u/Cute-Restaurant-3537

Hi everyone, I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask for this. If it’s not plz point to where I can :) .

So I’m looking to get a HIPAA and Hitrust done and also not burn too much $. Does anyone here know a firm which will help me guide through these requirements?

Not a vendor, not selling anything — just sharing because I couldn't find many honest write-ups when I was in the thick of it.

Context: I'm the only IT/security person at a ~40-person AI startup. A large enterprise client sent us their vendor security requirements (27 of them — 24hr incident notification, independent pen test, dedicated encryption keys, RTO/RPO, the works). Passing it was a condition of the deal. So SOC 2 Type II went from "nice to have" to "do this or we lose the contract."

Did it solo. Clean opinion, zero exceptions across 252 points of focus. Deal closed.

Things I wish someone had told me:

• The policies are the easy 20%. The actual work is evidence — proving each control ran consistently over the whole period. Dated screenshots, signed approvals, access reviews, incident records.
• A folder structure + naming convention was worth more than any single control. When the auditor says "show me," you cannot be hunting. Every file dated, every file mapped to a criterion.
• Get signatures early. Approvals are the thing that blocks you at the finish line, because everyone's busy. I front-loaded them.
• Never answer "no" to an auditor. Answer "N/A, and here's why" with justification. A flat no reads as a gap; a justified N/A reads as a decision.
• The one real gap most startups hit is the independent pen test. Enterprises often mandate it. Scanning (Dependabot etc.) is not the same thing. Budget for it.

Happy to answer questions if anyone's staring down their first Type II. It's very doable solo, it's just a grind.