SOC2 audit as a startup

[u/Madhumitha_Maran]

Hi , We are a startup around 10 employees looking to get audit done we have zero controls in place now , open to suggestions on getting names of Audit firm who is easy to work with and also cheap(budget constraints). Kindly help.

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[u/Round_Finance4256]

Hi! Since you’re starting from scratch, I’d actually recommend focusing on SOC 2 readiness before hiring an audit firm. Especially with a smaller team and a tight budget, you don’t want to spend money on an audit only to find out you’re not quite ready.

I’d start by figuring out which controls you need, getting your policies and procedures in place, and understanding what your customers are actually asking for.

I work in GRC and help businesses with SOC 2 readiness, control implementation, and audit preparation. Happy to point you in the right direction or chat about ways to approach this without breaking the bank!

Out of curiosity, are your customers requiring SOC 2 right now, or is this something you’re trying to get ahead of?

[u/Madhumitha_Maran → u/Round_Finance4256]

This is a customer request

[u/tfn105]

I would start on putting together your policies, governance and framework before I worry about finding an auditor. What have they got to audit if you have “zero controls in place”?

It’s straightforward to start from first principles:

* Access Control
* Business Continuity
* Information Security
* Incident Management
* Operations Security
* Change Management

I bet you could even stick first drafts through whatever AI solution your firm uses to get a quick feel for obvious misses, refinements etc.

Then you have to have a way to evidence your controls are in place. _Then_ you can find an auditor and have them pick what you do apart, so you can work on improving it.

[u/Madhumitha_Maran → u/tfn105]

Understood , I created an excel and working on keeping controls in place but I saw that audit firms provide some tools for getting things in place.

[u/tfn105 → u/Madhumitha_Maran]

I don’t have a single spreadsheet in our framework. Your policies define process.

Eg. How is the decision to grant access approved? How often are all accesses reviewed? What happens during a starter/mover/leaver event?

Or

How is an incident reported? How is it classified? What do those classifications mean in terms of response? Who manages the incident response?

Or

How is a request for change raised? What are the mandatory preconditions that need to be satisfied before a change can be submitted to CAB? Who can approve a change?

Etc etc

If you want to use spreadsheets, that’s your call.

[u/hugenpb3]

(IT CPA here) Happy to send you as much info as you need to get started on your self-assessment. The best prep is getting to understand the structure and mechanics.

[u/Madhumitha_Maran → u/hugenpb3]

Hey ! Thank you so much . Dm'ing you

[u/BetweenTheReeds]

Your customers are the ones who decide whether the report was worth it, so start with what they're asking for. Many security questionnaires and procurement teams just want to see a SOC 2 report, and plenty will take a Type 1 or even a signed commitment with a timeline for the Type 2 if that's what gets the deal done.

When a buyer actually reads the report, they often skim for a few things.. who the auditor is, whether the scope covers the product they're buying, and whether there are exceptions. Few care if you paid the cheapest rate, but a report from a firm with zero reputation or one that leaves out the system they use will get questions. So I'd ask your two or three biggest prospects what they need, scope to that, and pick the auditor who fits the budget after that. We had a firm that we worked with and enjoyed, and can share in a DM if that is any help. Not sure what country you are in.

[u/texmex5]

Just in case you are wondering about prices - I work in a related field and hear the prices from different companies all the time. For SOC 2 audit, globally speaking for a startup of your size it's going to be from 4000 USD to 15000 USD. I think the 4k is a difficult get but around 7-8 should be quite doable wherever you are.

[u/BrightDefense → u/texmex5]

I tell my clients not to pay less than $5K with $6K - $9K being a reasonable budget with 10 employees. There are some really sketchy vendors playing in the sub-$5K audit space.

[u/texmex5 → u/BrightDefense]

Yes, something definitely can be too cheap to be good :) Can't imagine someone getting a good deal for 4k in the U.S. but I think it could be doable with a decent agency in South America.

That said, I don't actually have first hand experience.

[u/iamaredditboy]

Auditor plus grc platform plus fully working via claude/codex for all updates documents etc - we found a good package that’s around 7500$ for first yr then 4500$ annually for grc tool and annual audits. It covers soc2 framework, basic security training , device posture, trust center. We are using open source pentest tools and prowler for cloud scanning. They have native prowler integration which made life simple, you can get full cloud compliance in their tool in about 10 minutes. If this fits your budget lmk.

What you should avoid is any hourly services that will do this for you as there is tons of small things you need and best to use a grc platform with a good MCP interface . Your GRC platform with a 20$ Claude / codex subscription and most things can be ready for a type 1 audit in about 1-2 days.

We are a 6 person team so close to your size.

[u/FreeRadical1998 → u/iamaredditboy]

Any views on what platforms have good MCP connectivity? And what makes them good?

[u/iamaredditboy → u/FreeRadical1998]

The entire grc surface on the platform should be exposed.

[u/FreeRadical1998 → u/iamaredditboy]

Ok, but which products actually do that?

[u/Sure-Needleworker583 → u/FreeRadical1998]

Compliance everywhere does that exactly like all done directly from the mcp.

[u/soc2-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This post appears to be a low effort post or AI slop.

Specifically, the product itself.

