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Product Security Sync - 2

A. Certifications Available in the Market (Audited, Formal Certificates)

  • SOC 2 Type II – U.S. SaaS trust standard, most common in procurement. Overview
  • ISO/IEC 27001 – International information security certification.
  • ISO/IEC 27701 – Privacy management (extension of ISO 27001).
  • FedRAMP Moderate – Required for U.S. federal agencies (very costly).
  • CMMC Level 2 – Required for Department of Defense vendors.
  • PCI DSS – Payment card security. Usually handled by Stripe/DOKU, but we must complete SAQ A (light version).
  • CSA STAR Certification – Cloud security certification, optional but globally recognized.

B. Frameworks & Compliance Standards (Best Practices / Non-Certifying)

  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) – U.S. gov-favored baseline.
  • NIST SP 800-53 – Detailed control set for gov/regulated contracts.
  • CCPA/CPRA (California) – Mandatory if handling CA consumer data.
  • GDPR (EU) – Needed if expanding internationally.
  • CJIS Security Policy – For law enforcement data (utilities + police integrations).

C. Which Ones We Need (Prioritized for SMART360)

Required / High Value (near-term):

  • SOC 2 Type II – Directly impacts U.S. utility/enterprise sales.
  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) – Provides a recognized U.S. baseline for risk management. We can align with this in parallel with SOC 2 since much of the work overlaps.
  • CCPA/CPRA Compliance – Mandatory for California users.
  • PCI DSS SAQ A – Light self-assessment since Stripe/DOKU handle payments.

Future (medium-term / strategic):

  • ISO/IEC 27001 – Expands global credibility.
  • ISO/IEC 27701 – Adds privacy governance.

Conditional (only if customer requires):

  • FedRAMP, CMMC – Only if federal/DOD clients (very costly).
  • GDPR – Only when EU expansion starts.
  • CSA STAR – Optional badge for marketing.
  • NIST SP 800-53 – Only if specifically required by U.S. government/regulated customers.

Overlap Benefit:

  • SOC 2 covers ~70–80% of ISO 27001, ~50% of NIST CSF, and aligns with CCPA/CPRA.

D. Third-Party Integrations – What We Expect from Them

Any SaaS or infra vendor we use must meet minimum baseline security:

  • SOC 2 Type II (preferred) or ISO/IEC 27001.
  • PCI DSS Level 1 (if processing payments, e.g., Stripe/DOKU).
  • GDPR & CCPA/CPRA compliance for analytics / customer data (e.g., PostHog, Workday).

[Detailed Document : (pending)]

E. Vendor Options for Certification Automation

Instead of manual compliance, vendors provide automation, templates, and auditor partnerships.

  • Vanta – SOC2, ISO27001/27017, PCI DSS, NIST CSF, NIST 800, FedRamp, AWS FTR, OFDSS, NIST AI RMF, NIS 2, CMMC, CJIS, TISAX,GDPR, HIPPA, CCPA/CPRA, ISO27701/27018, USDP (AI : https://www.vanta.com/products/ai))
  • Sprinto – SOC 2, ISO 27001,GDPR,HIPAA,PCI DSS,CMMC 2.0,NIST frameworks (e.g., controls implementation), ISO 27017, CIS, CSA STAR, FCRA, OFDSS, CCPA (AI : https://secureframe.com/features/ai)
  • Drata – SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, ISO 27701, CSA STAR. (AI: https://youtu.be/RgTTp9f9pwE )
  • Scytale – SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, CCPA, NIST CSF, CMMC. (AI: http://scytale.ai/ai-agent/)

Detailed Comparison : https://bookstack.bynry.com/books/common-Aj3/page/compliance-vendors



F. Certification Costs

Audit Costs (independent of vendor subscription):

  • SOC 2 Type II Audit: ~$15k–$20k (one-time, yearly renewal).
  • ISO 27001 Certification Audit: ~$20k–$30k.
  • PCI DSS SAQ A: Self-attestation, minimal cost
  • FedRAMP / CMMC: $200k+ (not relevant for us now).

Vendor Subscriptions (automation tools):

  • Sprinto: $12k–$18k/year (+ audit fee).
  • Vanta: $10k–$25k/year (+ audit fee).
  • Drata: $15k–$25k/year (+ audit fee).
  • Scytale: Pricing not public, but estimated $10k–$20k/year (+ audit fee).

Detailed Comparison : https://bookstack.bynry.com/books/common-Aj3/page/compliance-vendors

G. Infrastructure Cost Impact (SOC 2 Prep)

Baseline Today: ~$640/month.

  • Minimal SOC 2 setup: +$416–$521 → $1,056–$1,161/month.
  • With Cross-Region DR: +$566–$701 → $1,206–$1,341/month.
  • Optional heavy add-on: AWS Shield Advanced $3k/month (only if contractually required).

https://bookstack.bynry.com/books/soc-ii/page/costs-monthly

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