of this frustration. CertAssist’s creators had worked on compliance audits as well as implementations within the ISO 27001 and SOC 2 frameworks. The program’s creators were repeatedly confronted with platforms that had many options and integrations, while the companies they worked for employed spreadsheets for the preparation of crucial audit documents. For smaller organizations, simpler SOC 2 compliance software can sometimes be the more practical answer.
Begin with the Task that Must Be Completed
Take away the software terms and the primary requirement becomes simpler to comprehend. A business must go through the relevant Trust Services Criteria, establish the appropriate controls, establish policies, record evidence, track 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 service or identity system that the business uses.
Integrations that are automated offer many advantages. Automating the collection of evidence by large organizations in an environment which is always changing can reduce time. It doesn’t mean that the same structure is required for SOC 2 in startups. Startups with a limited technology environment may choose to take evidence in a manual manner instead of maintaining a multitude of integrations.
The cost for the audit and the software are two separate expenses
It is difficult to budget when companies treat each compliance expense as separate numbers. The SOC 2 cost includes more than just software. The internal staff must spend time creating policies, addressing weaknesses in control, arranging evidence and working with auditors. The independent audit is charged its own fee as well.
Businesses looking for information on SOC 2 certification costs must also understand a terminology distinction: SOC 2 produces an independent attestation document, but not a certification in the exact meaning as ISO 27001. ISO 27001. However the phrase “certification cost” is commonly used by businesses when searching for pricing information, is nevertheless popular. Whatever term is used in the budget, the software is not a substitute for an independent audit.
The Middle Ground isn’t required to be a Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets are often familiar and cost-effective, but they can be uncomfortable when multiple files are utilized to convey policies, control the ownership of evidence, prove ownership, and audit information.
Alternatives to enterprise platforms do not necessarily need to be costly. CertAssist centralizes the SOC2 control and allows users to edit policies and templates for proving. It also allows progress management and auditors with access to read-only. Multi-factor authentication is necessary for security purposes to ensure the system is secure. The price of its launch is $225 monthly, and the regular price is $375 per month, or $3,999 per year.
No integration can also mean less exposure
CertAssist is not designed to connect to the operational systems of the company. The evidence is presented without granting the compliance platform access to cloud and identity environments.
The method is a compromise. Evidence that could have been collected automatically must instead be provided by the company. For smaller teams, the additional work can be justified with a simple set-up and lower costs for software and fewer external connections.
Purchase Complexity When Complexity Resolves a Problem
A growing company may eventually reach a point where manual evidence collection is no longer efficient. Continuous monitoring and massive integrations will pay off once you have reached that point.
Until then, the goal isn’t necessarily to buy the most advanced compliance software available. The goal is to organize the compliance process, collect evidence and allow independent audits to be managed. Good software should remove friction out of the process. If implementing the compliance platform begins to appear like a more complex project than the process of preparing for SOC 2 itself, it might be just a different software than a company requires.
