This led us to undertake a System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type I audit performed by Sensiba LLP as a way to demonstrate our commitment to the highest standards of security and confidentiality.

Designing and building product strategies and solutions alongside our clients requires a tremendous amount of trust. Developed by the AICPA, SOC 2 serves as external validation of our commitment to security and risk management at every level of our work. We also viewed it as an opportunity to refine our internal operations, deepen alignment across teams, and ensure that every engagement meets the standards for transformative innovation..

Navigating the SOC 2 Journey

Achieving SOC 2 compliance was certainly no small feat. The process involved multiple phases, requiring cross-functional collaboration and meticulous attention to detail. Here’s how we approached it:

• Foundation: Policy Documentation and Control Implementation
  We documented our policies and operational controls, ensuring they reflected both the scope of our work and the unique demands of our clients. From employee onboarding to system configurations to handling confidential information, we established a comprehensive framework aligned with SOC 2 requirements.
• Inventory and Risk Assessment
  We conducted a full inventory of tools, platforms, and assets used in our operations. Then, we performed a thorough risk assessment and prepared meticulously so clients can be assured of our integrity and reliability when working with us. 
• Audit Preparation: Evidence Gathering
  The most resource-intensive phase was gathering evidence of our adherence to controls. To streamline this, we leveraged compliance automation platforms that integrate with our systems to collect and organize documentation automatically. This minimized manual work and ensured auditors had access to everything they needed.

Tools That Helped Us Succeed

To navigate this complex process, we worked with Vanta to assist in our compliance automation to manage policies, track our controls, and gather evidence. This significantly reduced the manual workload and allowed our team to focus on optimizing our processes. Other tools like Intruder provided continuous monitoring and vulnerability management, with easy integration into our broader monitoring and security workflows. 

Internal Collaboration Frameworks

Our own methodologies for managing projects enabled us to ensure accountability and visibility throughout the compliance journey. These frameworks provided real-time updates, enabling us to stay on top of deadlines and maintain momentum. As a boutique consultancy, our IT Security Team is a small group, so we leveraged automation as much as possible to keep the busy work to a minimum and connect with our existing tools for a seamless experience.

Lessons Learned

Along our SOC 2 journey, several epiphanies emerged on how to balance compliance, innovation, and operational excellence. 

1. Operational Maturity Before Compliance
   Compliance should never be the starting point—it’s a byproduct of robust operational practices. We discovered that our prior investments in operational maturity and security practices made the SOC 2 process smoother and more impactful, ensuring our clients’ data is safeguarded from day one, not just after certification is achieved.
2. Security is a Team Effort
   Compliance is not just an IT initiative—it requires organization-wide buy-in. Our culture of openness and education means our entire team understands that being security-conscious leads to more transformative engagements with our clients. This insight ensures that every client interaction and deliverable is handled with care.
3. Automation Enables Focus
   With the right tools, you can significantly reduce the friction between business operations and compliance. Automating evidence collection, monitoring, and reporting saved us valuable time, allowing us to focus on refining workflows and building scalable, efficient systems.
4. Innovation and Security aren’t in Opposition
   We firmly believe that achieving compliance doesn’t have to come at the cost of stifling innovation. We managed to integrate security and compliance seamlessly into our workflows, ensuring our agile teams could continue building solutions without unnecessary bottlenecks and compromising rigor.
5. Scalable Tools
   Mitigating risk is much like strategic design in that it challenges you to think deeply about how you can stay one step ahead. The key is to craft processes and supporting tools that appropriately manage risk for today’s needs and can be maintained and scaled easily as our business needs and team grow.

Why Does This Matter?

Investing SOC 2 compliance reinforces our philosophy that innovation requires a secure foundation. By demonstrating that our own operational controls, data handling, and security practices meet rigorous industry standards, we can free-up clients to focus on creating and scaling transformative product solutions without worrying about vulnerabilities or compliance risks. 

Moving Forward

Earning SOC 2 compliance was an important milestone (and undertaking!), and it underscored the importance of integrating operational excellence with innovation design. It also sets a new standard for ongoing improvements as Sightglass grows. Because the result of prioritizing security and transparency is greater resilience, which frees you to innovate with confidence. 

Now that we’ve gone through this process ourselves, we’re keen to share our experience with other founders and teams looking to build stronger operational foundations for innovation. If you’re exploring how to make more strategic bets, we’d love to share our learnings.