r/soc2

We’re a small company of about 60 people with a 3 person IT team. I’m currently the only dedicated security person.

Most of our technical IT/security operations are handled by a third-party MSP, while I’m leading the internal effort to get us ready for SOC 2. We recently started using Drata to help manage evidence, controls, and compliance tracking.

For those who have gone through SOC 2 in a similar setup: is it realistic for one internal security person to lead the SOC 2 readiness process, assuming the MSP handles most technical implementation? Or would you strongly recommend hiring a SOC 2 consultant to help with readiness before engaging an auditor?

I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has done this in a small-company environment. What worked, what didn’t, and what would you do differently?

small note, we are not urgently looking to get certified but as soon as better.

I am 4th Year BCA student and recently i have started studying Cyber Security fundamentals (almost completed) and i am very confused in SOC analyst profile.

Many peoples say do this, some says do this, i can't find a clear way to do SOC analyst nor I have someone who could guide me.

Guys please Tell me that for a SOC Analyst L1 Job What should i have to study.

Talking to a few founders lately about SOC 2/ISO 27001 and trying to understand

the real experience (not the marketing-page version from Vanta/Drata).

If you've been through it (or are avoiding it), curious about:

- Did you do it yourself, hire a consultant, or use a platform?

- What actually took the most time / was the most annoying part?

- Did a specific deal or investor actually require it, or was it "nice to have"?

- If you haven't done it yet — what's stopping you? Cost, time, or just not

knowing where to start?

Not selling anything, just trying to understand the real pain points before

building/recommending anything in this space. Happy to share what I find back

in the thread.

[Avow](https://avow.sh/?ref=tokenlimit.news) is the SOC 2 platform we wished we'd had. We built it after our own SOC 2 Type 2, where the audit passed but the workflow was miserable, and where the incumbents wouldn't even show a price without booking a call. Evidence streams in real time from AWS, GitHub, and Google Workspace, you fix from an action feed instead of a dashboard maze, and your auditor gets a scoped, read-only portal. One framework, done deep. If you are heading into a SOC 2, or staring at a renewal hike from Vanta or Drata, take a look.

[https://tokenlimit.news/we-launched-avow-openai-gpt-5-6-claude-export-ban/\](https://tokenlimit.news/we-launched-avow-openai-gpt-5-6-claude-export-ban/)

For a small startup, trying to just get the criterion of Security, what's a good price for the audit, just the plain audit.

some quote 20k while others go till 30, at the same time some of my peers told me they got it done in 2-5k not sure what to believe.

recommendations of these said CPA firms which satisfy my requirement are well appreciated!