SOC 2, handled by the CTO who is already running the platform.
Not a compliance consultancy. A fractional or interim CTO who has taken a company from no program to a passed audit while the team kept shipping, and who treats SOC 2 as one part of running engineering well.
SOC 2 is rarely the engagement. It is usually one deliverable inside an interim CTO or fractional CTO engagement, because the controls live in the same architecture, pipelines, and access model the CTO already owns. If SOC 2 is the only thing you need, I will say so and point you to a compliance firm.
Six parts of SOC 2 readiness, owned by one person
Most of the work is engineering and operations, not paperwork. That's why it belongs with a CTO rather than a consultant who can't change the system.
Scoping
Which Trust Services Criteria, which systems, which people. A scope that satisfies the customers asking for the report without auditing things that don't matter.
Gap assessment
Two weeks. How you operate today versus what the controls require, ranked by effort, with a real audit date at the end.
Controls and engineering
Access reviews, logging, change management, backups, encryption, vendor review, and incident response. Built into the PR and CI/CD flow the team already uses.
Evidence and tooling
A compliance automation platform that fits your stack, connected to your cloud, identity provider, and repos so evidence collects itself.
Auditor selection
Shortlist, references, scope negotiation, and timing. The right auditor for a company your size, not the one with the biggest logo.
Enterprise security reviews
Questionnaires, security addenda, and the calls where the buyer's security team wants a CTO on the line. Before the report exists and after.
From no program to a report
A focused team with a defined scope can move quickly. The gap assessment in the first two weeks tells you how long yours will take.
Gap assessment and plan
Scope, current state, the control gaps, the tooling decision, and an audit date. Written down and reviewed with leadership.
Controls and evidence
Engineering changes, policies people will actually follow, the compliance platform connected, and evidence collecting. Product work continues alongside.
Type I, or the Type II observation period
Auditor engaged, evidence reviewed, questions answered. For Type II, the controls keep operating through the observation period.
Keep it running
Quarterly access reviews, vendor reviews, and the habits that make next year's audit routine. Handed to your team, or kept on a fractional cadence.
The controls go into the system, not on top of it
- No freeze. Change management becomes the PR review and CI gates the team already has, with the evidence captured automatically.
- Access that fits the org. Role-based access and quarterly reviews sized for a team of five, not a bank.
- Policies people read. Short, specific to your stack, and reviewed with the people who have to follow them.
- The team learns it. By the audit, your engineers can explain the controls to a customer without me in the room.
A platform build with SOC 2 in the same quarter
At Hook Security, a venture-backed cybersecurity SaaS company with a five-person technology team, we took the platform from an idea with no plan to more than 200,000 monthly active users, with ARR 2.2x and still accelerating since the platform release. In the same quarter, the same team passed SOC 2 in three months from no formal compliance program.
Read the case study →SOC 2 readiness questions
What is SOC 2 readiness?
The work before the audit: deciding scope, closing the gaps between how you operate and what the controls require, collecting evidence, and choosing an auditor. Readiness done well means the audit itself is uneventful.
SOC 2 Type I or Type II?
Type I reports on your controls at a point in time. Type II reports on them operating over an observation period. Many companies start with Type I to unblock a deal and move to Type II. I recommend based on who is asking for the report and when they need it.
How long does SOC 2 take?
At Hook Security, a venture-backed cybersecurity SaaS company we passed SOC 2 in three months from no formal compliance program. Your timeline depends on scope and how much of the control set already exists. The gap assessment in the first two weeks gives you a real date.
Do we need a compliance automation platform?
Usually yes, for evidence collection and policy management. I recommend one that fits your stack and budget. I don't resell any of them and I take no referral fees.
Will product work stop during SOC 2?
No. The controls go into the existing pull request, CI/CD, and access flows, so the team keeps shipping while evidence collects itself. At Hook Security, SOC 2 and the platform build happened in the same quarter with a five-person technology team.
Can you help with enterprise security questionnaires?
Yes. Questionnaires, security reviews, and the customer calls where a buyer's security team wants to talk to your CTO.
What does SOC 2 readiness cost?
Scoped after a call. Most clients fold this into an interim or fractional CTO engagement rather than buying it on its own. Readiness usually runs as a fractional engagement, half a day to two days a week, at my standard day rate of $2,400 or on a monthly retainer. The auditor and any compliance platform are separate costs you contract directly.
Need a CTO who can get you through SOC 2 along the way?
Start with the engagement. SOC 2 comes with it.