SaaS companies come to us when SOC 2 starts blocking deals.
Truvo is a Canadian cybersecurity consultancy. We run SOC 2 readiness and audit support engagements for SaaS companies, infrastructure providers, and regulated businesses across Canada and the US. Our approach is different from most SOC 2 consultants: we build an effective security program first, then map the SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria onto it. The audit becomes the byproduct, not the goal.
Most Canadian SaaS companies we talk to have already bought a GRC platform. Vanta, Drata, Scrut, Secureframe. The platform is good at collecting evidence. It is not good at telling a company whether its security program actually works, whether the scope is defensible, or whether the auditor will push back on the controls selected.
That is the gap an experienced consultant fills. The platform automates the paperwork. The consultant makes sure the paperwork is based on a real program. Companies that skip that step get a SOC 2 report that may pass the audit but does not stand up to customer scrutiny, procurement review, or the first real incident. See our breakdown of compliance consulting vs. GRC platform for a longer read on this tradeoff.
Platform vs. Program
A GRC platform automates evidence collection. It cannot define a defensible scope, design controls that match the client's architecture, or prepare a team for auditor pushback. Companies that skip the consultant step often pass the audit and fail the next enterprise procurement review.
We offer four engagement types. Clients pick the entry point that matches where they are, and most move between them as their program matures.
Assess
A standalone gap assessment. We review the client's current state against the SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria and deliver a roadmap, a defensible scope statement, and an honest read on whether the program is three months or nine months from audit-ready. Useful for teams that want a third-party opinion before committing to implementation, or when the board or an investor wants an external benchmark.
Build
The implementation engagement. Fixed scope, fixed price, 8 to 12 weeks. Output: a working security program, control matrix mapped to the client's stack, custom policies, evidence collection running in the GRC platform, auditor introductions, and a readiness report. At the end of the Build, the client's team can operate the program independently.
Operate
The ongoing program management phase. After a Build, most clients move into Operate so the program does not decay between audit cycles. Weekly cadence calls, continuous evidence collection, vendor risk reviews, security awareness training, quarterly access reviews, annual policy updates, internal audit, and external audit management. Operate is what gets you from a Type I to a Type II, and from year one to year three without surprises.
ABO (Assess + Build + Operate)
Our annual subscription. A single fixed price that bundles the Build, ongoing Operate work (continuous evidence collection, vendor reviews, weekly cadence calls, internal audit, security training, access reviews, policy updates), and external audit management. Optionally includes a GRC platform license and annual penetration test where the framework requires one. ABO is for companies that want one number on the budget line and one accountable team running the whole program.
GRC platform is optional in Operate and ABO. Some clients already have Vanta, Drata, or Scrut. Some prefer to run the program on policies, runbooks, and process documentation without paying a SaaS platform. We work either way.
We do not publish fixed prices because every engagement scopes differently. Typical ranges from competent consultants in this market:
We do not lock clients into retainers. We do not bill hourly for small questions. We give every prospect a fixed-price quote on the scoping call.
The 8-week engagement is fixed scope. Deliverables include:
Build Deliverables
The question most Canadian SaaS CTOs ask first is what the audit itself actually costs, independent of the consulting or platform spend. Audit fees in Canada and the US have converged, and pricing is driven by scope and firm tier, not geography.
Typical ranges from reputable SOC 2 audit firms serving Canadian SaaS companies:
| Audit Type | Typical Cost (CAD) | Notes |
| Type I, SMB single-framework | $10,000 to $20,000 | Security only, one production system, small team |
| Type II, SMB single-framework | $15,000 to $30,000 | Same scope as Type I, 3 to 12 month observation window |
| Type II, multi-category or multi-system | $30,000 to $50,000+ | Security + Availability + Confidentiality, multiple systems |
| SOC 2 + ISO 27001 combined | 15 to 25% savings vs. separate | Some firms offer integrated audits |
Fees are quoted in USD by most audit firms, even Canadian ones, because SOC 2 is an AICPA framework and US pricing is the reference. Plan for FX movement if the engagement runs long.
What the audit fee does not cover
The audit firm does not design controls, write policies, configure a GRC platform, or prepare the evidence package. Those are consulting and program-build activities. Companies that try to compress everything into the audit fee end up with a rushed opinion from an auditor who had to fill the program design gaps themselves.
We are independent from every audit firm by design. We do not resell audits, and we do not take referral fees. That is the only way our recommendation stays honest.
