Compliance is complicated.

You're getting pulled into enterprise deals. Someone said you need SOC 2. Now you're comparing Vanta vs. Drata vs. SecureFrame and they all sound the same.
Here's what they're not telling you: which platform you pick matters less than how you scope the engagement. Get that wrong, and you'll waste months and money on a certification that doesn't actually help you close deals.
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We're not a compliance platform.
We're the people who help you figure out what you actually need.
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What most founders learn the hard way

We've helped dozens of companies through compliance. These are the mistakes we see over and over.

The badge doesn't stop the questions

You'll still get security questionnaires. You'll still face technical due diligence. SOC 2 is table stakes, not a finish line.

Compliance tools are only half the battle

Vanta, Drata, and SecureFrame are great at evidence collection. They don't tell you what controls you actually need, how to scope your audit, or how to talk about security in a sales call.

A bad SOC 2 is worse than no SOC 2

A rushed or poorly scoped audit creates a false sense of security—and sophisticated buyers will see right through it. Their CISO will ask questions your report doesn't answer.

Scoping mistakes cost months

Wrong trust service criteria? Excluded a system you shouldn't have? You'll either re-scope mid-audit or end up with a report that doesn't satisfy your buyers.

It's not just SOC 2

Different buyers want different things. Picking the wrong framework—or the wrong scope within a framework—costs time and credibility.

SOC 2

The baseline for B2B SaaS. Required by most enterprise buyers, but Type 1 vs Type 2, trust service criteria selection, and scoping decisions matter more than vendors admit.

HIPAA

Non-negotiable for healthcare data. But "HIPAA compliant" isn't a certification—it's an ongoing obligation. Most vendors oversimplify what's actually required.

ISO 27001

The international gold standard. More rigorous than SOC 2, often required for global enterprise deals. Certification requires an accredited body—not just a tool.

NIST CSF

Framework, not certification. Great for building security maturity, often referenced in contracts. But implementing it well requires understanding your actual risk profile.

NIST AI RMF

Emerging framework for AI risk management. If you're building AI products, enterprise buyers are starting to ask about this. Get ahead of it.

PCI DSS

Required if you touch payment card data. Levels matter—SAQ-A is very different from Level 1. Scoping wrong here is expensive.

Questions you should be able to answer before you buy

If you can't confidently answer these, you're not ready to pick a platform yet. And that's fine—that's what we're here for.
Which trust service criteria do you actually need?
Availability matters if you're selling uptime SLAs. Confidentiality if you're handling sensitive data. Processing Integrity if you're doing calculations customers rely on (fintech, analytics).
What systems should be in scope? What can legitimately be excluded?
Anything that touches customer data or affects the service you're selling is in scope. You can often exclude internal tools (HR systems, marketing platforms) if they're properly segmented.
Type 1 or Type 2? When does the distinction actually matter to buyers?
Type 1 is a point-in-time snapshot: "these controls exist." Type 2 covers a period (usually 6-12 months): "these controls exist and we can prove they worked." Most enterprise buyers want Type 2. Type 1 is useful as a stepping stone or to unblock a deal while you work toward Type 2, but plan to upgrade.
Do you need SOC 2, or would ISO 27001 serve you better for your target market?
SOC 2 is the standard in North America. ISO 27001 carries more weight in Europe, UK, and with global enterprises. If your buyers are primarily US-based companies, SOC 2. If you're selling into EU or multinational corporations, consider ISO 27001 first—or plan for both.
How do you handle carve-outs for third-party services?
You can carve out infrastructure providers (AWS, GCP) by referencing their own SOC 2 reports. Same for major SaaS tools. But you're still responsible for how you configure and use them. Your report will list these carve-outs—sophisticated buyers will check if you're hiding risk behind them.
What's the gap between your current state and audit-ready?
Depends on your maturity. Seed-stage startups with no formal security program: 3-6 months of work. Series A/B with some basics in place: 1-3 months. The compliance platform handles evidence collection, not gap remediation. You need to actually implement the controls first.

15 minutes could save you months

Before you sign with a vendor, before you kick off an audit, talk to someone who's seen how this goes wrong. Free call, no pitch, just help you think through it.

What to actually consider when comparing vendors

Beyond the feature matrices and pricing pages.

Automation vs. Expertise

Tools automate evidence collection. They don't replace knowing what controls you need or how to implement them properly.

Auditor Relationships

Some platforms bundle auditors, some don't. Bundled isn't always better—or cheaper. Independence matters.

Framework Coverage

Starting with SOC 2 but need HIPAA later? ISO 27001? Make sure your platform investment scales with you.

Integration Depth

How well does it connect to your actual stack? Partial integrations mean manual evidence collection anyway.

True Cost

Platform fee + auditor fee + internal time + ongoing maintenance. The sticker price is never the real price.

Exit Strategy

What happens if you outgrow the platform or want to switch? Where does your evidence live?
We're not a compliance platform. We're the people who help you figure out what you actually need.

Why talk to Adversis first?

Platform agnostic

We work with Vanta, Drata, SecureFrame, and others. We recommend what fits your situation, not what pays us the best referral fee.

Scoping expertise

We've done this many times. We know which decisions matter and which ones don't.

Beyond the badge

We help you show up credible in enterprise sales conversations—not just pass an audit.

No pitch, just clarity

Our intro call is free. We'll help you understand what you need even if you never hire us.

Feel like you need an expert in your corner?

Get in touch, who knows, we might even become friends.
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Don’t take our word for it –
trust our customers

[Adversis] was incredibly helpful in conducting a security assessment for our new Saas product. Easy to work with, quick to do the assessment, and delivered a report that was actionable without a bunch of fluff.
Mike Julian
CEO, The Duckbill Group
Partnering with Adversis was one of my firm's best business decisions. The Adversis team did a fantastic job fortifying our cybersecurity defenses and guiding us through the complex world of cybersecurity with ease and clarity. The team was highly skilled, professional, and simply fun to work with. The process they used is impeccable. They took the time to learn about my business and equipped my team with the knowledge of how to keep our new security policies in practice. My firm is small, but they really made my team feel like we got the service and quality of a Fortune 500 company.
Drew Coco
Cofounder, Piedmont Capital Management
I've read through a few pentest reports and found yours better-written and containing a lot less fluff than average. It was also a lot more reasonable its severity assessment than ones I've read in the past: you highlighted legitimate concerns without blowing anything out of proportion. A+ would read again.




Software Engineer
Stealth Startup, San Francisco
We anticipated a standard penetration test—but what we received went far beyond that. Noah and the Adversis team became trusted advisors, bridging a critical knowledge gap in our organization. Their hands-on guidance through CIS v8 and GDPR alignment was instrumental. What would have taken us years to accomplish internally was achieved in months through their structured, transparent, and supportive approach.
Data Systems Director
Pyramid Model Consortium

achievments unlocked

30+

Years of experience solving complex technology problems.

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Cybersecurity tools and frameworks published.

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