Free Checklist: The Startup SOC 2 Readiness Checklist

Trusted by 1,000+ companies for compliance

What's inside the checklist

The short, high-level version of what auditors look for — organized the way you'll actually tackle it. Score each item done, partial, or not started, and you'll know in about ten minutes roughly how ready you are and where the gaps are.

Score yourself honestly

Mark every control done, partial, or not started. A lot of partials and blanks is normal for a first-timer — it just shows how much work is ahead.

Scope & foundations

Type I vs. Type II, which Trust Services Criteria apply, the systems and data in scope, your observation window, and a named program owner.

Policies & access

The core written policies auditors expect — plus SSO, MFA, least-privilege access, periodic access reviews, and clean onboarding/offboarding.

Infrastructure & monitoring

Encryption, backups, vulnerability scanning and patching, centralized logging, alerting, and audit trails retained for the observation window.

Vendors, people & risk

Third-party risk and DPAs, background checks and security training, change management, and a real risk assessment with a maintained register.

Evidence & audit prep

Continuous evidence collection, controls mapped to the criteria, a system description, an engaged audit firm, and an owner for auditor requests.

The 11 categories it covers

Every area an auditor will probe, grouped the way you'll work through it. About sixty individual checks in total.

Scope & foundations
Security policies
Access & identity
Infrastructure & cloud security
Monitoring & logging
Change management & development
Vendor & third-party risk
People & HR security
Risk assessment
Incident response & resilience
Evidence & audit prep

Who this checklist is for

It's written for the first-timer — the founder or engineering leader preparing for a SOC 2 audit for the very first time.

First-time founders & CTOs

You're technical, but you've never owned a SOC 2 — and you'd rather not learn the expensive way, on the clock.

Non-technical founders & CEOs

A customer or investor is asking for a report, and you need to understand the options well enough to make a smart call fast.

Teams under deadline

A deal is gated on SOC 2 and the clock is already running. You need to know the fastest credible path, not the theory.

Price- and quality-sensitive buyers

You want it done right the first time — without overpaying, over-scoping, or burning a quarter of engineering.

“A checklist tells you what needs to be true. It doesn't do the work of making it true — writing the policy, configuring the control, fixing what's failing, or proving it to an auditor.”

— From The Startup SOC 2 Readiness Checklist

Written by the team at Agency

This checklist comes from Agency — a security and compliance team you don't have to hire. U.S.-based forward-deployed engineers, supercharged by our own AI, run your SOC 2 end to end on top of the tools you already trust like Vanta and Drata: virtual CISO, control implementation, evidence collection, continuous monitoring, vendor risk, and audit coordination — all included, without adding headcount.

&

1,000+ companies served
Y Combinatorbacked
Top-tier partner at Vanta & Drata
End‑to‑end vCISO, evidence & audit coordination

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the checklist really free?

Yes. Enter your work email and we'll send the PDF straight to your inbox — no cost and no commitment, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Who is the SOC 2 readiness checklist for?

First-time founders and engineering leaders preparing for their first SOC 2 audit. No prior compliance background is assumed — it's the short, high-level version of what auditors look for, organized the way you'll actually tackle it.

What does the checklist cover?

Eleven control categories auditors care about: scope and foundations, security policies, access and identity, infrastructure and cloud security, monitoring and logging, change management, vendor and third-party risk, people and HR security, risk assessment, incident response, and evidence and audit prep.

Will the checklist make me audit-ready?

It tells you what needs to be true; it doesn't do the work of making it true — writing the policy, configuring the control, fixing what's failing, or proving it to an auditor. That work is where the DIY, platform, or operated paths come in.

Is this the same as a readiness assessment?

No. This is a roughly ten-minute self-check to see where you stand. A formal readiness assessment goes much deeper. Agency offers a free readiness review that tells you exactly where you stand and the fastest path to done.

Can Agency get us audit-ready?

Yes. Agency runs your SOC 2 program end to end on top of Vanta or Drata — virtual CISO, control implementation, evidence collection, vendor risk, and audit coordination — without adding headcount. Request a walkthrough to see what it would look like for your startup.

The Startup SOC 2 Readiness Checklist

What's inside the checklist

The 11 categories it covers

Who this checklist is for

Written by the team at Agency

Frequently Asked Questions

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