Compliance and audit readiness · Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas
Compliance & Audit Readiness
SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, HIPAA, PCI DSS. The frameworks differ; the problem is the same: evidence is scattered, controls are undocumented, and the audit date is fixed. We collect the evidence once and map it to the framework that matters.
One evidence set, mapped to each framework
Most companies start by buying a compliance platform and then discover the controls are not the hard part; the evidence is. We build the evidence register first, then map the same artefacts to whichever framework the customer, insurer, or regulator is asking about.
- One control matrix, showing which framework each control satisfies.
- One evidence register, with an owner and a collection date per item.
- One policy set, written once and referenced by every framework.
- One remediation roadmap, sequenced by audit risk and effort.
An audit is a sampling exercise
An auditor or assessor tests a sample. If the sample lands on a control with no evidence, the audit is not ready, whatever the policy says. The register exists so the evidence is findable on the day it is asked for.
The same register answers a customer questionnaire, an insurance renewal, and the next framework without a second project.
What we prepare you for
We are not the auditor, the assessor, or the certification body. We do the readiness work and we stay in the room while the independent body tests it.
SOC 2
Trust services criteria, system description, and the evidence an auditor will sample. Readiness for a Type I or Type II report: we build and test the controls, and the auditor issues the opinion.
ISO 27001
The management system, the risk treatment plan, and the Annex A control set. We prepare the ISMS and the evidence; a certification body makes the certification decision.
NIST CSF 2.0
A current-state profile against the six functions, a target profile, and the gap list between them. The right spine when the driver is a customer, an insurer, or a board rather than a certification.
HIPAA
Security Rule risk analysis, access and audit controls, business associate agreements, and incident readiness. We prepare the evidence; we are not your legal counsel or your regulator.
PCI DSS
Cardholder data scope, the environment that touches it, and the controls around payment flows and vendors. We prepare you for the assessment; we are not a QSA and do not issue attestations.
How readiness runs
Scope and gap
We agree the framework, the system boundary, and the audit date, then inventory the evidence that already exists. The gap list is written before any control is built.
Build controls and evidence
Policies, control owners, collection dates, and the register that holds it together. Your team runs the controls; we write the standard and check the evidence.
Mock audit and handoff
We sample the evidence the way the auditor will, fix what fails, and hand the pack over. Then we sit in the audit meetings until the report is issued.
What you keep
The audit pack
- Control matrix mapped to SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.
- Evidence register with owners and collection dates.
- Policy set in your templates, approved by your leadership.
- Remediation roadmap sequenced by audit risk and effort.
If readiness needs an owner
Most companies do not have someone whose job is to run the evidence collection. That is the Fractional CISO retainer: the same person who built the pack owns it through the audit window, two days a week.
$9,500 a month, two days a week, 90-day initial term. If the audit deadline is the only problem, a defined project may be the better fit.
Security & AI Risk Diagnostic
The gap assessment is where readiness starts. 15 business days, two on-site or two full remote workshop days, and a readout that names the framework work in order.
The fee is credited against a follow-on engagement started within 45 days. Never a free audit.
Compliance and audit questions
Will you issue our SOC 2 report?
No. The report comes from an independent CPA firm. We build the control set, collect and organise the evidence they will sample, and sit in the audit meetings with you. We are not the auditor and we do not issue the opinion.
Can you help us get ready for SOC 2 or ISO 27001?
Yes. Readiness is the work: scope, gap analysis, control build, evidence register, and a mock audit before the real one. The certification or audit decision stays with the independent body.
How long does readiness take?
It depends on the framework, the system boundary, and how much evidence already exists. We scope it in the paid diagnostic instead of quoting a timeline before we have seen the controls.
Do we need both SOC 2 and ISO 27001?
Often not at the same time. The evidence is largely shared, so we map one control set to both and let customer demand decide the order. You should not pay twice for the same control work.
Name the deadline.
Tell us the framework, the customer, or the renewal that set the date. The diagnostic tells you how far the evidence is from ready, in order.