As an early stage startup, preparing for and receiving SOC2 certification was a big decision (both product & financial resource-wise). However, at Align AI, we’ve always embraced data privacy and security as our utmost priority — deciding to start our compliance journey early was a no-brainer!

Here are some of our key takeaways:

Start early

Delaying certification might seem convenient at first, but honestly, it’s easier to implement compliance while your organization is still relatively small. As you scale, the complexity of implementing organization-wide changes increases. Starting early and embedding a commitment to data privacy early on is important to build trust with your customers.

Involve the entire organization

Preparing for compliance isn’t limited to a certain department; rather, it spans the entire company. At Align AI, we worked organization-wide to ensure that everyone understood our commitment to data privacy and security (this involved watching some fun training videos too)!

Leverage platforms like Vanta

There are great platforms out there like Vanta, Drata, etc. that support organizations in their compliance journeys. We leveraged the Vanta platform to understand all the technical requirements of SOC2 compliance and ensure that we met every single requirement.

Collaborate with your auditor

Choosing the right auditor is crucial for ensuring compliance success. We selected an auditor that was both compatible with the Vanta platform and understood our specific business needs.

In conclusion

The entire process involving months of effort from our company was a valuable investment. It has also communicated our team’s strong commitment to data privacy and security!

If you have any questions about Align AI’s data practices or would like to learn more about how to leverage Align AI to understand conversational data, please reach out at support@tryalign.ai!