Pass US Investor Due Diligence on Security, Fast

• Done for you, end to end

  We write the policies, set up the controls and evidence, run the internal audit and coordinate the independent audit. You deal with one team from first call to final report.

• Simple and quick

  A free gap assessment, then one plan with dates from day one. Effivity, our GRC automation platform, is included to keep the evidence moving.

• 8,100+ client engagements

  In 60+ countries over 20+ years, with experts who bring 30+ years of experience.

• Under US$10,000, all-inclusive

  For most start-ups and SMEs: SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA or ISO 9001, including the independent audit. A fixed quote follows a free gap assessment.

The outcome. Leadership stays on the round; we run the program and deal with the external body.

1. Free gap assessment. Your company measured against the diligence list and the standard you need. 2. Policies and controls. Drafted to match how you work; your team puts access, change, logging, vendor, backup and incident controls in place with us. 3. Evidence. Captured in Effivity, Sterling's GRC automation platform, as everyday work happens. 4. Internal audit. Consulting and auditing are always separated: the people who consult never audit you. 5. External body. We coordinate scoping, scheduling and examiner questions; for ISO, an accredited certification body certifies. 6. Staying ready. Evidence kept current for the next round or exit.

Every Sterling consulting engagement comes with the following, so you are not buying extras to get to the finish line:

• Effivity, Sterling's GRC automation platform, with a full-year subscription, to run your controls, evidence, tasks and audits in one place.
• Sterling Academy: preferential course access, with complimentary awareness training for your people.
• Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard.
• For information-security engagements, a vulnerability assessment.

These are part of the engagement, not a separate purchase. The details depend on the standard you are working toward, which we confirm during the free gap assessment.

Consulting and auditing are always separated: the people who consult never audit you. That keeps your internal audit objective and protects the independence of the CPA firm, Qualified Security Assessor or certification body that performs the final step.

Behind this are 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries over 20+ years, led by experts with 30+ years of experience.

What the fee covers, and what it doesn't:

• It is the fee for your first SOC 2 report or your first certification only.
• Annual work is always additional and billed the following year: later SOC 2 report periods, and ISO surveillance and recertification audits.
• It assumes a typical start-up or SME scope: one product or service and one main location.
• Larger or multi-site scopes get a fixed quote after the gap assessment.
• PCI DSS is quoted separately: a fixed quote follows a free gap assessment.

^[1] Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: 15-1212 Information Security Analysts, national annual median wage. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. accessed October 23, 2026.

The outcome. Your data room answers the security section before anyone asks twice, and the round keeps its timetable. Sterling brings 20+ years of practice, 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, experts with 30+ years of experience and a 100% success and on-time completion record.

US venture, growth and private equity investors use the security section to test one thing: could a breach, a regulator or a lost enterprise customer erode the value they are buying? The request usually comes at one of four points:

• Series A or B. The lead's diligence team wants a security overview and how enterprise reviews have gone.
• Growth or private equity. The sponsor's advisers run cyber diligence with a questionnaire and management interviews.
• Acquisition. A strategic buyer checks whether your controls survive integration and whether customer contracts hide security liabilities.
• Pre-round clean-up. Your banker or lead tells you to be ready before the data room opens.

The outcome. Every worry on the list maps to a document, described in the exact words counsel expects.

• SOC 2. The SOC 2 report is issued by a US-licensed CPA firm, as AICPA standards require^[1]. It is an attestation, not a certificate.
• ISO/IEC 27001 and 42001. An accredited certification body audits and certifies. Sterling does not.
• PCI DSS. A Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) performs the assessment and Report on Compliance where one is required; for SAQ-eligible merchants and service providers we prepare and support the SAQ^[2].
• HIPAA. No certificate exists; investors look for a documented risk analysis and the safeguards it drives^[4].

The outcome. Something independent sits in the data room early, and the next report follows without a gap. Investors do not expect everything; they expect a sensible sequence and an accurate status.

1. US customers. Start with SOC 2 Type 1, then begin the Type 2 period at once. See SOC 2 for Series A and Type 1 vs Type 2. 2. International growth in the thesis. Add ISO/IEC 27001; compare in SOC 2 vs ISO 27001. 3. AI at the core. Add ISO/IEC 42001 when the investor asks how it is governed.

One control set mapped to each standard keeps cost down, so a standard added after closing is a mapping exercise.

The outcome. A reviewer finds every answer without emailing you. We set it up and keep it current through Effivity, so a refresh takes hours.

• Summary. Two pages: owners, standards, status, dates.
• Policies. Each with version, owner and approval date.
• Risk. Assessment and open-risk register.
• Independent assurance. SOC 2 report or ISO certificate under NDA, or a dated letter on the engagement under way.
• Testing. Latest penetration test and remediation status.
• Incidents. Response plan, last exercise, incident log.
• Vendors. Critical suppliers and subprocessors with your review of each.
• Customers. Sanitized completed questionnaires; see answering security questionnaires.

The outcome. You know which federal rules bind you and which reach you only through customers or an exit.

• SEC Regulation S-K Item 106. Applies to SEC registrants. It requires them to describe processes for assessing, identifying and managing material cybersecurity risks, including oversight of risks from third-party service providers, and the roles of the board and management^[3]. A private start-up is not a registrant, but public-company customers and acquirers may ask you for evidence, and a future listing needs governance you can describe.
• HIPAA Security Rule. If you handle patient data for US providers or plans, administrative safeguards start with risk analysis and risk management^[4].

This page is informational and not legal advice; ask securities or health counsel about your facts.

The outcome. An interim package in the first weeks and dated milestones after that. These are Sterling's planning ranges for one cloud-hosted product, not guarantees; the CPA firm and certification body set their own windows.

