For early-stage startups working with enterprise clients, building their trust is essential.
We knew from the beginning that DemoHop needed to be a secure and reliable platform. Our customers use DemoHop for online, internal, live knowledge-sharing events with attendees visiting from all over the world – meaning these events would contain sensitive and confidential information. Security has been a top priority for us since day 1, and as we expanded our reach and signed larger enterprise customers, we knew that getting SOC 2 Type II certified was a critical step.
So what did that look like for an early-stage company like ours? Here’s why we pursued this certification, what we learned along the way, and why it matters for startups building today.
Key takeaways for early-stage startups
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Start early: It’s never too soon to think about compliance. Even if you’re pre-revenue, getting SOC 2 Type II certified positions you for future growth.
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Make it part of your culture: Security and compliance should be baked into your startup’s DNA. The best way to achieve this is to build a security-first culture from day one. From the very beginning of DemoHop, long before we started any of the SOC 2 process, we knew this was important. We literally used spreadsheets to track everything before we added an official evidence collection platform. It was a manual process, but it really came in handy to establish the routines and made SOC 2 quite a bit easier for us.
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Automate where possible: Leverage tools that automate auditing, logging, and security processes.
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Lean on expertise: We worked with external advisors to help guide us through the process. There’s no shame in seeking help, and in fact, it can fast-track your certification.
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Follow industry best practices: Especially for your software development, follow the industry best standards. Write unit and integration tests, use trusted frameworks and libraries, have a proper CI/CD pipeline in place (including gates for code review, tests passing + code coverage, and linter), use Terraform for infrastructure changes, use Git for version control, use trusted hosting services, etc. Some of these may be time consuming to set up initially, but they’re worth it and the earlier you do it the easier it is to set up.
Why SOC 2 Type II matters for startups
- Enterprise trust: Enterprise customers expect their vendors to meet stringent security and compliance standards. SOC 2 Type II provides a competitive edge and can be a requirement for potential clients.
Proactive security: Rather than waiting for an incident to occur, SOC 2 forces startups to implement proactive security controls from the get-go. It drives discipline around access management, incident response, data monitoring, and tons more.
Long-term scalability: Startups aiming for growth need scalable security practices. Achieving SOC 2 Type II early means your company is laying a foundation for secure operations as it scales.
Marketing and competitive advantage: Beyond security, SOC 2 certification is also a powerful marketing tool. It signals to prospective customers that security and compliance are central to your business ethos. If your startup is SOC 2 Type II compliant and your competitors aren’t, you’ll have a big advantage.
Expectations
As a small team, we knew obtaining SOC 2 Type II certification was going to be a significant undertaking. Here are some policies and procedures you can expect to implement:
- Control environment: Employee background checks, Code of Conduct, Confidentiality Agreement, performance evaluations, board meetings, organization structure, security awareness trainings, cybersecurity insurance, etc.
- Communication and information: Self-assessments, log management, vulnerability scanning, whistleblower policy, system changes communicated internally and externally, incident response, service descriptions, support system and documentation, third-party agreements, etc.
- Risk assessment: Risk assessment objectives, risk management program, continuity and disaster recovery plans, vendor management program, configuration management system, penetration testing, etc.
- Monitoring: Vulnerability scanning, metric and uptime monitoring, alerting system, etc.
- Control activities: Software development lifecycle (SDLC), access controls, data retention, change management, backups, etc.
- Logical and physical access control: Production inventory, production deployment access restrictions, production database authentication protections, encryption keys, data encryption at rest and in transit, account authentication protections, data classifications, firewall access restrictions, network access restrictions, access request documentation, password policy, MFA, remote access encryption, network segmentation, employee termination procedures, visitor procedures, asset disposal, customer data deletion, MDM system, anti-malware, etc.
- And more!
What's next?
Getting SOC 2 Type II certified is not a one-time event. It’s an ongoing process of maintaining and improving security protocols. At DemoHop, we are committed to continually evolving our practices to meet the highest security standards.
If you’re an early-stage startup considering SOC 2 certification, know that the investment is worth it. Not only does it build trust with clients, but it also strengthens your internal processes and sets you up for long-term success.
DemoHop's trust center
You can view our security and compliance posture at https://trust.demohop.com.