The reputable SOC 2 audit firms serving Canadian SaaS companies fall into three tiers:
On a scoping call, we recommend two or three firms that fit the client's scope, timeline, and buyer expectations, make introductions, and let the client select. We do not tell companies which firm to hire.
SOC 2 is a US framework, but Canadian SaaS companies have Canadian problems. We see them every week.
NRC IRAP funding ties
Companies that have taken IRAP money can apply that funding toward SOC 2 work under certain program streams. We help document it correctly.
PIPEDA and Law 25 overlap
Companies operating in Canada carry obligations beyond SOC 2. PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25 run alongside it. We design controls that cover the privacy requirements at the same time, so no work is redone later.
Data residency
Canadian customers ask about data residency in the same breath as SOC 2. We make sure the architecture and the SOC 2 scope answer that question clearly.
Bilingual documentation
For companies operating in Quebec or supporting French-speaking customers, we can deliver policies in both languages.
No retainer lock-in
Every engagement is fixed scope and fixed price. We do not bill hourly for small questions. Clients own everything we build, whether they continue with us or run the program themselves after the Build.
8 weeks to an effective security program, audit-ready and built to last.
Expect three cost buckets. Implementation consulting from competent providers typically runs from around $20,000 for an SMB single-framework engagement up to $75,000+ for enterprise scope. A GRC platform runs $5,000 to $25,000 per year for most SMBs. The audit itself, from a reputable firm, runs $10,000 to $40,000 for Type I or Type II. Total first-year cost for most SMBs lands between $40,000 and $85,000.
Audit fees in Canada track US pricing closely because SOC 2 is an AICPA framework. A Type I audit for an SMB SaaS company with a single trust services category and a small scope lands around $10,000 to $20,000 CAD. A Type II audit with a typical 6 month observation window runs $15,000 to $30,000 CAD. Multi-category or multi-system scopes push the Type II fee to $30,000 to $50,000+ CAD. Most Canadian audit firms quote in USD regardless of where the client is based.
There are reputable Canadian CPA firms with dedicated SOC 2 practices, US specialist firms that audit Canadian SaaS companies routinely, and the Big Four and mid-tier global firms when enterprise buyers want a recognizable brand on the report. We work with firms across all three tiers and make warm introductions based on scope, timeline, and buyer expectations. We are independent by design and take no referral fees, so the recommendation reflects fit rather than commercial interest.
The firms that produce defensible SOC 2 programs for mid-sized Canadian SaaS companies share a common pattern: they lead scoping with architecture questions rather than a platform demo, they design controls around how the engineering team already works, they price on fixed scope, they handle auditor communication through the audit, and they separate the build phase from the ongoing operate phase so the program does not decay during the Type II observation window. Mid-sized SaaS companies tend to run into trouble with consultants whose practice is built exclusively around early-stage startups on AWS, because the scoping assumptions break as soon as the company has a second product line, on-prem or hybrid infrastructure, or a services component. See our guide on how to choose a SOC 2 consultant for a full evaluation framework.
Type I is typically 3 to 6 months from kickoff to report. Type II requires an observation window, usually 3 to 12 months, after the Type I or after your controls are operating. A well-run 8 to 12 week Build gets you audit-ready; the audit timeline depends on the firm and the type.
Yes, if the goal is a defensible program. The platform automates evidence collection; it does not design controls, define scope, or argue with auditors on the client's behalf. Companies that go platform-only often end up with a report that passes but does not hold up under enterprise procurement review.
Yes. We are independent from any audit firm by design, and we work with the auditor the client has chosen. If no auditor has been selected, we can make introductions to reputable firms in Canada and the US.
We are based in Canada and most of our clients are Canadian, but we work across North America. US companies considering a Canadian consultant typically choose us for competitive pricing and on-prem infrastructure experience most consultancies do not have.
You own the program. We hand off everything: policies, control matrix, runbooks, evidence walkthroughs, and auditor communication templates. Many clients run the program themselves from there. Others move into Operate so they have continuous program management between audit cycles, or step up to ABO for an annual fixed-price bundle that wraps the Build, Operate, audit management, and (where applicable) GRC platform license and pen test.
Yes. We act as the main point of contact between the client and the auditor. We are the liaison through the entire engagement: we handle auditor communication, organize and submit evidence, defend the scope when it gets challenged, push back when an evidence request is overreaching, and walk the auditor through the control narrative. The audit firm is independent by design, but clients are not navigating it alone. Audit management is included in the Operate and ABO offerings.