A prospect asks for your SOC 2 report. Whether you can answer in weeks or months depends on one choice: Type I or Type II. Here is how the two differ in cost, timeline and buyer acceptance.
Type I: are controls designed properly on a given date? Type II: did they operate effectively over a period?
Readiness, then either a point-in-time audit (Type I) or an observation window (Type II).
Use Type I to unblock a deal only when the buyer accepts it; most enterprise buyers ultimately want Type II.
SOC 2 is an attestation framework from the AICPA. The report is issued by an independent licensed CPA firm and evaluates your controls against the Trust Services Criteria: Security (always in scope), plus Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality and Privacy where they matter to your customers.
Both start with readiness: scoping, selecting Trust Services Criteria, gap assessment, remediation, policies and evidence collection. A Type I audit can follow as soon as controls are in place. A Type II needs the observation window to run before fieldwork, which is why first Type II reports often use a shorter window (for example, three to six months) and later reports move to an annual cycle.
Indicative pricing: VVnT SeQuor’s SOC 2 readiness support starts from INR 2,00,000. The CPA firm’s audit fee is separate and paid to the firm that issues your report; it is typically higher for Type II than Type I.
If a specific buyer will accept a Type I to move forward, a Type I followed by a Type II is a sensible path. If your buyers are large enterprises, plan for Type II from the outset and use the readiness phase to start the observation window as early as possible. If you are also pursuing ISO 27001, run both on one control set — see SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 and our SOC 2 readiness service.
An independent licensed CPA firm. Readiness consultants prepare you for the audit; they do not issue the report.
No. SOC 2 is an attestation report containing the auditor’s opinion on your controls, not a certificate.
Readiness, then an observation window commonly between three and twelve months, then audit fieldwork and the report. First reports often use a shorter window.
Yes. Indian companies that sell to US and global enterprise buyers commonly obtain SOC 2 reports from CPA firms, with readiness work done locally.
With VVnT SeQuor, SOC 2 readiness support starts from INR 2,00,000, depending on scope, Trust Services Criteria and current maturity. The CPA firm’s audit fee is separate.