Free Guide: The Startup's Guide to Buying SOC 2

Trusted by 1,000+ companies for compliance

What's inside the guide

A high-level, practical buyer's guide to the lay of the land — written for the first-timer, with no jargon and no assumptions. Six pages, nine short chapters, about a ten-minute read.

SOC 2 in plain English

Why it's a report and not a certificate, how scope actually works, and the five Trust Services Criteria — explained without the acronyms.

Type I vs. Type II

The one decision that trips everyone up, and how to tell which one your deal actually needs — so you don't pay for two audits.

The four-phase journey

Readiness, the observation window, the audit, and the report — what actually happens at each step, and where the effort really lives.

The three ways to get it done

DIY with spreadsheets, buy a GRC platform and run it yourself, or have it operated for you — with the honest tradeoffs of each.

How to choose your path

A five-question framework that matches the approach to your stage, your budget, and how much engineering time you can really spare.

First-timer mistakes to avoid

Over-scoping, starting the audit before the practices, treating a tool as a team, ignoring vendor risk — and how to sidestep them.

Who this guide is for

It's written for the first-timer — the founder or engineering leader staring down a SOC 2 request 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.

“Automation removes the busywork of gathering evidence. It doesn't remove the judgment of running a security program. The three paths are really three answers to one question: who is going to do this work?”

— From The Startup's Guide to Buying SOC 2

Written by the team at Agency

This guide 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 guide 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 startup guide for?

First-time founders and engineering leaders evaluating SOC 2 for the first time. No prior compliance background is assumed — it's written as a plain-English buyer's guide to the lay of the land.

What's the difference between SOC 2 Type I and Type II?

SOC 2 Type I confirms your controls are designed properly at a single point in time. Type II observes your controls operating over a period of time (commonly 3 to 12 months), which is stronger evidence. Most enterprise buyers ultimately want Type II. The guide explains when each one makes sense.

Do I need a GRC platform like Vanta or Drata?

A GRC platform automates evidence collection and monitoring, but it doesn't write your policies, remediate failing controls, or face the auditor for you. The guide breaks down the three common paths — DIY with spreadsheets, buying a platform and running it yourself, or having the program operated for you.

How long does a first SOC 2 take?

A Type I can be achieved quickly to unblock an urgent deal; a Type II adds an observation window during which your controls must operate. The single biggest predictor of a smooth audit is how well your day-to-day security operation runs during that window. The guide explains the timeline in plain terms.

Can Agency just do SOC 2 for us?

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's Guide to Buying SOC 2

What's inside the guide

Who this guide is for

Written by the team at Agency

Frequently Asked Questions

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