Pass your audit. Don't fail your business.
SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, CMMC, and NIST CSF readiness — from gap analysis through audit, with practical controls that do not grind your engineering team to a halt.
The 60-day SOC 2 problem
The most common compliance trigger we see is a first enterprise customer asking for a SOC 2 Type 2 report with a 60-day deadline. That is not enough time to achieve SOC 2 Type 2 from scratch — the observation period alone is typically 6 to 12 months — but it is enough time to have a credible conversation with the customer if you can show a gap analysis, a remediation plan, and evidence that work has started. What companies usually lack is someone who can quickly assess where they actually stand, what the auditor will ask for, and which gaps are genuinely blocking versus which ones can be addressed on a documented timeline.
There is also a meaningful difference between passing an audit and building a sustainable compliance program. The first goal gets the customer. The second goal means you are not scrambling again next year. The audit-only approach often produces a policy binder that goes stale in six months, evidence collected manually by engineers who resent it, and controls that exist on paper but not in practice. A sustainable program automates the evidence collection, keeps the policies current, and makes the next audit faster than the first.
Signs you need this
- A customer or prospect is asking for a SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, or PCI-DSS report and you do not have one
- Your engineering team spent the last compliance push writing policies they do not use and gathering evidence they do not understand
- You are not sure which framework applies to your business or whether you need more than one
- You have policies from a previous engagement that were never updated and would not survive auditor scrutiny
- Your compliance platform (Vanta, Drata, or similar) is running but nobody owns the failing checks
- You are entering a new market — federal, healthcare, financial services — that requires a specific attestation
What the engagement delivers
We take you from current state to audit-ready, then help you stay there. The deliverables are concrete artifacts your auditor will ask for, not a framework summary and a list of recommendations. We also coordinate directly with your chosen audit firm so there are no surprises on the day.
Readiness and program build
- Framework selection guidance: which frameworks apply, in what order, and where they overlap so you are not doing the same work twice
- Gap analysis against the selected framework: control-by-control, with a clear pass/fail and the evidence required to close each gap
- Control mapping: connecting your existing tools, processes, and configurations to the framework requirements they satisfy
- Policy and evidence library: written policies, procedures, and evidence templates built for your environment, not pulled from a generic bank
Audit coordination and ongoing maintenance
- Auditor coordination: we manage the auditor relationship, answer technical questions, and package evidence so your engineers are not pulled into the process more than necessary
- Continuous monitoring setup: alerts and checks configured in your compliance platform so gaps surface before the auditor does
- Ongoing maintenance retainer: policy refresh, evidence review, and audit prep for subsequent years so you do not rebuild from scratch every cycle
How the engagement runs
SOC 2 Type 1 readiness typically runs 8 to 12 weeks from engagement start to audit submission. HIPAA and ISO 27001 run longer given the scope and evidence requirements. CMMC readiness timelines depend on your current maturity and the level you are targeting. We give a realistic estimate after the gap analysis, not before it.
Engagement structure
- Scoping and gap analysis (weeks 1-3): framework selection, control inventory, current-state assessment, and prioritized gap report
- Remediation support (weeks 4-8): policy drafting, control implementation guidance, evidence library build, compliance platform configuration
- Audit readiness review (weeks 9-12): mock auditor walkthrough, evidence packaging, auditor selection support, and submission coordination
- Ongoing maintenance (optional): monthly retainer for evidence review, policy updates, and readiness for subsequent audit cycles
What we ask of you
- An internal owner — ideally someone in engineering or IT leadership — who can gather evidence and implement controls on a defined schedule
- Access to the systems, configurations, and logs the framework requires as evidence
- A realistic timeline: we will tell you what is achievable and what is not, and we need you to hold the line with customers on deadlines that are not achievable
- Willingness to fix actual gaps, not just document them. Auditors read policies and then look for evidence that the policy is followed.
Why a Red Hound compliance engagement
We have sat on the buyer's side of hundreds of SOC 2 reports during enterprise security reviews. That experience shapes how we prepare clients: we know which sections of a SOC 2 report enterprise procurement teams actually read, which exceptions will trigger a follow-up, and which auditor findings matter versus which ones can be accepted with a management response. We do not over-engineer controls to look impressive on paper; we build what will hold up to scrutiny.
What makes us different
- Buyer-side experience. We have evaluated hundreds of SOC 2 reports from inside enterprise procurement. We know what auditors ask for and what customer security teams actually care about when they read the report.
- We do not over-engineer. Some compliance consultants produce 200-page policy libraries that nobody follows. We write policies that match your actual environment and can be maintained by your team after we leave.
- We partner with audit firms, not compete with them. We do not conduct audits. We prepare you for them and coordinate with the auditor of your choice, which means there is no conflict of interest in our readiness assessment.
- Multi-framework efficiency. SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, and NIST CSF share significant control overlap. We map that overlap so you are not paying for the same work twice when you need more than one attestation.
- Engineering-friendly controls. Controls your engineering team can actually implement and maintain are more valuable than perfect controls that get bypassed. We build for sustainability, not ceremony.
Frequently asked
Questions we hear before most compliance engagements. Bring specific questions about your situation to the discovery call.
Which framework do we actually need?
It depends on your customers and your market. SOC 2 is the most common ask for SaaS companies selling to US enterprises. HIPAA is required if you handle protected health information. ISO 27001 is common for companies selling internationally or into regulated industries that prefer it. CMMC is required for DoD contractors. We help you sort this out in the scoping phase, including where frameworks overlap and where you can satisfy multiple customers with a single certification.
Should we use a compliance automation platform like Vanta or Drata?
For most SMBs doing SOC 2, yes — a compliance platform is worth the cost because it automates evidence collection and makes the audit process faster. The platforms do not replace preparation work, though. A compliance platform with 40% failing checks and nobody owning the remediation backlog does not make you audit-ready. We help you configure the platform correctly and work through the backlog so the tool is actually doing what you paid for.
Can you also audit us?
No. We are a readiness and advisory firm, not an accredited audit or assessment body. For SOC 2, your auditor must be a licensed CPA firm. For ISO 27001, it must be an accredited certification body. We prepare you for the audit and coordinate with the firm you choose, but we do not conduct the audit ourselves. This avoids any conflict of interest in how we assess your readiness.
How long does this really take?
SOC 2 Type 1 readiness from a standing start takes 8 to 12 weeks if you have an engaged internal owner and move quickly on remediation items. SOC 2 Type 2 requires a 6 to 12-month observation period on top of that. HIPAA and ISO 27001 typically run 4 to 6 months for the initial program build. CMMC timelines vary significantly by level and current maturity. We give a specific estimate after the gap analysis surfaces what actually needs to be fixed.
Can you handle multiple frameworks at once?
Yes, and it is often more efficient to do so. SOC 2 and ISO 27001 share significant control overlap. SOC 2 and HIPAA share more than most companies realize. We map the controls once and satisfy multiple frameworks from the same evidence base where possible. Running them in parallel is more efficient than sequential certifications if your customer mix requires both.
Get audit-ready without grinding your engineering team to a halt.
A 30-minute discovery call, no obligation. We assess where you stand, which framework applies, and what a realistic readiness timeline looks like for your business.