While the work runs. Share a program summary, policies and risk assessment under NDA, the dated plan and a recent penetration test. Describe today's controls as they are, and say "the examination window opens on this date" rather than promising an issue date.

A SOC 2 engagement has one deliverable that no consultant can hand you: the report. The SOC 2 report is issued by a US-licensed CPA firm, as AICPA standards require^[1]. What Sterling does is make sure you get there ready, and that nothing between today and the report lands on your desk.

With Sterling, you deal with one team from start to finish. We coordinate:

• a readiness review and a gap assessment against the Trust Services Criteria;
• the policies, procedures and controls you need, written for how your company actually works;
• evidence collection, so the examination does not become a scramble;
• an internal audit before the examiner arrives, carried out by people who did not advise you on the controls;
• the Type 1 or Type 2 path that fits your deal timeline, and the examination itself, including scheduling, requests and follow-ups.

Our experts bring 30+ years of experience, and the firm has completed 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries over 20+ years. You get a single plan, a single point of contact and a clear view of what happens next.

^[1] SOC (System and Organization Controls) Suite of Services. AICPA & CIMA. accessed October 23, 2026.

ISO management system standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO 9001 are certified by an accredited certification body, not by a consultant^[1]. Sterling never certifies. The certificate carries the name of the body that issued it, and that independence is what makes it credible to your buyers.

What Sterling does is prepare your company so that the certification body's audit goes smoothly. We coordinate:

• a gap assessment against the standard;
• the management system itself: scope, risk assessment, policies, procedures and records, sized for your company;
• training for your people and an internal audit before the certification audit;
• management review and corrective actions;
• the certification audit process, from choosing an accredited body to closing any findings.

Consulting and auditing are always separated. The people who consult never audit you, so the internal audit is a genuine test and the certification body's audit is independent.

Sterling has completed 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries over 20+ years, and our experts bring 30+ years of experience.

^[1] About the IAF MLA (multilateral recognition arrangement). International Accreditation Forum (functions transferred to Global Accreditation Cooperation Inc., 1 Jan 2026). accessed October 23, 2026.

PCI DSS is validated in one of two ways, depending on how you handle card data and what your acquirer or card brand requires. A Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) performs the assessment and Report on Compliance where one is required^[1]; for SAQ-eligible merchants and service providers we prepare and support the SAQ.

Either way, you work with Sterling from first scoping call to final submission. We coordinate:

• scoping: where card data is stored, processed or transmitted, and how to shrink that footprint;
• a gap assessment against the current version of the standard;
• the policies, procedures and technical control improvements needed to close the gaps;
• evidence collection and an internal review before anyone external looks at your environment;
• the assessment itself, including scheduling, evidence requests and follow-up questions.

What you receive is a validation of compliance, documented in the form your acquirer or card brand accepts. Our experts bring 30+ years of experience, and Sterling has completed 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries over 20+ years.

^[1] Become a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA). PCI Security Standards Council. accessed October 23, 2026.

A compliance tool is software. It can track tasks, collect evidence and show you a dashboard. What it cannot do is decide what your scope should be, write policies that match how your team really works, interview your engineers, or sit across from an examiner when a question is unexpected.

That work still has to be done by someone. With a tool-only approach, that someone is usually a founder or an engineering lead, which means a few weeks of product time quietly turns into a few months.

Done-for-you consulting changes who carries the load:

• we scope the program so you are not controlling more than you need to;
• we write the policies and procedures, and we show your team the few things they must actually do;
• we collect and check evidence, and run an internal audit before the external one;
• we coordinate the final step, so you have one plan and one contact.

Tooling still matters, which is why Effivity, our GRC automation platform, is included in every engagement. The difference is that it is run by people who have done this for 20+ years across 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries.

Send us the list and we will map each question to a standard, with an interim statement your counsel can use. See how we work with US teams. Get started today.

• SOC 2: standard overviewStandard overview
• ISO/IEC 27001: standard overviewStandard overview
• ISO/IEC 42001: standard overviewStandard overview
• PCI DSS: standard overviewStandard overview
• HIPAA: standard overviewStandard overview
• Clear US Enterprise Security Reviews and Questionnaires FastUnited States
• Meet US Contract, MSA and RFP Compliance Clauses FastUnited States
• Win Buyers Abroad: Compliance for US Companies ExpandingUnited States
• SOC 2 for Series A: What Founders Need and WhenUnited States
• SOC 2 Type 1 vs Type 2: Which Report US Buyers ExpectUnited States
• SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 for US Companies: Which to Start WithUnited States
• How US Start-ups Answer Security Questionnaires FastUnited States
• Sterling in the United StatesUnited States

1. System and Organization Controls: SOC Suite of Services. AICPA & CIMA. accessed October 23, 2026.

2. PCI DSS and PCI Security Standards Council qualified assessors. PCI Security Standards Council. accessed October 23, 2026.

3. 17 CFR 229.106 (Item 106 of Regulation S-K) Cybersecurity. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (SEC). accessed October 23, 2026.

4. 45 CFR 164.308 Administrative safeguards. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (HHS HIPAA Security Rule). accessed October 23, 2026.

The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified attorney about your own situation.

Requirements depend on your scope, your customers' contracts, your industry and the regulations that apply to you. Two companies asking for the same standard can have very different obligations. We confirm yours during a gap assessment, and we update our content as standards change, but you should check the current text of any standard or rule that matters to you.

Sterling consults and prepares. It does not decide whether you meet a standard. That decision belongs to the independent party that performs the final step: the US-licensed CPA firm for a SOC 2 report, the Qualified Security Assessor or acquirer for PCI DSS, and the accredited certification body for ISO certificates. Timelines and outcomes depend on your readiness and on those parties.

Standards and marks named on this site belong to their respective owners.