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当你在SaaS初创公司工作时, your focus will be split between various responsibilities — including product development, 销售, 筹款及其他. In this stage of early growth, it may be hard to prioritize which tasks to complete first. 当然，有些事情会半途而废.
Unfortunately, compliance is something that is often deprioritized. It’s tough to make sense of all the different certifications out there and designate the appropriate resources to undergo time-consuming audits. It is easy to see why some SaaS startups put compliance aside while they focus on other areas of the business.
然而，随着 数据泄露的平均代价 超过400万美元, it’s no wonder compliance and cybersecurity assurance are practically considered mandatory for all startups looking to remain competitive (and protected!).
For SaaS organizations just getting started with compliance, here are three tips to keep your organization safe and successful:
#1:不要拖延合规任务
SaaS初创公司需要赢得新客户. However, many prospects hesitate to work with an organization relatively new to the market. 经常, potential customers fear that newer companies aren’t as mature when it comes to cybersecurity processes and procedures — and therefore, 担心他们的数据不安全.
Obtaining certifications and adopting trusted cybersecurity frameworks is one of the main ways to help reduce these fears, build trust and reassure prospective customers about your startup’s dedication to data security.
Even if your startup is not at the point where it wants to begin earning certifications, there are many practices you can implement to minimize risk from the beginning. 这些包括:
- 确定你的风险最高的区域. Communicate identified risk areas to the rest of the company. This ensures the entire team is on the same page concerning the startup’s highest priorities.
- 投资技术. Startups should make sure they have both educational tools for internal staff and security tools to maximize their protection and mitigate the risk of data loss. It’s also important to invest in compliance automation software that assesses your level of readiness prior to beginning the audit and streamlines your compliance efforts.
- 创建业务连续性计划. 在事件发生之前, develop and test a plan of what to do in the event of a ransomware attack or major cybersecurity event. Having a solid continuity plan in place will minimize the amount of downtime following a major event, lessening the amount of money that could be potentially lost due to the downtime.
#2:优先考虑SOC 2审计
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) audits assess an organization’s ability to securely handle customer data. 近年来， SOC 2审计 have become the gold standard of information security attestations.
SOC 2报告的好处
SaaS startups can reap a host of benefits by undergoing a SOC 2 examination. 获得SOC 2认证可以:
- Help SaaS startups develop strong policies and procedures
- 与潜在客户建立信任和信誉, 银行和投资者同时寻求筹集更多资金
- Provide a competitive advantage that sets you apart from other SaaS startups in the field
获取SOC 2报告的资源
幸运的是，有 许多资源 for startups to leverage when undergoing the SOC 2 examination process.
创业公司可能会受益于完成一个 SOC 2准备情况评估，因为它可以节省组织的时间和金钱. Readiness assessments are like trial runs of the official audit that will take place during the SOC 2 certification process. The results from this assessment will identify high-risk control gaps in your systems and provide you with recommendations on how to fix the areas of concern before you begin the actual audit process.
#3:审计公司合伙人
遵从性可能很难驾驭, especially for startups still trying to get their feet on the ground. 尽量减少内部团队的压力, SaaS startups can benefit from partnering with an audit firm early on to guide compliance management and security priorities.
A firm should act as a trusted partner that can advise you which compliance tasks/frameworks make the most sense for your industry, 目标客户和你成长的每个阶段.
对于希望与美国联邦机构合作的初创公司, 例如, auditors will advise you to prioritize industry-specific authorizations like FedRAMP或StateRAMP. These two authorizations can be lengthy even for well-established organizations to manage independently. Startups should team up with an audit firm that can provide additional tools and expert guidance to streamline the process.
Look for an auditor that offers a wide range of services you can utilize as you scale your business. A-LIGN, 例如, offers general cybersecurity certifications/audits as well as industry-specific certifications that companies may need as their client base grows. 此外，凭借其合规管理软件， A-SCEND, A-LIGN can carry organizations from readiness evaluation to report, 简化整个合规流程.
今天就开始你的合规之旅
遵从性对于SaaS初创公司来说是必须的. Growth-stage companies should prioritize creating a strong security infrastructure early in the process and continue scaling that infrastructure as the organization grows.
Partnering with an auditor with extensive experience in meeting the requirements of a broad range of compliance standards and security frameworks will allow SaaS startups to successfully navigate the compliance landscape.
