SOC 2 Readiness Assessmentfor SaaS Companies
Get a SOC 2 readiness score + cost range in under 2 minutes.
See what to fix first before you talk to an auditor.
This is not a certification, audit, or compliance software. It’s a readiness assessment.
What you’ll get
- Readiness score (0–100) + band (Early-stage / Near-ready / Audit-ready)
- Estimated cost range (auditor + tooling + internal effort)
- Top next steps auditors expect (highest impact first)
No sales pitch — just clarity on what’s slowing your audit.
Free • 2 minutes • Business email required
Deciding audit type? Read the SOC 2 Type I vs Type II guide.
Trust & privacy
- Why free? Built to help early-stage teams understand SOC 2 without sales pressure. No sales calls.
- No login required; business email required to see results.
- Reliability: Estimates are directional ranges based on common SOC 2 readiness patterns. Use as planning guidance, not audit advice.
About: Built by the RiscLens team (contact: reports@risclens.com). Independent SOC 2 readiness project. See Terms and Privacy. No lock-in.
Why SOC 2 Matters for SaaS Companies
For SaaS Companies, SOC 2 compliance is often a prerequisite for enterprise sales and establishing trust in high-stakes environments.
Common scenarios where SOC 2 becomes essential:
- •Enterprise sales cycles — Security questionnaires often stall or fail without a SOC 2 report
- •Handling customer data — SaaS platforms processing or storing customer data face scrutiny
- •Integrations and partnerships — API partners and integration ecosystems may require compliance
- •Investor due diligence — Growth-stage investors increasingly expect SOC 2 as table stakes
The earlier you understand your SOC 2 readiness posture, the more time you have to remediate gaps without derailing critical business opportunities.
About RiscLens
Our mission is to provide transparency and clarity to early-stage technology companies navigating the complexities of SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance.
Who we serve
Built specifically for early-stage and growing technology companies—SaaS, fintech, and healthcare tech—preparing for their first SOC 2 audit or responding to enterprise customer requirements.
What we provide
Clarity before commitment. We help teams understand realistic cost ranges, timeline expectations, and common gaps before they engage auditors or expensive compliance vendors.
Our Boundaries
We do not provide legal advice, audit services, or certifications. Our assessments support internal planning—they are not a substitute for professional compliance guidance.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a voluntary compliance standard for service organizations, developed by the AICPA, which specifies how organizations should manage customer data based on the Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
Common SOC 2 Readiness Challenges for SAAS
1. Cloud Infrastructure Complexity
Multi-cloud deployments, containerized workloads, and serverless architectures require clear documentation of security boundaries. Auditors need to understand your shared responsibility model and how you secure each layer.
2. Access Control at Scale
SaaS companies typically manage access for developers, operations, support, and customer success teams — each with different permission requirements. Implementing least-privilege access and maintaining audit trails is a common gap.
3. Multi-Tenant Data Isolation
For SaaS platforms serving multiple customers, demonstrating logical or physical data isolation is critical. Auditors evaluate how tenant data is segregated at the database, application, and infrastructure levels.
4. Continuous Deployment and Change Management
Fast-moving engineering teams often ship multiple times per day. SOC 2 requires documented change management processes, code review evidence, and deployment approval workflows — which may need formalization.
5. Vendor and Subprocessor Management
SaaS products rely on third-party services — payment processors, analytics, email providers. You need documented vendor risk assessments and evidence that critical subprocessors meet security standards.
SOC 2 FAQs for SaaS Companies
When should a SaaS company start SOC 2?
Most SaaS companies begin SOC 2 preparation when enterprise sales require it — typically when closing deals with companies that have formal vendor security requirements. Starting 3–6 months before you need the report allows time for remediation without rushing. Beginning earlier, when controls are being designed, is more cost-effective than retrofitting later.
Do we need SOC 2 Type I or Type II?
Most enterprise customers prefer Type II, which demonstrates that controls operated effectively over a period (typically 6–12 months). However, many SaaS companies start with Type I to establish a baseline and satisfy immediate customer requirements, then progress to Type II. Your customers' security teams will specify which report they accept.
What Trust Service Criteria apply to SaaS?
Security is always in scope. Beyond that, the criteria depend on your product and customer commitments:
- •Availability — if you have uptime SLAs or availability commitments
- •Confidentiality — if you handle confidential customer data or IP
- •Privacy — if you process personal information with specific privacy obligations
- •Processing Integrity — if accuracy and completeness of data processing is critical
How does cloud infrastructure affect SOC 2 scope?
Cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and GCP maintain their own SOC 2 reports, which you can reference. However, your audit covers how you configure and use those services. Auditors evaluate your security configurations, access controls, monitoring, and incident response — not the underlying cloud infrastructure.
What documentation do SaaS companies typically lack?
Common documentation gaps for SaaS companies include:
- •Formal information security policies and procedures
- •Documented change management and code review processes
- •Vendor risk assessments and third-party agreements
- •Incident response plans with defined escalation paths
- •Access review evidence and offboarding checklists
Can we use compliance automation tools?
Yes. Platforms like Vanta, Drata, Secureframe, and others can streamline evidence collection and policy management. These tools integrate with your cloud infrastructure and business systems to automate monitoring. However, they are tools — not substitutes for implementing actual controls. Auditors evaluate your controls, not your tooling.
Ready to assess your SaaS Companies's SOC 2 readiness?
Start your free assessmentSOC 2 readiness for other industries: Fintech Companies