A software for compliance should aid in auditing. However, small businesses may be placed in a tricky position. They need to set up or configure the compliance software before they can organize their SOC 2 control. This poses a question. When will the tool designed to improve compliance turn into a separate project?
CertAssist was conceived out of this frustration. Its founders have worked on compliance implementations and audits and ISO 27001 frameworks. They discovered platforms that had many features and integrations, but firms used spreadsheets for the most important elements of preparation for audits. SOC 2 software that is less complicated may be better suited for smaller companies.
Start with the Work That Has to be Done
If you can eliminate the language used by software, it becomes much easier to comprehend. It is important that a company know the Trust Services Criteria. This includes setting adequate controls, gathering evidence, evaluating progress, and recording the policies. Platforms are a great way to manage these functions without having to link them with each cloud service or identity system used by the company.
Automated integrations have significant value. Automated integrations can save an organization a lot of time when it comes to collecting evidence in a changing environment. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the same system will be required to be used for SOC 2 by startups. Startups with a compact technology infrastructure might prefer to take evidence in a manual manner instead of maintaining numerous integrations.
The Software and the Audit are two different costs.
The process of budgeting is a challenge when businesses consider each compliance expense a separate number. The SOC 2 cost includes more than software. Internal staff have to spend time on preparing policies, addressing weaknesses in control, arranging evidence and cooperating with auditors. The independent audit also comes with its own fees.
Companies looking into SOC 2 Certification Costs must be aware of the terminology distinction: SOC 2 is not a type of certificate within the meaning of ISO 27001. Instead, it creates an independent attestation instead of a standard certification. Nevertheless, “certification cost” is commonly used when businesses search for pricing information. Whatever terminology appears in the budget, software doesn’t substitute for the independent auditor.
The Middle Ground Doesn’t Have to Be A Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets can be inexpensive and easy to access, but they become awkward when the policies, controls, evidence, ownership and audit communication begin spreading across several documents.
It is not necessary to use an enterprise platform to serve as a substitute. CertAssist displays the SOC 2 controls in an integrated board. It also provides editable templates for policies and evidence, as well as progress tracking, and auditors will only see. The platform’s access is protected by the requirement of multi-factor authentication. The cost of the platform’s launch is $225 per month. The normal price is $375 per month or $3999 annually.
The same integration that reduces exposure could also be achieved through removing the need for it
CertAssist intentionally does not connect to an organization’s operational systems. Evidence is presented, but without granting the platform with access to cloud environments as well as the identity environment.
The approach is a compromise. It is the duty of the company to provide the evidence that could have been automatically collected. If you have a small staff, however, the additional manual effort may be worth it in exchange for simpler installation, less software cost as well as fewer connections with third parties.
Purchase Complexity when Complexity Solves a Problem
If a company is growing that is growing, the manual collection of evidence could be inefficient. Continuous monitoring and massive integrations will pay off when you reach that point.
The aim of the compliance stack is not to be the most sophisticated one on the market. The objective is to manage compliance, maintain credible evidence and manage independent audits. A good software program should eliminate friction from the process. Implementing the compliance platform may be more of a challenge rather than preparing the SOC 2 itself. It might be that the company doesn’t require numerous tools.