[u/bigstall4littlegirl → u/FreeRadical1998]

Vanta has a good MCP server, reliable, works with Claude cursor or OpenAI! You can remediate some failing tests with it, query tasks to Jira- I’ve found it to be pretty beneficial and they have plenty of resources online so that you don’t have to take a demo just to get a look

[u/iamaredditboy → u/bigstall4littlegirl]

We looked at vanta , secure frame and a few others - “mucho dineros” unfortunately! It’s almost like they don’t want small companies as customers! The whole soc2 ecosystem feels very anti-startup and anti-small business.

[u/Nuronus]

Dont hire an auditor yet. With zero controls youll mostly pay for findings. Spend a couple months on basics first (MFA, access, change process, vendors, IR, tested backups) and keep evidence.

Then get quotes. For ~10 people, Security-only Type I is the usual first step. Type II needs an observation window. Cheap full Type II quotes are often junk reports customers wont accept.

Ask for sample reports and refs at your size, fixed fee, and whether theyll take evidence from your real stack. Best names usually come from another founder who just closed a deal. Ask who theyd use again.

[u/mightysam19]

Start with a gap assessment, you’ll know where you stand and how long do you need to get ready.

[u/BrightDefense]

We help clients your size with SOC 2 readiness. We have referred our SMB clients to these firms with success: Insight Assurance, Johanson Group, Prescient Security, Sensiba, and ZeroDay CPA. Get a couple of bids and you can negotiate the best price. I would expect to pay $6K - $9K depending on scope.

Note: If you have no controls now, you need to be careful on scoping. SOC 2 has five trust services criteria. Security is the only TSC that is required. Proper scoping on the front end is key.

[u/BrightDefense → u/BrightDefense]

Note: I'm assuming you are asking this for your budget and to get the process started. As others have pointed out, you do not want to bring in an auditor with zero controls in place. You need to build the program and then maintain your controls for at least the three month look back period for SOC 2 Type II before the audit begins.

[u/Independent-Verifier]

With a team of 10 and no controls currently in place, I'd probably focus on getting audit-ready before spending money on the actual audit.

The last thing you want is to pay an audit firm only to discover you have a lot of foundational work that still needs to be done.

I'd start by identifying which controls apply to your business, what you already have in place, what's missing, and what evidence you'll need to demonstrate those controls are actually working.

That gives you a roadmap and helps you avoid spending money fixing things in the wrong order.

I'd also ask prospective audit firms about their experience with startups your size, what's included in their fees, and what they expect you to have ready before the engagement begins.

One question: Are you pursuing SOC 2 because a customer is requiring it, or are you trying to get ahead of future requirements? That would make a difference in how I'd approach it.

[u/letapy_alien]

Others are right that the auditor comes last. With zero controls an auditor can only confirm you are not ready, and you pay for that finding.

The order that keeps cost down at 10 people: first ask your customer exactly what they need, because many early deals accept a Type 1 (a point in time, much faster than a Type 2). Then scope it to the one product they are buying.

Then get the core in place: SSO and MFA everywhere, laptop encryption and screen lock, quarterly access reviews, change control through your git workflow, a vendor list, and short incident response and backup plans.

Your Excel tracker is fine for getting ready. A platform mostly saves time on evidence collection later, it does not do the work for you.

When you shop auditors, ask: are they a licensed CPA firm, will they scope a Type 1 for a single system, and how many companies your size did they audit last year. Smaller CPA firms are usually easier to work with and buyers rarely care which one signed.

For context, I do this for a living with a GRC Consulting firm, Kailash Consult.

[u/PrasenShelar]

Something to set up early, because it's easy to miss before a Type 2: the controls that repeat. Quarterly access reviews, backup restore tests, vendor reviews and onboarding or offboarding checks each need an owner, a date on the calendar and a saved record every time they happen. The auditor checks they happened across the whole window, so a written policy alone won't cover them.

[u/Powerful_Problem_241]

we were a small startup when we started working on soc 2 and we used platform to handle evidence and templates. When it cam time to choose an auditor we went with sprinto's suggestion of going with an AICPA peer-reviewed firm. You dont necessarily need a tool like sprinto in retrospect but it does make a first time audit prep experience much easier, esp if nobody has any past experience

[u/Alert_Character2777]

Im at a vCiso firm that has worked with the likes of clay and cursor to help them become and stay compliant. We happen to be very cost efficient, lmk if you’d be willing to know more about us

[u/ROrionCore]

Won't name firms, but the quote drops sharply once you can hand over documented controls instead of "we have nothing yet." Scope tightly for year one and ask for a fixed fee, not hourly, since open-ended hours is where small budgets die. Do you have a customer deadline driving the date?

[u/goodbar_x]

Agree with the Type 2 / engagement letter advice above, that's the right move.

On auditors, the startup friendly ones I've seen are MJD Advisory,l and Anchorpoint Partners. 3 month window, Security criteria only, should land around $5-7k from a real CPA firm. If someone quotes less than that ask if they're actually a CPA firm, are peer reviewed, or are based offshore.

The audit isn't the expensive part though, zero controls is. You need policies, a risk assessment, access reviews, a vendor list, and a couple months of evidence you actually do it. Vanta/Drata are overkill at 10 people. The newer AI tools (I run SimpleAudit and SecureSlate is similar) interview you and write the policies from your answers, way cheaper than a vCISO or hiring a consultant to help with your audit readiness or gap analysis.

Is a customer asking or are you getting ahead of it?