Question 1

What's actually included in your compliance services?

Accepted Answer

Full compliance program: gap assessment (identify what you're missing for SOC 2/HIPAA/PCI/ISO—2-4 weeks), remediation guidance (roadmap with priorities, timelines, costs—implement over 3-6 months), policy development (create required policies and procedures), evidence collection automation (set up tools to gather audit evidence continuously), audit preparation (organize evidence, prep team for auditor interviews), audit support (attend audit meetings, answer technical questions). Deliverables: completed compliance framework (SOC 2, HIPAA, etc.), policies and procedures documented, evidence package for auditors, passing audit result. Timeline: 6-12 months for first certification, 3-6 months for renewals. Cost: $30K-$100K depending on framework complexity and starting point. What we don't do: become your ongoing CISO (we get you compliant, then hand off) unless you want managed services.

Question 2

How is your approach different from hiring a compliance consultant?

Accepted Answer

Systematic automation vs manual labor: most consultants deliver 100-page policy manual, leave you to collect evidence manually (screenshot every access control quarterly—dozens of hours). We implement automation: GRC platform (Drata, Vanta, Secureframe) continuously collects evidence ($3K-$12K/year tool cost, saves 50+ hours/quarter manual work), integrate with existing tools (pull evidence from Okta, AWS, GitHub automatically), document as we implement (policies match actual systems, not generic templates). Traditional consultant: $50K-$100K, get policies and one-time audit, evidence collection is your problem. Our approach: $40K-$80K implementation + $5K-$15K/year ongoing automation, policies + audit + continuous evidence collection + automation that makes renewals easier. Saves 100+ hours annually on evidence gathering.

Question 3

Can you guarantee we'll pass our SOC 2 audit?

Accepted Answer

We guarantee preparedness, not auditor decisions (auditors are independent, we can't control their judgment). Our guarantee: we'll get you ready for audit—gaps identified and remediated, evidence collected, team prepared. If audit finds gaps we missed, we'll remediate at no additional cost and re-audit. Can't guarantee: auditor won't find any findings (minor findings are common even for mature companies), timeline (unexpected gaps may delay certification), or specific auditor preferences (some auditors are stricter). Success rate: 95% of clients pass audit first time with minor findings only (addressed before final report). 5% need remediation and re-audit (usually due to business changes during audit, not our miss). Before engaging: we do preliminary assessment, tell you realistic timeline and probability of passing. Don't promise what we can't deliver—if you're not ready for audit, we'll tell you upfront and provide remediation roadmap.

Question 4

How long does it take to get compliant starting from nothing?

Accepted Answer

SOC 2 from scratch: 9-12 months (gap assessment 1 month, remediation 6-9 months, audit 2-3 months). HIPAA: 6-9 months (simpler than SOC 2—self-assessed, no formal audit). PCI-DSS: 3-6 months (depends on transaction volume, Level 4 merchants can self-assess). ISO 27001: 12-18 months (comprehensive, formal certification). Factors affecting timeline: starting security posture (mature security → faster compliance), staff availability (implementing controls requires internal time), complexity (5-person company → 3-6 months, 100-person company → 9-12 months). Can't rush: SOC 2 Type II requires 3-6 months of evidence (logs, access reviews, backups tested quarterly). Expedited timeline possible for Type I (point-in-time audit, no historical evidence required—3-6 months total). Most companies: budget 6-12 months for first certification, then 3-6 months for annual renewals.

Question 5

What's the biggest compliance mistake companies make?

Accepted Answer

Treating compliance as documentation exercise instead of implementing actual security. Companies hire consultant to write beautiful policies, never implement them, fail audit when auditors test controls. Example: policy says 'MFA required for all accounts,' auditors check and half the accounts don't have MFA—finding. Policy says 'quarterly access reviews,' auditors ask for evidence, company did none—finding. Fix: implement controls operationally first (actually enable MFA, actually do quarterly reviews, actually test backups), then document what you're doing (policies describe actual reality). Don't pay consultant to write policies your organization won't follow—invest in actually implementing security, document truthfully. Auditors test controls, not just read policies. Better to have simple policy you actually follow than comprehensive policy you ignore.

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