What SOC 2 automation does
A GRC platform plugs into the systems you already run and does the repetitive part of compliance for you.
- Pulls evidence automatically. User lists, MFA status, encryption settings, pull request approvals, all on a schedule.
- Tests it every day. When a control stops passing you hear about it then, not at the audit.
- Keeps the paperwork in one place. Policies, sign-offs, training records, vendor reviews.
- Gives the auditor a login. Fewer email threads full of screenshots.
That matters most over a Type 2 period. Proving a control worked across 180 days by hand is tedious. A platform does it without anyone remembering to.
What SOC 2 automation does not do
- Make decisions. Scope, criteria, risk appetite and "is this control enough?" stay with you.
- Write your real procedures. Templates are a start. An auditor tests what you do, so the policy has to match it.
- Fix things. Most platforms report a failing laptop. Someone still has to fix the laptop.
- Cover what it can't connect to. Custom, on-premise and niche systems fall back to manual evidence.
- Audit you. Only a licensed CPA firm can perform the audit, so the tool vendor can't. The audit is priced on top of the platform.
Does it pay for itself? Run your numbers
Use your own figures. The only assumption built in is that a year has 52 weeks.
Does it pay for itself
Be honest about the share. Vendors quote big time savings, and nobody has published an independent measurement. Half is a reasonable starting guess.
What the hours look like in the real world
Published estimates for a first SOC 2 run from about 40 to 500 hours or more, depending on who is estimating and how much is automated. Every one of those figures comes from a vendor or a consultancy. Use them as a rough guide and no more.
The closest thing to survey data is commissioned by a vendor too. Vanta's 2025 State of Trust survey of 3,500 business and IT leaders found teams spending 12 working weeks a year on compliance tasks. That covers all compliance work across five countries, not SOC 2 alone.
When a GRC platform is worth it
- You're going for a Type 2, especially a twelve-month one.
- You have more than about 30 devices or a lot of cloud accounts.
- A second framework is on the way, and one set of evidence can serve both.
- Customers send security questionnaires every week and you need answers on tap.
When it isn't
- You need one Type 1, soon, and the team is tiny. Do it by hand.
- Nobody has time to run the tool. An unattended platform is a five-figure dashboard full of red.
- What you lack is know-how, not hours. Then you need a person. See consultant vs software.
Is Vanta or Drata worth it?
Both are capable products with ratings above 4.5 out of 5 on G2 across a large number of reviews. Their integration libraries are broad and their auditor networks are large. For a team with a security hire and several frameworks to manage, they're a sound choice.
The most common complaints in those same reviews are integration gaps for both products, with pricing also near the top for Vanta and clarity of the interface for Drata. For a ten-person startup the question is rarely "is the software good?" It is "do we have someone to run it, and have we priced the whole thing?" See what GRC platforms cost.
With AccuSights: the automation and the person arrive together. Our built-in agent collects device evidence without an MDM, and your engineer handles the judgment calls a dashboard can't.