Guide · Compliance
Key takeaways
01
Type 2 is the version enterprise buyers actually care about.
02
The audit recurs. The controls must run continuously, not just on audit weeks.
03
Industry norm is 9 to 12 months. With a focused team that's done it before, 5.
From zero to SOC 2 Type 2 with YSecurity.
Faster than the 9 to 12 month industry norm.
Type 2
The version enterprise buyers actually read end to end.
What SOC 2 actually is
SOC 2 is an attestation that an independent auditor signed off on how your company handles customer data. The Type 2 version is the one enterprise buyers actually care about: it covers a window of time (usually 3 to 12 months) and proves you ran the controls, not just wrote them down once.
The five Trust Services Criteria are Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. Security is required. The rest are scope-dependent. Most startups start with Security only and add as customers demand.
Why you can't fake it
The Type 2 report is read by your prospect's security team, not their procurement team. If your controls don't match what auditors observed, the report shows it. Buyers know the difference between a polished PDF and one with substance behind it.
The other reason: enterprise contracts hinge on this. Most deals north of $50K ARR will surface a security questionnaire that either ends or accelerates depending on whether you have a clean Type 2 in hand.
The mistakes founders make
Four patterns we see again and again. All four cost months and turn a clean Type 2 into a messy one.
01
Starting too late
Type 2 needs an observation window. Zero to attested in two weeks isn't possible.
02
Treating it as a one-time event
The audit recurs. Controls run continuously. Compliance theater shows in year two.
03
Over-scoping the criteria
Adding Availability or Confidentiality when no customer asked. Each criterion costs.
04
Hiring too senior, too early
A full-time CISO at seed rarely makes sense. The work is execution, not strategy.
What's actually involved
The Trust Services Criteria define what auditors will test. Security is mandatory; the rest follow customer demand.
01
Security (required)
Access controls, change management, monitoring, and incident response. The baseline every report carries.
02
Availability
Uptime, backup, and disaster recovery commitments your contracts already promise.
03
Confidentiality
Handling of non-public customer data. Asked for by buyers with sensitive workloads.
04
Processing Integrity
Whether your system produces accurate, complete, and timely results. Common for fintech and data products.
The Type 2 report is read by your prospect's security team, not procurement. They know the difference between substance and theater.
On running a real SOC 2 program
What good looks like
A partner who handles the prep, execution, and audit response so your team can focus on growth. Not a checklist tool. Not a junior consultant learning on your time.
Skip
Checklist tool or junior consultant
A SaaS dashboard with templates. Or a consultant learning on your time. Either way the auditor wastes weeks.
Look for
Hands-on execution team
Writes the policies, configures controls, runs evidence collection, joins the auditor's calls. You sign off; they ship.
The right team writes the policies, configures the controls, runs the evidence collection, and sits in the auditor's calls. You sign off on direction and approve evidence. They do the work.
From the team behind this podcast
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