An Independent Resource, Not a Software Company
Security Compliance Guide is an independent publication focused on helping startups and small businesses navigate cybersecurity compliance frameworks without being sold to. We are not a compliance automation platform, a consulting firm, or an audit firm. We have nothing to sell you except useful information.
The compliance information landscape is dominated by vendors. Search for "SOC 2 checklist" and you will find ten results from companies whose software costs $20,000 per year. Their advice is engineered to make their product look necessary. We write without that incentive.
This site is written by practitioners who have been through SOC 2 audits, HIPAA assessments, and ISO 27001 certifications at real companies. We know which parts are hard, which parts are overblown, and where the actual money goes.
Five Frameworks, Covered Thoroughly
We focus on the five compliance frameworks most relevant to startups and SMBs selling to enterprise customers or operating in regulated industries:
- SOC 2 - The audit standard for SaaS companies. We cover Type 1 vs Type 2, trust services criteria, audit firm selection, preparation timelines, and real cost data.
- HIPAA - Required for companies handling protected health information. We cover the Privacy Rule, Security Rule, Business Associate Agreements, and what a realistic compliance program looks like.
- ISO 27001 - The international information security standard. We cover the certification process, gap assessments, Annex A controls, and whether your company actually needs it yet.
- NIST CSF - The U.S. government cybersecurity framework. We break down the five functions (Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover) with practical implementation guidance.
- PCI DSS - Required for any company processing credit card payments. We cover the 12 requirements, merchant levels, SAQs, and QSA assessments.
We also publish unbiased reviews of penetration testing firms, compliance automation tools, and audit firms, because the companies selling those services will never give you a straight answer about their competitors.
Transparent Revenue Model
We are honest about this because it matters. Here is exactly how this site generates revenue:
Affiliate commissions do not affect rankings, scores, or recommendations. If a free tool is better than a paid one, we say so. If a tool we could earn commission from is mediocre, we say that too.
How We Protect Our Independence
Several things we do not do, regardless of financial incentives:
- Accept payment for favorable coverage of any tool, service, or vendor
- Allow advertisers to review or approve content before publication
- Remove negative reviews or criticism in exchange for advertising spend
- Recommend tools we have not independently evaluated
- Publish vendor guest posts without clear disclosure and independent editorial review
If you believe we have made a factual error or that our coverage of a specific product or service is unfair, contact us and we will investigate. We correct errors publicly and promptly.
Advertisers and affiliate partners are chosen based on relevance to our audience. An advertiser buying space on this site does not earn any influence over what we write. If a company we have criticized chooses to advertise here, their ads will run alongside that criticism.
Our Standards for Every Article
Every piece of content on this site is held to these standards before publication:
- Factual accuracy. Claims are supported by primary sources, official framework documentation, or verifiable pricing data. We do not repeat vendor marketing claims as facts.
- Disclosed conflicts. Any article where a writer has a financial relationship with a mentioned company will disclose this clearly at the top of that article.
- Dated content. Every article carries a publication date and last-updated date. Compliance requirements change frequently and we update articles when they do.
- Clear scope. We write for companies in the startup-to-SMB range. We do not claim our guidance applies equally to Fortune 500 enterprises or highly regulated sectors like banking and pharmaceuticals.
- Not legal advice. We are not lawyers and our content is not legal advice. We clearly label when readers should consult qualified legal or compliance counsel.
We welcome corrections, challenges to our analysis, and tips from people with firsthand experience in compliance programs. Use the contact page to reach us.
How We Research and Write
Our research process for each guide follows a consistent approach designed to produce content that is accurate, practical, and vendor-neutral.
Primary Sources First
We start with official framework documentation: AICPA for SOC 2, HHS for HIPAA, ISO for 27001, NIST for the CSF, and PCI SSC for PCI DSS. Where official documentation is ambiguous or out of date, we note this explicitly.
Real Pricing Data
Cost figures come from publicly available pricing, direct quotes obtained for research purposes, and data shared by practitioners in our network. We update pricing at least annually. We do not publish "contact us for pricing" without providing at least an order-of-magnitude range based on market research.
Tool Evaluations
For tool comparison articles, we use free trials, sandbox environments, or request evaluation access directly from vendors. We do not publish comparisons based solely on marketing materials or feature lists provided by vendors.
Practitioner Review
Technical articles are reviewed by at least one person with hands-on experience in the relevant framework before publication. This is typically someone who has led an audit, implemented controls, or worked as a compliance lead at a company in our target audience range.
Content Maintenance
We conduct a quarterly audit of all published guides to check for outdated information. Framework standards change, pricing changes, and tool recommendations change. Articles older than 12 months are flagged for review and either updated or retired.
If you have firsthand data, case study experience, or corrections to contribute, we welcome them. We credit contributors who improve our content.