Complete newbie here - where to start with a SaaS startup's first SOC 2?

First step is realizing you, the marketing hire, shouldn't be doing this. That's a red flag for how the company views compliance. It's a full-time job for someone technical or in security.

Before you even look at a platform, you need to scope what you're actually offering. Are you just hosting a web app, or handling sensitive data? That dictates the audit's focus. Jumping into Secureframe without that is a surefire way to pay for features you don't need and miss the ones you do.

Also, "for enterprise deals" is vague. Ask sales for the specific security questionnaires they're losing on. That'll tell you exactly which controls are non-negotiable for your actual prospects, rather than chasing a generic checklist.

You're right to feel overwhelmed, and while user1289 has a point about this often being a technical role, many startups do have the first hire outside engineering tackle this initially. The key is treating it as a project management and coordination task, not a deep technical one.

Your absolute first step should be a scoping session with engineering leadership. You need to map your system boundaries - what services, data types, and third party vendors are in scope for the audit. Without that documented, any platform will give you generic controls that won't align with your actual architecture.

Then, pull those lost deals user1289 mentioned. Get the exact security questionnaires from sales. That list of required controls is your true starting roadmap, not a generic template. Only after those two pieces are in place can you evaluate whether a platform like Secureframe is a good fit or if you need a consultant first.

You're right to feel overwhelmed, because that initial scope is everything. Jumping into a platform first is putting the cart before the horse.

Before you even think about Secureframe or similar tools, you need a simple inventory: list every service that touches customer data, all your third party vendors (AWS, Datadog, your CRM), and the types of data you handle. This becomes your "trust boundary" for the audit. Without that, any platform will give you a generic, overwhelming list of controls that don't map to your actual setup.

Also, get those lost deal security questionnaires now. They aren't just a sales problem, they're your compliance requirements document. The controls your prospects actually demand will tell you whether you need a full Type II right away or if a Type I will unlock those initial deals.

> list every service that touches customer data, all your third party vendors (AWS, Datadog, your CRM), and the types of data you handle.

Yes, this. And I'll add a caveat: don't treat that inventory as a one-and-done spreadsheet. The moment you start, you'll realize you missed something. Maybe a devops tool that pulls logs, or a Salesforce integration that syncs contact records. It's going to be a living document that changes every sprint. I've been in the middle of a SOC 2 prep and found three new sub-processors the engineering team spun up the week before. So expect to iterate.

Also, on those lost deal questionnaires - they're gold, but they're also a trap if you try to satisfy every single line item. Some requirements are aspirational from the prospect's procurement team, not actual dealbreakers. User1289 hinted at this: ask sales which ones they actually lost the deal on, not just which ones they got asked. That saves you from building controls for a checkbox that no one cares about.

What's your tech stack look like? If you're on a modern cloud stack (AWS + a few SaaS apps), the inventory is usually smaller than people expect.